Making the Case to Turn Cody Rhodes into a WWE Heel Champion | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

The idea of ​​Cody Rhodes becoming whole anytime soon won’t be popular with many fans. Things still feel too fresh after his years-long quest to finish the story and defeat Roman Reigns.

But in terms of professional wrestling? There’s no better time to do it.

This isn’t the Vince McMahon era, though, and it doesn’t need to be for cheap pop that doesn’t make sense. This is a moment that can be earned. And when you look at the WWE landscape, it makes sense.

Storytelling in WWE has evolved, as has the business as a whole. CM Punk and Drew McIntyre just built one of the best modern feuds we’ve ever seen, while one person was on the shelf for most of the year. Reigns did absolutely nothing for his recent return, while the actions of wrestlers who were actually on the show have turned his entire reputation with fans upside down.

Which is to say that Rhodes could gradually and organically shift into that inevitable Homelander comparison from The Boys and it would make sense. A corrupt Rhodes blurring the lines between real and fake while pointing out all he’s honestly done for the industry would be super entertaining, especially if he technically clashed with a good version of Reigns.

The business aspect is a big part of this too. Back in the day, it seemed like WWE needed someone like John Cena to stay in their lane so they could put out merchandise that would do huge numbers, especially with younger fans.

One look at the modern WWE says it all. While Rhodes is certainly making big business numbers as a good guy, Reigns did the same as the evil Chieftain, literally going out in front of thousands of people and gaslighting and abusing his own family members.

Nowadays, WWE doesn’t do that anymore need a top merch mover at the top. Look at Jey Uso and LA Knight as prime examples: they’re probably stuck in the purgatory of the top titles, now that those belts revolve around huge, long stories with top stars. But that certainly won’t stop them from putting big dollar signs on the financial sheets.

Make no mistake, WWE has some good storytelling on its hands, as the old-school feuding imperative of babyface vs. heel is all but dead. Heels can clash, and a 50-50 like Reigns can go after Rhodes.

But Rhodes turning heel might be too much fun to pass up. This is especially true when the backbreaker, or should we say, gets into a feud with old friend Randy Orton, one of the most over-babyfaces in the business who seems to be winding down his career.

Fans would rightly assume that the old Orton would be the one to betray Rhodes if they were to feud anytime soon… but it’s fascinating to think that Rhodes would use his own ‘Legend Killer’ persona to take out Orton.

Granted, a full Rhodes vs. babyface Reigns at WrestleMania or something like that would have been on zero WWE bingo cards even three months ago. But that’s the beauty of sports and ever-evolving stories.

You also have to wonder how much of a ticking time bomb this version of Rhodes is. He’s already flirting with being in the “Super Cena” category because it’s so obvious he’s not going to lose, and his post-big-ticket feuds have simply missed that. bumpIt’s starting to look like the downward spiral that marked the end of his AEW tenure.

Rhodes just shaking it off and embracing the fact that he’s unstoppable would be a way to build an incredible heel presence that could rival Reigns’ peaks. There are so many fun milestones to consider, like betraying Orton, completely sullying Cena’s retirement tour, siding with Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, maybe even rubbing shoulders with The Rock in a friendly way, the list goes on. After all, we have the absolute silliness of him giving away his Royal Rumble win to Rock. Come on.

A big disclaimer: Rhodes has to want to do it. Speculation says he doesn’t, especially since even his AEW persona is just WWE top dog is written all over it. But he is back and on top at a time when his exact formula is in danger of becoming a relic of a bygone era.

That leaves Rhodes with the opportunity to steer how this modern era can define top champions and tell more meaningful stories. It started with the Bloodline and Reigns, but he is undoubtedly in a position to take it further, if everyone involved agrees.

Really, it’s not that hard to make a case for a villainous Rhodes. These long-running titles with complex characters are great, so his unwillingness to explore the other end of the spectrum and the story possibilities there would be a huge disappointment, likely to a large portion of the fanbase.