Cody Rhodes has ruled out a potential heel turn and explained why fans shouldn’t expect to see a villainous WWE Champion anytime soon.
Cody Rhodes On Why He Can’t Turn Heel
Cody Rhodes is one of WWE’s most popular superstars and is in his second reign as WWE Champion. The American Nightmare went from undesirable to undeniable, winning the world title first in the main event of WrestleMania 40 and secondly in the main event of the first-ever two-night SummerSlam this year.
The 40-year-old has been a babyface ever since returning to WWE in April 2022 at WrestleMania 38, and he doesn’t seem to be entertaining a possible heel turn. He spoke with Becky Lynch on the latest episode of his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast:
“I don’t have any interest, none. I just don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if my heart would be in it.”
Cody Rhodes and Lynch were delving into her recent heel turn when he gave his thoughts on playing the bad guy. The WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion pointed out that it’s hard to boo him because of his personality in and out of the ring.
The former AEW star is arguably TKO’s answer to John Cena, becoming a top merchandise seller, a workhorse, and a box office draw, while also being a massive hit with the younger audience. His desire to win the WWE Championship in honor of his father, the late great Dusty Rhodes, resonated with fans because it was real.
Cody Rhodes & Triple H Previously Discussed A Possible Heel Turn
This isn’t the first time Rhodes has touched on a potential heel run, as he was caught in conversation with WWE’s chief content officer, Triple H, about his character’s direction. The pair spoke shortly after The American Nightmare had defeated Roman Reigns to capture his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40.
Their conversation was recorded for WWE’s “Unreal” Netflix docuseries and it gave an insight into both Rhodes and Paul Levesque’s mindsets at the time. Triple H told him he’s “as white meat as you can be”.
Rhodes responded:
“Be that way until we can’t anymore”
The Game seemed to suggest that a heel turn wasn’t going to be on the horizon:
“That, it ain’t going anywhere. Right now, we just gotta navigate it. That’s our fking job. Our job, me, you, f**king everybody. But we navigate this now and figure out where we need to get it.”
Rhodes agreed and replied: “Yes sir.”
Many felt Rhodes was going to turn heel at Elimination Chamber in February after The Rock had demanded his soul. But Cena shocked fans by turning heel instead, aligning with The Final Boss, although his villainous run was a disappointment partly because of Dwayne Johnson’s absence.
Rhodes has been a heel in WWE before, including at the very start of his career on the main roster when he was a member of Randy Orton’s faction ‘Legacy’. His best heel work came away from the promotion while performing in Ring of Honor as a member of Bullet Club.
