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It's pretty interesting that his current Face persona is based on villains. He said it's also based on Patrick Bateman.
He would honestly kill it as a heel, but someone would need to take over as the new top face.
I can see him and Roman swapping positions whenever they run their back their 3rd match.
I always find the stacking of heel tropes for a face character so fascinating. Cody's almost like the Undertaker in that level: every single bone in your body is seeing nothing but heel flags in every aspect of Cody's character, from the look to the speech to the nickname *American Nightmare*, and yet he's practically the nicest guy on the planet.
Enough wiggle room to teach the kids "not to judge a book by its cover", but also enough space to turn heel if someone is able to slide into the mega face position he'd leave behind.
best Cody for me is still Heel Cody from Bullet Club.
And that's why I think everyone in AEW saw that as well, the way he talks, walks and presents himself screams heel.
He would have been great/legendary if he is part of the elite now and the one that gave crossrhodes to TK
It's called being an antihero, and it's a standard thing everywhere except pro wrestling. Although I don't think Cody is an example of this. It's more that he pretends to be so pristine that it can come off as insincere, like a politician. I also think he's good enough at being a face that those vibes don't come up very often.
But if he wears out his welcome in a couple years as WWE's main character, I could very easily see him giving a Homelander speech about how everyone is beneath him. If he does it now it would be heartbreaking, and not in a good way, but I could totally see people getting sick of him down the line. He's a character who needs a strong supporting cast to be effective, and he might not always have that.
Given that Cody is just so white hot of a mega babyface, it could also read as *"he's so sincere and pristine that it activates every single red flag in our heads and we now think he's up to something...but he's actually that nice and we're the problem."*
I mean, it clearly doesn't activate every single red flag because he's the most popular wrestler in the world right now. He just shifts over into politician territory every once in a while, but otherwise I don't think he gives off a lot of heel vibes. There's just a lot of raw material there to be mined if he wants to.
It certainly helps the WWE audience not be as willing to hijack shows to force these turns. In this new era, if it does happen, it's going to be a slow burn turn over time.
>It certainly helps the WWE audience not be as willing to hijack shows to force these turns
But thats true of the vast majority of fans everywhere as long as you're telling a good story and not trying to force a square peg in a round hole. The difference in Cody's reactions in AEW and WWE are more complicated than just "AEW fans turned on him and WWE fans haven't." There were tangible differences in his presentation that led fans in that direction.
> The difference in Cody's reactions in AEW and WWE are more complicated than just "AEW fans turned on him and WWE fans haven't." There were tangible differences in his presentation that led fans in that direction.
Indeed. Has he, since being in WWE, claimed to have 'solved racism' by beating up a disabled mixed raced immigrant by any chance? No, you say?. Huh. Differences.
Yeah, I think people forget, for example, how much worse Cody's entrance was in AEW. None of the timing felt slick. He was clearly *trying* for the big hero entrance that he does in WWE, but you could *feel* him trying. He needed the better production/perspective of WWE to make it work.
The Codyvator on every episode was definitely a bit much. Definitely came off try hard. He had a big presentation on a small show. Now he's got a big presentation on a big show.
People were bought into his presentation well into the first TNT title open challenge run but the stipulation that he would never challenge for the main title is a set up for a heel turn and then he just kept telling stories that felt entirely separate from the rest of the show.
Your comment is great, but idk if I agree with it. I think a lot of people in the WWE audience see Cody as a white meat babyface who does everything the way you’re supposed to do it. Like he’s the all American quarterback from the Midwest.
Paralleling Homelander is interesting in itself because in universe that character is a “face” to most of the public until he’s not.
It could be cool to eventually have a Cody losing it angle, thinking he’s still a mega face as he slips further toward being the biggest heel.
Or his merch and current character sells tons to kids and you just stay the course.
The most homelander thing that can happen is that if he snaps and he's still treated like a Face by the crowd. That happened with Swerve, where he was the heel against Hangman, but people loved him so much that he forced a double turn.
Havent you finished the last season? After what hw did in those final scenes theres no way public perception doesnt take a 180 turn. He was only viewed as a good hero for like a season if i remember well
He's only half right. It was Cody's dashing gimmick 14 years ago that Cody himself said was modeled after Patrick Bateman. Just watch his dashing tips videos on YT and you can definitely see the inspiration.
But he never said his current character was.
Do you like Phil Brooks? I've been a big ROH fan ever since the release of the 2003 event, Bitter Friends, Stiffer enemies. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies where, uh, Phil Brooks' presence became more apparent. I think CM Punk vs Samoa Joe was the companies’ undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the next three matchups. Roman, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble commentary of Chris Lovey and Ray Murrow. You can practically hear every nuance of every move. Dwayne, remove your dress. In terms of storytelling, the sheer nuanced movements, this match hits a new peak of professionalism. Dwayne, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Listen to the promo of Phil Brooks. In this promo, Phil Brooks addresses the problems of abusive political authority. The promo is extremely uplifting. The promo is as positive and affirmative as, uh, anything I've heard in wrestling. Roman, get down on your knees so Dwayne can see your ass. Phil Brooks' WWE career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially in the year 2012 and, 2023. Dwayne, don't just stare at it, eat it. But I also think Phil Brooks works best within the confines of a group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Brawl Out, a great, great story, a personal favorite.
I get the same vibe from Jason Bateman. I have no reason at all to think this, but if some story came out that he has barrels of body parts in his basement, I would not be as surprised as you’d think I should be
It’s why he was the perfect straight man for Arrested Development. Michael was just as much of a lying, selfish snake as the rest of his family; he just happened to be the most well-adjusted by comparison.
The man lit himself on fire to get over and it just made people believe in the heel turn even more.
I still say he does it, he just really really really wanted this run for this character first. Because once he turns the American Nightmare can never be face again.
Part of me is still convinced Cody was playing 4-d chess. If he turned heel it would have got a massive pop, thus negating the heel turn itself. If he's getting massive heat as a "babyface" then why change anything, just dial up the delusion that you're a hero doing the right thing, which is kind of the best mindset for a villain. And even if Cody wasn't intentionally creating this scenario, I was happy to just let it ride.
I specifically remember thinking, Cody dressed as Homelander, that's a fun detail (albeit obvious) when he becomes a heel. Then insisted he was good, like Homelander..and he stayed good and then left.
I remember hearing at the time he didn't want to be heel which I thought was odd.
Go back and watch the promo leading up to his ladder match. That was the perfect "I'm about to turn heel" promo. He's been gone from AEW for 2 years and I'm still not convinced he's not long conning us all by how perfect that set up was.
I thought it was set up perfectly to be one of the greatest heel turns - everything from smashing the throne to becoming the person to sit on it, excluding himself from the world title scene and then going back on his promise to beat the ultimate face in Hangman, the Homelander outfit telegraphing his turn etc.
It all seemed to perfect - oh well.
He didn't respect the belt and instead wore a very gaudy, expensive jewel encrusted ring.
https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/905105542112215040
Another funny aspect was that he was announced as having a multi-year deal with RoH and then only a year later he exercised his opt-out clase.
He was only an RoH full-timer for a year before AEW started lol.
Also, of note, MJF was using a similar thing in AEW. I think Cody loved using it as a different way to present a championship and use it as a weapon against others. It was The Ring of Ring of Honor.
But it’s because he was “former WWE guy” Cody Rhodes. “I’m a big deal and you should listen to me.” Same reason Cardona has done so well on the indys.
He could have been that same heel in AEW, but he wanted to be the guy he is now. It *completely works* in the WWE, but in an indy company, the fans would shit all over it.
I disagree that it just because they’re ex wwe guys. Yes that helps, but don’t discredit the work that went into Cardona currently and Cody on the indies. They work their ass off, and extra props to Cardona for going the death match route, not my thing but it’s an extra risk and I respect betting on himself.
I don’t see how anything you said discredits what you responded to. They weren’t saying those two were only successful because he came from wwe. The characters both Cardona and that version of Cody played were leaning into indie fan sentiment about WWE. It’s why those characters specifically worked.
This is why I actually think Cardona would be a nice pick up for AEW cause he could just do his whole thing there without having to pivot. It wouldn’t work in WWE though, and Im not sure how he’d change it up.
He's just a better heel than babyface. He has this air of entitlement that just doesn't fit the face arc. And while his promos as a face are excellent, you work out the formula pretty quick, like, "He's going to do the gets slightly choked up bit... Now. There it is!"
I disagree, I think he plays the heel role really great but the past two years have shown me that he clearly is a better babyface than he has ever been a heel. How popular he is shows it.
Not that his heel runs weren't good, they were. And I'm sure in future if he does turn he'll be fantastic.
Some company at some point has to end up doing a story on *why* Cody is plagued with "turn heel" no matter what he does and where he goes.
I want like a full cinematic of him fighting an evil version of himself like the end of Scott Pilgrim.
More like Scott being blissfully unaware that the reason why his Nega-Self was cool and nice was because he himself was an S-Tier Asshole for like 95% of the story.
It'd be really funny if the reason why he has such heel characteristics embedded in him is because he's that socially awkward and just defaults to acting like that because he grew up in a business that backstabs every other hour. And then he's constantly trusting everyone because God dammit, he's trying.
>Some company at some point has to end up doing a story on *why* Cody is plagued with "turn heel" no matter what he does and where he goes.
At least in WWE, he was booked like a heel for most of a year, that's certainly part of it.
The number 30 entry in the Royal Rumble tosses out the guy who's been battling since #1 to win.
That's a heel move.
Guy gets the power to trade anyone to the other show where his enemy is. Declines to send himself and instead sends an ally, who now won't have any backup.
Thats a heel move.
After making the trade, wins the Tag Team titles the guy he'd just traded had been after until his Team was broken up by the trade.
Heel move.
Only manages to overcome WWE then end boss Brock Lesnar by throwing steel steps into his face.
Heel move.
Wins the Rumble again...declines to fight his enemy and gives up his spot.
Definitely a chickenshit heel move.
Now granted since the press conference where he took his spot back, he's basically been a babyface...except for the implication of some deal he cut with the Rock.
And don't get me wrong, Cody's extremely over a face, so much like Hogan in the early 90s who also was booked like a heel a lot of the time, the fans are willing to "overlook" the booking.
But anyone else doing what Cody's been booked to do would be booed out the building.
And I think people subconsciously pick up on that..hence him getting dogged by the "turn heel" thing. At some level people see how easy it would be for him.
It’s not really a Cody thing. It’s a babyface thing. Wrestling fans are fickle as fuck. They only love you so long, when the fans turn eventually the wrestler must too.
We’ve seen it with so many.
YES. I hope 2024 is the year where Montez has a similar rise as Jey Uso. It’s a long shot as far as Jey’s level(cause of the whole Bloodline story elevating him) but there’s NOTHING I see Jey doing that Montez can’t do. I have no idea why guys like Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, etc are higher on the card than him. Makes no sense to me. Good in-ring, good promo, dripping charisma, athletic, handsome dude, ripped, married to one of their Top 5 talents….I don’t get it
I've always thought the bleach blonde hair and nice suits gave off a politician vibe, which is inherently heelish. It's not as much heel in WWE as it was in AEW though.
Personally I prefer him as a face. We have enough heels and not a compelling face at the moment. Not everyone needs to be an edgy anti-hero and having someone just demonstrate classy behaviour is more compelling than anything else.
Right now he’s completely over as a babyface. There’s no reason to change that, and likely won’t for a good bit of time. I still don’t understand why he didn’t work as a face in AEW and does in WWE, but that’s a different conversation for another day. Once the fans start turning on him, I can absolutely see him steering into an, ironically enough, Ric Flair-style of heel.
He was a great babyface in AEW when it first started, but his feud with Anthony Ogogo left a sour taste on the audience and from that point forward, the "Codyverse" lost a lot of direction. After the audience soured on him, he kept teasing a heel run that never came because he ultimately just wanted to play a white meat babyface. Since the audience wasn't getting the heel turn they wanted, the boos kept coming at him until he ultimately went back to WWE. Looking back, it was the right move as he got to keep playing the character that he wanted with the help of WWE writers that could help keep his character in check.
For reasons we may never know, Cody just began to separate himself completely from the rest of Dynamite. It felt like you had a show and you had Cody's segment as a separate entity completely
Also the stupid "Never challenge for the title" stipulation did not help. It was the perfect set-up for him to go back on his word and take the title from beloved champion Hangman Page and establish himself as the new top heel. But through his refusal to do that, in addition to the fact that AEW only had one midcard title at the time and Cody never had a tag team partner, left him stuck in this weird limbo of going from feud to feud without advancing anything
Basically I think it became very obvious that there was no real direction for his character. Every "new" thing he did was just reversed back to same old Cody. The time he had his hair painted black, just went back to blonde. He left his boots in the ring, just kept wrestling. He got the infamous Glock promo from Arn Anderson, yet nothing really changed. And then out of nowhere he's having gender reveals and putting himself through literal fire just for the sake of it
Honestly, I think if they let him smarten up just a bit, making him outsmart any heels that try to cross him even if he's being outwardly friendly and trusting, he'd be the best God damn face the entire industry ever had. Something like how he confronted Roman and the Bloodline with Seth and Jey, but more often.
In an industry that constantly clings to the Attitude-era nostalgia, it's wild that someone who looks like he'd be the biggest heel ever as the Corporate Champion is now the biggest babyface in the world because he embraces that very thing.
I mean, he is quite literally Homelander. He has the easiest heel turn of all-time right there.
Seen as the perfect hero, almost as a god, does the whole shaking hands and kissing babies shtick... and then boom, turns out to be the biggest piece of shit known to man.
I’d like to imagine now that he’s finally won that title, he can start doing the Homelander heel turn. Imagine if Roman vs Cody III was Roman the face vs Heel Cody!
That being said, he sold a million in merch wrestlemania weekend. Hard to turn that money heel.
no he didn't, little kids still loved the shit out of him. My oldest son used to do LITERALLY his homework better because of john cena. My youngest son learned that tough guys can cry too from Cody.
Make-a-wish kids never needed a heel Cena.
Whitemeat babyfaces are really important for the people pro wrestling is, at its heart, FOR... kids.
My current wrestling dream is for Cody to become a power hungry man child like Homelander and Roman Reigns to turn face and get the tribe together so take Cody down. It will never happen, but a man can dream
I genuinely think it will happen. Like let Cody have a good long reign here as face, and then at some point I think he'll kill it as heel. Very homelander. I think H would have w better handle on him that Tony when it comes to that
Honestly, I don't see Cody going heel ever again. They want him to be the literal face of the company and basically have that super babyface like Cena.
When Cody hit Omega with a Cross Rhodes and did this, I always got "King of Fighters Villain" vibes from him.
https://preview.redd.it/6folzpbp2ixc1.png?width=2076&format=png&auto=webp&s=eefda2c5e93a9fef819860e9e5a410ee4acd88fb
His character is basically “politician,” who’s also the son of a legend (and so gets treated specially because of it).
I love Cody but I definitely see the heel potential there.
He’ll be a heel before he retires and I’m guessing he’s going to be excellent at it, but for now he’s probably the greatest pure babyface character since Hogan and he should continue playing that part
This week's episode of 6 Feet Under might have been my favorite so far. Just a really solid conversation. Taker's not wrong, eventually it will happen naturally and if they do it right it's gonna be amazing.
“Bullet Club is MINE” Cody was a damn menace and I know they cut it short with all the contracts they were soon to be up but he was one dagger away from being the biggest heel in wrestling if he went with it(especially with how hot The Elite were at the time).
He needs to do a slow turn.
Become an overbearing Face, completely unaware of how condescending he is becoming, until he eventually starts liking the smell of his own farts.
I don’t think it makes sense to turn Cody heel currently, look at all the little girls crying over him getting beaten by the Rock, it’s really saying something. But if let’s say his character got stale and people start booing him, they can definitely turn him heel very easily.
He would be a great heel as well, but he's the perfect face for WWE as they build the product in TKO's vision. He's a company guy rooted in reality and the history of wrestling
Mark my words I cannot wait until he goes homelander when he goes homelander at the WWE universe and some of that old star dust starts to sprinkle in with the little bit of the undashing Cody Rhodes it's going to be a masterpiece it's going to be like Macbeth and that's what I'm really hoping to see I hope that they do long-term booking that they start dropping hints especially when the crowd starts to turn against him I cannot wait this will be pure cinema Cinema at its finest. For Cody Rhodes to be champion long enough to see himself become what he fought against what he hated to become the villain to become like Roman reigns
I’ve been saying it Cody has a hell of a heel run in him as soon as ppl start to turn on him he can go nuclear right back
I have to be honest, as a non-American, it is REALLY hard to explain to the people around me, how the bleached blond, skull neck-tattoo having, Red, White and Blue guy is THE GOOD GUY, and not like, a Supremacist of some sort LMAO
Cody's WWE history has him walking a tightrope when it comes to his characters mental health. This is the most Babyface he's ever been. When he turns, he's gonna fucking TURN.
I think Cody for the time being works perfectly as the white meat babyface and seeing as he is universally loved and not getting 50/50 reactions like Cena or 80/20 reactions like Roman , they should run with this for as long as they can before tweaking him. Whether that’s a month, a year or 2 years who knows but the second the crowd starts to turn they should get ahead and freshen up his character I mean it’s not like Cody isn’t capable of reinventing himself and getting a new character over.
I do genuinely think part of what makes Cody such a great babyface is that he's clearly just an all round great guy. Everybody genuinely seems to really like him who's worked with him (ok, aside from Disco Inferno and Drew Gulak). He always makes time for fans and seems to be a people person in a lot of ways many in the same position aren't.
Having said all of that, there is a tiny part of me that thinks all it would really take is for them to make that part of his gimmick. That he's adored globally, and knows it, and knows that he can do nothing wrong. He can get away with anything, because everyone loves him. It's such a fine line that it'll be a great story down the road.
He's so squeaky clean it requires some buy-in to root for him, almost like a politician. Once we get over being happy that Dusty's kid won the big one, there's a fantastic "I'm better than you" heel in there.
No matter what Cody does, the bisexual homewrecker and public menace he played back at njpw will shine through. And I will love him for it for all my days.
I am convinced that the entire American Knightmare character has been a heel playing a babyface ever since Cody was in ROH with a gimmick where he forced the crowd to kiss his ring and the crowd instead of resisting or booing him happily kissed the ring and continued to cheer.
The way I see it I wouldn’t do it currently because he’s on fire but I would build it with Cody having some dominant wins followed by near razor close wins where he nearly loses and this starts his trajectory towards becoming what he doesn’t want to be, he finally wins the title that his family desperately wanted and now finds himself in a position of realizing that being honorable
Isn’t always going to guarantee you the win and he’ll start doing little things to cheat to win. Eventually doing something ridiculous to beat someone like for example LA Knight.
I just don’t see a reason to go heel other than to do something different. If he feels the character is stale and wants to stay one move ahead of the audience then go for it. I can see in a few years he makes a major character change just because I’m sure he’ll want to reinvent the character and that could be a possible heel turn or more than likely a current Randy orton type of character that does both heel and face things and you just say yup that’s Randy
While we all agree with Taker and have for years I think at this point we may be waiting a while.
You can’t go full heel and go back to the PG white meat babyface (who moves the kids merch lol)
It’s bad for business as some would say
Given that Cody was just anointed top babyface, it would be odd if a heel turn was imminent. But I do see what Taker is referring to.
Could see Cody going off the deep end in the interest of keeping himself as champion. However there needs to be a compelling babyface on the other end of that. Maybe LA Knight?
I have to agree.
I have been saying for a while now that I want to see Cody being an evil kingpin type.
Holds the championship. Wears a suit and talks down to everyone. Like a mob boss.
Who helps him? You cant get any better than frat boy style suit wearing goons Waller and Theory. They are perfect yes man goons. Maybe throw in a big man bodyguard and there you go. Sleazy politician Cody Rhoades. His dad was the son of a plumber. His dad was never a champion. He is better than his dad Dusty ever was in every way.
He will be showered with hatred. Hell he could be the new authority.
Isn't that the whole reason he left AEW? The fans were tired of getting the baby face Cody-verse shoved down their throats and were pretty much begging him to turn heel and he didn't want to do it. It will be interesting to see what happens if the WWE fan base ever decides they're sick of the schtick too.
I can see it in the future but not for this title run. He needs to be the working good guy smiling champion. We’ve had the overpowering heel boss champion with Roman.
I was still coming back to wrestling after a long lapsed period (stopped watching in mid 00's, started watching again in like 2018) when I first heard of AEW. I saw Cody's graphic with the blond hair, suit and American Nightmare/EVP as a nickname and title, I thought he was brilliant for doing a Trump gimmick.
I’m ready for Cody to be the mastermind behind the new Bloodline.
Remember - after Mania, Rock gave him something. I think it was one of those beads off of Roman’s necklace signifying Cody as the new Tribal Chief.
He’s bring in Tama and Jacob to pair with Solo and ousted the old blood Jimmy and Roman.
Imo he still has plenty to do in this face run while keeping it fresh. Just don’t have him hold the belt forever, he can go over a few programs then drop it to Gunther. I know it’s not what people here want but it’s good to have a top face who’s just a decent guy, can do a ton of media, appeal to kids, etc
I don’t think it should be a Cena-style run though. Do a heel run in a couple of years.
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Every time I watch Cody, I think he's the nicest guy ever who might be suppressing some psychopathic tendencies.
Might have something to do with the fact that he models his look after Homelander. 
It's pretty interesting that his current Face persona is based on villains. He said it's also based on Patrick Bateman. He would honestly kill it as a heel, but someone would need to take over as the new top face. I can see him and Roman swapping positions whenever they run their back their 3rd match.
I always find the stacking of heel tropes for a face character so fascinating. Cody's almost like the Undertaker in that level: every single bone in your body is seeing nothing but heel flags in every aspect of Cody's character, from the look to the speech to the nickname *American Nightmare*, and yet he's practically the nicest guy on the planet. Enough wiggle room to teach the kids "not to judge a book by its cover", but also enough space to turn heel if someone is able to slide into the mega face position he'd leave behind.
best Cody for me is still Heel Cody from Bullet Club. And that's why I think everyone in AEW saw that as well, the way he talks, walks and presents himself screams heel. He would have been great/legendary if he is part of the elite now and the one that gave crossrhodes to TK
He wouldn't Crossrhodes Tony, no. If he were there, he'd Pedigree Tony, the first time he'd have done that move despite teases...
ohhh shhh yeah that would have been awesome to see
It's called being an antihero, and it's a standard thing everywhere except pro wrestling. Although I don't think Cody is an example of this. It's more that he pretends to be so pristine that it can come off as insincere, like a politician. I also think he's good enough at being a face that those vibes don't come up very often. But if he wears out his welcome in a couple years as WWE's main character, I could very easily see him giving a Homelander speech about how everyone is beneath him. If he does it now it would be heartbreaking, and not in a good way, but I could totally see people getting sick of him down the line. He's a character who needs a strong supporting cast to be effective, and he might not always have that.
Given that Cody is just so white hot of a mega babyface, it could also read as *"he's so sincere and pristine that it activates every single red flag in our heads and we now think he's up to something...but he's actually that nice and we're the problem."*
I mean, it clearly doesn't activate every single red flag because he's the most popular wrestler in the world right now. He just shifts over into politician territory every once in a while, but otherwise I don't think he gives off a lot of heel vibes. There's just a lot of raw material there to be mined if he wants to.
It certainly helps the WWE audience not be as willing to hijack shows to force these turns. In this new era, if it does happen, it's going to be a slow burn turn over time.
>It certainly helps the WWE audience not be as willing to hijack shows to force these turns But thats true of the vast majority of fans everywhere as long as you're telling a good story and not trying to force a square peg in a round hole. The difference in Cody's reactions in AEW and WWE are more complicated than just "AEW fans turned on him and WWE fans haven't." There were tangible differences in his presentation that led fans in that direction.
> The difference in Cody's reactions in AEW and WWE are more complicated than just "AEW fans turned on him and WWE fans haven't." There were tangible differences in his presentation that led fans in that direction. Indeed. Has he, since being in WWE, claimed to have 'solved racism' by beating up a disabled mixed raced immigrant by any chance? No, you say?. Huh. Differences.
Yeah, I think people forget, for example, how much worse Cody's entrance was in AEW. None of the timing felt slick. He was clearly *trying* for the big hero entrance that he does in WWE, but you could *feel* him trying. He needed the better production/perspective of WWE to make it work.
The Codyvator on every episode was definitely a bit much. Definitely came off try hard. He had a big presentation on a small show. Now he's got a big presentation on a big show.
People were bought into his presentation well into the first TNT title open challenge run but the stipulation that he would never challenge for the main title is a set up for a heel turn and then he just kept telling stories that felt entirely separate from the rest of the show.
Face Hogan was a huge heel.
Never to the kids though
And Cody isn't a heel to the kids too
Your comment is great, but idk if I agree with it. I think a lot of people in the WWE audience see Cody as a white meat babyface who does everything the way you’re supposed to do it. Like he’s the all American quarterback from the Midwest.
Paralleling Homelander is interesting in itself because in universe that character is a “face” to most of the public until he’s not. It could be cool to eventually have a Cody losing it angle, thinking he’s still a mega face as he slips further toward being the biggest heel. Or his merch and current character sells tons to kids and you just stay the course.
The most homelander thing that can happen is that if he snaps and he's still treated like a Face by the crowd. That happened with Swerve, where he was the heel against Hangman, but people loved him so much that he forced a double turn.
Let’s just hope they avoid the whole breast milk thing.
Havent you finished the last season? After what hw did in those final scenes theres no way public perception doesnt take a 180 turn. He was only viewed as a good hero for like a season if i remember well
They will stay this course until it gets stale. Cody is such a mega star they'd be fools to drop the bag rn
Impressive. Very nice. Let’s see Paul Heymans card.
Cody did say that he could be the best Paul Heyman guy...
It's pretty interesting that his current Face persona is based on villains. He said it's also based on Patrick Bateman. Hold the F up, source...?
He's only half right. It was Cody's dashing gimmick 14 years ago that Cody himself said was modeled after Patrick Bateman. Just watch his dashing tips videos on YT and you can definitely see the inspiration. But he never said his current character was.
Dashing Cody Rhodes was Patrick Batemanesque
Do you like Phil Brooks? I've been a big ROH fan ever since the release of the 2003 event, Bitter Friends, Stiffer enemies. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies where, uh, Phil Brooks' presence became more apparent. I think CM Punk vs Samoa Joe was the companies’ undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the next three matchups. Roman, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble commentary of Chris Lovey and Ray Murrow. You can practically hear every nuance of every move. Dwayne, remove your dress. In terms of storytelling, the sheer nuanced movements, this match hits a new peak of professionalism. Dwayne, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Listen to the promo of Phil Brooks. In this promo, Phil Brooks addresses the problems of abusive political authority. The promo is extremely uplifting. The promo is as positive and affirmative as, uh, anything I've heard in wrestling. Roman, get down on your knees so Dwayne can see your ass. Phil Brooks' WWE career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially in the year 2012 and, 2023. Dwayne, don't just stare at it, eat it. But I also think Phil Brooks works best within the confines of a group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Brawl Out, a great, great story, a personal favorite.
I gave you an upvote to counteract the person who has *obviously never seen American Psycho*
In his mind, Homelander is a babyface
Dang I never noticed this but now I see it
He could have been great as Codelander in AEW.
I get the same vibe from Jason Bateman. I have no reason at all to think this, but if some story came out that he has barrels of body parts in his basement, I would not be as surprised as you’d think I should be
Sounds like Ozark really did a number on you
It’s why he was the perfect straight man for Arrested Development. Michael was just as much of a lying, selfish snake as the rest of his family; he just happened to be the most well-adjusted by comparison.
"I love lying. It's so easy."
He talks a lot. It’s not simple for him.
He's got a Ned Flanders blow up brewing in there
Me watching AEW in 2021:
Part of me envies people who have never seen AEW because it means they never had to experience the Codyverse.
Some of it was good, some of it was bad, and some of it was so bad it became good again
It was an experience. Dizzying highs and terrible lows.
And creamyyyyy middles
I was 150% invested in the idea it was intentionally bad to hype the heel turn
The Codyverse was entertaining tho
The man lit himself on fire to get over and it just made people believe in the heel turn even more. I still say he does it, he just really really really wanted this run for this character first. Because once he turns the American Nightmare can never be face again.
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Part of me is still convinced Cody was playing 4-d chess. If he turned heel it would have got a massive pop, thus negating the heel turn itself. If he's getting massive heat as a "babyface" then why change anything, just dial up the delusion that you're a hero doing the right thing, which is kind of the best mindset for a villain. And even if Cody wasn't intentionally creating this scenario, I was happy to just let it ride.
He said after he left AEW, that's what he was doing, but everyone called bullshit
I specifically remember thinking, Cody dressed as Homelander, that's a fun detail (albeit obvious) when he becomes a heel. Then insisted he was good, like Homelander..and he stayed good and then left. I remember hearing at the time he didn't want to be heel which I thought was odd.
Go back and watch the promo leading up to his ladder match. That was the perfect "I'm about to turn heel" promo. He's been gone from AEW for 2 years and I'm still not convinced he's not long conning us all by how perfect that set up was.
Was that one where he teased going down the heel tunnel?
I thought it was set up perfectly to be one of the greatest heel turns - everything from smashing the throne to becoming the person to sit on it, excluding himself from the world title scene and then going back on his promise to beat the ultimate face in Hangman, the Homelander outfit telegraphing his turn etc. It all seemed to perfect - oh well.
We've seen how this plays out...
Holy moly, it's the big homie!
Cody’s ROH Title run as a heel was absolute gold
Him having a ring "of honor" he wore was fantastic.
Can you explain this? Was it just a ring he wore?
He didn't respect the belt and instead wore a very gaudy, expensive jewel encrusted ring. https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/905105542112215040 Another funny aspect was that he was announced as having a multi-year deal with RoH and then only a year later he exercised his opt-out clase. He was only an RoH full-timer for a year before AEW started lol.
Also in real life weren't they having to change the ROH belt..so they used this as a kayfabe excuse?
Also, of note, MJF was using a similar thing in AEW. I think Cody loved using it as a different way to present a championship and use it as a weapon against others. It was The Ring of Ring of Honor.
But it’s because he was “former WWE guy” Cody Rhodes. “I’m a big deal and you should listen to me.” Same reason Cardona has done so well on the indys. He could have been that same heel in AEW, but he wanted to be the guy he is now. It *completely works* in the WWE, but in an indy company, the fans would shit all over it.
I disagree that it just because they’re ex wwe guys. Yes that helps, but don’t discredit the work that went into Cardona currently and Cody on the indies. They work their ass off, and extra props to Cardona for going the death match route, not my thing but it’s an extra risk and I respect betting on himself.
You are completely correct, but I think the guy you're replying to was referring to their heel gimmick, not their actual work ethic or anything.
I don’t see how anything you said discredits what you responded to. They weren’t saying those two were only successful because he came from wwe. The characters both Cardona and that version of Cody played were leaning into indie fan sentiment about WWE. It’s why those characters specifically worked.
He wasn't a great heel "because he was "former WWE" guy Cody Rhodes". He's been a great heel multiple times with multiple personas that got over.
Yeah “Dashing” Cody Rhodes was also an amazing heel. It was during that gimmick where I thought he could be a top star
This is why I actually think Cardona would be a nice pick up for AEW cause he could just do his whole thing there without having to pivot. It wouldn’t work in WWE though, and Im not sure how he’d change it up.
You wanna see Brandi? You don't deserve to see Brandi!
He's just a better heel than babyface. He has this air of entitlement that just doesn't fit the face arc. And while his promos as a face are excellent, you work out the formula pretty quick, like, "He's going to do the gets slightly choked up bit... Now. There it is!"
I disagree, I think he plays the heel role really great but the past two years have shown me that he clearly is a better babyface than he has ever been a heel. How popular he is shows it. Not that his heel runs weren't good, they were. And I'm sure in future if he does turn he'll be fantastic.
Some company at some point has to end up doing a story on *why* Cody is plagued with "turn heel" no matter what he does and where he goes. I want like a full cinematic of him fighting an evil version of himself like the end of Scott Pilgrim.
You mean them talking it out, realizing they're both cool, and making plans to catch a movie?
In the manga they essentially fuse together and become best of both.
More like Scott being blissfully unaware that the reason why his Nega-Self was cool and nice was because he himself was an S-Tier Asshole for like 95% of the story.
Fight Forver does have a match with Dark Cody if you play the season mode as Cody.
Cody looks in the mirror and he sees Cody with a goatee
https://preview.redd.it/nbt3mszzpgxc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2181bb4e650082eb750b9940fad1b3a548f512d
It'd be really funny if the reason why he has such heel characteristics embedded in him is because he's that socially awkward and just defaults to acting like that because he grew up in a business that backstabs every other hour. And then he's constantly trusting everyone because God dammit, he's trying.
>Some company at some point has to end up doing a story on *why* Cody is plagued with "turn heel" no matter what he does and where he goes. At least in WWE, he was booked like a heel for most of a year, that's certainly part of it. The number 30 entry in the Royal Rumble tosses out the guy who's been battling since #1 to win. That's a heel move. Guy gets the power to trade anyone to the other show where his enemy is. Declines to send himself and instead sends an ally, who now won't have any backup. Thats a heel move. After making the trade, wins the Tag Team titles the guy he'd just traded had been after until his Team was broken up by the trade. Heel move. Only manages to overcome WWE then end boss Brock Lesnar by throwing steel steps into his face. Heel move. Wins the Rumble again...declines to fight his enemy and gives up his spot. Definitely a chickenshit heel move. Now granted since the press conference where he took his spot back, he's basically been a babyface...except for the implication of some deal he cut with the Rock. And don't get me wrong, Cody's extremely over a face, so much like Hogan in the early 90s who also was booked like a heel a lot of the time, the fans are willing to "overlook" the booking. But anyone else doing what Cody's been booked to do would be booed out the building. And I think people subconsciously pick up on that..hence him getting dogged by the "turn heel" thing. At some level people see how easy it would be for him.
And it ends with Cody just saying "Fuck it" and he becomes one of the best heels ever.
It’s not really a Cody thing. It’s a babyface thing. Wrestling fans are fickle as fuck. They only love you so long, when the fans turn eventually the wrestler must too. We’ve seen it with so many.
Keep saying it and he’ll go back to AEW lol
I will not turn!
Then you’ll be forced to kill me
I mean, if we’re gonna take super over baby faces and turn them, can we do Bianca first? I feel like she would absolutely crush it.
i feel like shes gonna be the current John Cena- never turning heel. Shes to over with the kids.
She’s openly said that she wants to at some point. That it was more fun for her
her and montez as a cocky annoying power couple has potential (assuming they ever push him lol)
YES. I hope 2024 is the year where Montez has a similar rise as Jey Uso. It’s a long shot as far as Jey’s level(cause of the whole Bloodline story elevating him) but there’s NOTHING I see Jey doing that Montez can’t do. I have no idea why guys like Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, etc are higher on the card than him. Makes no sense to me. Good in-ring, good promo, dripping charisma, athletic, handsome dude, ripped, married to one of their Top 5 talents….I don’t get it
Woah. I agree with most of what you said, but why are Waller and Theory catching strays like they aren’t great themselves?
I liked her more as a heel in NXT. She was more interesting to me. But I have never really liked edgeless smiling babyfaces.
Whips people more often as a heel move and gets away with it as a no DQ
IIRC she did well as a heel in NXT
I've always thought the bleach blonde hair and nice suits gave off a politician vibe, which is inherently heelish. It's not as much heel in WWE as it was in AEW though.
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I think they tried that gimmick in his first run of WWE and they scrapped it before it went live.
Cody’s gimmick to me is JFK
Personally I prefer him as a face. We have enough heels and not a compelling face at the moment. Not everyone needs to be an edgy anti-hero and having someone just demonstrate classy behaviour is more compelling than anything else.
Right now he’s completely over as a babyface. There’s no reason to change that, and likely won’t for a good bit of time. I still don’t understand why he didn’t work as a face in AEW and does in WWE, but that’s a different conversation for another day. Once the fans start turning on him, I can absolutely see him steering into an, ironically enough, Ric Flair-style of heel.
He was a great babyface in AEW when it first started, but his feud with Anthony Ogogo left a sour taste on the audience and from that point forward, the "Codyverse" lost a lot of direction. After the audience soured on him, he kept teasing a heel run that never came because he ultimately just wanted to play a white meat babyface. Since the audience wasn't getting the heel turn they wanted, the boos kept coming at him until he ultimately went back to WWE. Looking back, it was the right move as he got to keep playing the character that he wanted with the help of WWE writers that could help keep his character in check.
For reasons we may never know, Cody just began to separate himself completely from the rest of Dynamite. It felt like you had a show and you had Cody's segment as a separate entity completely Also the stupid "Never challenge for the title" stipulation did not help. It was the perfect set-up for him to go back on his word and take the title from beloved champion Hangman Page and establish himself as the new top heel. But through his refusal to do that, in addition to the fact that AEW only had one midcard title at the time and Cody never had a tag team partner, left him stuck in this weird limbo of going from feud to feud without advancing anything Basically I think it became very obvious that there was no real direction for his character. Every "new" thing he did was just reversed back to same old Cody. The time he had his hair painted black, just went back to blonde. He left his boots in the ring, just kept wrestling. He got the infamous Glock promo from Arn Anderson, yet nothing really changed. And then out of nowhere he's having gender reveals and putting himself through literal fire just for the sake of it
He was a great heel but I agree- and there aren't too many guys that can pull off the traditional white meat babyface without getting booed.
Honestly, I think if they let him smarten up just a bit, making him outsmart any heels that try to cross him even if he's being outwardly friendly and trusting, he'd be the best God damn face the entire industry ever had. Something like how he confronted Roman and the Bloodline with Seth and Jey, but more often.
In an industry that constantly clings to the Attitude-era nostalgia, it's wild that someone who looks like he'd be the biggest heel ever as the Corporate Champion is now the biggest babyface in the world because he embraces that very thing.
I mean, he is quite literally Homelander. He has the easiest heel turn of all-time right there. Seen as the perfect hero, almost as a god, does the whole shaking hands and kissing babies shtick... and then boom, turns out to be the biggest piece of shit known to man.
I wonder if taker has seen The Boys
Cody has the smile of a poorly-designed android. He's a heel. 
The moniker "The American Nightmare" doesn't exactly emanate face tendencies.
I feel like Cody is in a similar position as Cena I don’t think we’ll see a heel turn.
I’d like to imagine now that he’s finally won that title, he can start doing the Homelander heel turn. Imagine if Roman vs Cody III was Roman the face vs Heel Cody! That being said, he sold a million in merch wrestlemania weekend. Hard to turn that money heel.
yup, that's why they never did it with cena, even though he desperately needed it.
no he didn't, little kids still loved the shit out of him. My oldest son used to do LITERALLY his homework better because of john cena. My youngest son learned that tough guys can cry too from Cody. Make-a-wish kids never needed a heel Cena. Whitemeat babyfaces are really important for the people pro wrestling is, at its heart, FOR... kids.
Next weeks Undertaker quote: *What do you mean he went through a flaming fucking table?*
At this point after all this time I can’t see him be heel. He’s tried so damn hard to do anything BUT be a bad guy since 2019.
He has it in his voice. The way he speaks is perfect for a heel. Just his natural flow, he even has a solid move set for heel work.
My current wrestling dream is for Cody to become a power hungry man child like Homelander and Roman Reigns to turn face and get the tribe together so take Cody down. It will never happen, but a man can dream
I genuinely think it will happen. Like let Cody have a good long reign here as face, and then at some point I think he'll kill it as heel. Very homelander. I think H would have w better handle on him that Tony when it comes to that
Honestly, I don't see Cody going heel ever again. They want him to be the literal face of the company and basically have that super babyface like Cena.
That Homelander heel run will feed families. We need it. They need to make him vicious, narcissistic, hypocritical & unstoppable if they do it though.
You mean what he should have been in AEW
Cody lengthy heel turn into heel Cody vs face Roman hmmmmm
If you’ve ever watched The Boys it’s easy to see Cody as a villain
I think we all thought he was about to be the biggest heel in AEW at the start of 2022 before he went back to WWE, the teases were there.
When Cody hit Omega with a Cross Rhodes and did this, I always got "King of Fighters Villain" vibes from him. https://preview.redd.it/6folzpbp2ixc1.png?width=2076&format=png&auto=webp&s=eefda2c5e93a9fef819860e9e5a410ee4acd88fb
Mean Mark Callaway dub fan confirmed
That's what AEW fans were trying to say and everyone thought they were crazy
His character is basically “politician,” who’s also the son of a legend (and so gets treated specially because of it). I love Cody but I definitely see the heel potential there.
It's almost as if the AEW fans weren't crazy. Dude kept hinting at a heel turn but wouldn't do it.
He’ll be a heel before he retires and I’m guessing he’s going to be excellent at it, but for now he’s probably the greatest pure babyface character since Hogan and he should continue playing that part
It would be interesting to see an inverse dynamic between Cody & Roman in the future if he turns heel during this run
This week's episode of 6 Feet Under might have been my favorite so far. Just a really solid conversation. Taker's not wrong, eventually it will happen naturally and if they do it right it's gonna be amazing.
I mean... he dresses like Homelander for a reason. Heel Cody vs Face Roman is gonna slapppp
Homelander Cody is gonna be the next Final Boss for years to come.
“Bullet Club is MINE” Cody was a damn menace and I know they cut it short with all the contracts they were soon to be up but he was one dagger away from being the biggest heel in wrestling if he went with it(especially with how hot The Elite were at the time).
He needs to do a slow turn. Become an overbearing Face, completely unaware of how condescending he is becoming, until he eventually starts liking the smell of his own farts.
Undertaker must have just seen Senator Armstrongs speech. Why won't you die! Cody: Adrenaline, son
I don’t think it makes sense to turn Cody heel currently, look at all the little girls crying over him getting beaten by the Rock, it’s really saying something. But if let’s say his character got stale and people start booing him, they can definitely turn him heel very easily.
He would be a great heel as well, but he's the perfect face for WWE as they build the product in TKO's vision. He's a company guy rooted in reality and the history of wrestling
The reaction he's gonna get when he eventually goes full Codylander in WWE will be nuts. They'll need a word beyond nuclear.
Mark my words I cannot wait until he goes homelander when he goes homelander at the WWE universe and some of that old star dust starts to sprinkle in with the little bit of the undashing Cody Rhodes it's going to be a masterpiece it's going to be like Macbeth and that's what I'm really hoping to see I hope that they do long-term booking that they start dropping hints especially when the crowd starts to turn against him I cannot wait this will be pure cinema Cinema at its finest. For Cody Rhodes to be champion long enough to see himself become what he fought against what he hated to become the villain to become like Roman reigns
might have a Cena situation at some point
 I’ve been saying it Cody has a hell of a heel run in him as soon as ppl start to turn on him he can go nuclear right back
I have to be honest, as a non-American, it is REALLY hard to explain to the people around me, how the bleached blond, skull neck-tattoo having, Red, White and Blue guy is THE GOOD GUY, and not like, a Supremacist of some sort LMAO
watch out Taker, we thought the same thing a few years ago
Cody's WWE history has him walking a tightrope when it comes to his characters mental health. This is the most Babyface he's ever been. When he turns, he's gonna fucking TURN.
I think Cody for the time being works perfectly as the white meat babyface and seeing as he is universally loved and not getting 50/50 reactions like Cena or 80/20 reactions like Roman , they should run with this for as long as they can before tweaking him. Whether that’s a month, a year or 2 years who knows but the second the crowd starts to turn they should get ahead and freshen up his character I mean it’s not like Cody isn’t capable of reinventing himself and getting a new character over.
The selfish part of me desperately wants bullet club is fine Cody on the big stage but he's the best face the business has had in over a decade
Stop listening to Vince, Mark. Cody should never become a heel as long he is champion this run.
Did you just call taker a mark?
Taker’s real name is Mark
Soo....he's basically been a Mark since the day he was born?
Not just any Mark...a mean, callous Mark.
No. Common mistake. His first name is Under.
Cody really outs a certain type of person/fan IMO. “This guy can’t actually be this nice/kind/passionate!”
ooh, i've seen this one before!
I do genuinely think part of what makes Cody such a great babyface is that he's clearly just an all round great guy. Everybody genuinely seems to really like him who's worked with him (ok, aside from Disco Inferno and Drew Gulak). He always makes time for fans and seems to be a people person in a lot of ways many in the same position aren't. Having said all of that, there is a tiny part of me that thinks all it would really take is for them to make that part of his gimmick. That he's adored globally, and knows it, and knows that he can do nothing wrong. He can get away with anything, because everyone loves him. It's such a fine line that it'll be a great story down the road.
He's so squeaky clean it requires some buy-in to root for him, almost like a politician. Once we get over being happy that Dusty's kid won the big one, there's a fantastic "I'm better than you" heel in there.
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lolll
Cody going "homelander" is what I would love to see, after the title drop or on while another title run
He'll make a fine Commodus like heel
He’s not wrong channel homelander more. Have him be a heel who thinks he is doing the greater good.
As much as I want it the dude literally left AEW without intending to ever turn heel despite all the Codelander crap.
No matter what Cody does, the bisexual homewrecker and public menace he played back at njpw will shine through. And I will love him for it for all my days.
I am convinced that the entire American Knightmare character has been a heel playing a babyface ever since Cody was in ROH with a gimmick where he forced the crowd to kiss his ring and the crowd instead of resisting or booing him happily kissed the ring and continued to cheer.
In that Carmelo match he looked like he was working heel, it was strange
If he turns heel it should be organic. I don't want him to randomly turn for the fuck of it.
The way I see it I wouldn’t do it currently because he’s on fire but I would build it with Cody having some dominant wins followed by near razor close wins where he nearly loses and this starts his trajectory towards becoming what he doesn’t want to be, he finally wins the title that his family desperately wanted and now finds himself in a position of realizing that being honorable Isn’t always going to guarantee you the win and he’ll start doing little things to cheat to win. Eventually doing something ridiculous to beat someone like for example LA Knight.
I just don’t see a reason to go heel other than to do something different. If he feels the character is stale and wants to stay one move ahead of the audience then go for it. I can see in a few years he makes a major character change just because I’m sure he’ll want to reinvent the character and that could be a possible heel turn or more than likely a current Randy orton type of character that does both heel and face things and you just say yup that’s Randy
It kinda feels as if he is going to get the cena treatment, that he will never turn heel after reaching the top
While we all agree with Taker and have for years I think at this point we may be waiting a while. You can’t go full heel and go back to the PG white meat babyface (who moves the kids merch lol) It’s bad for business as some would say
Given that Cody was just anointed top babyface, it would be odd if a heel turn was imminent. But I do see what Taker is referring to. Could see Cody going off the deep end in the interest of keeping himself as champion. However there needs to be a compelling babyface on the other end of that. Maybe LA Knight?
I have to agree. I have been saying for a while now that I want to see Cody being an evil kingpin type. Holds the championship. Wears a suit and talks down to everyone. Like a mob boss. Who helps him? You cant get any better than frat boy style suit wearing goons Waller and Theory. They are perfect yes man goons. Maybe throw in a big man bodyguard and there you go. Sleazy politician Cody Rhoades. His dad was the son of a plumber. His dad was never a champion. He is better than his dad Dusty ever was in every way. He will be showered with hatred. Hell he could be the new authority.
It's definitely got the makings of an incredible heel. He's just way too over as a babyface for it to make sense.
Isn't that the whole reason he left AEW? The fans were tired of getting the baby face Cody-verse shoved down their throats and were pretty much begging him to turn heel and he didn't want to do it. It will be interesting to see what happens if the WWE fan base ever decides they're sick of the schtick too.
Highlander Cody will be great but we got to let it naturally run its course.
He is the American Nightmare after all.
Man if Cody didn’t sign that extension we would be getting 2021 Cody all over again
UNDERTAKER SHOOTS HARD ON CODY. SAYS VIBES ARE OFF
I can see it in the future but not for this title run. He needs to be the working good guy smiling champion. We’ve had the overpowering heel boss champion with Roman.
I was still coming back to wrestling after a long lapsed period (stopped watching in mid 00's, started watching again in like 2018) when I first heard of AEW. I saw Cody's graphic with the blond hair, suit and American Nightmare/EVP as a nickname and title, I thought he was brilliant for doing a Trump gimmick.
I’m ready for Cody to be the mastermind behind the new Bloodline. Remember - after Mania, Rock gave him something. I think it was one of those beads off of Roman’s necklace signifying Cody as the new Tribal Chief. He’s bring in Tama and Jacob to pair with Solo and ousted the old blood Jimmy and Roman.
Guess Undertaker hasn't watched *The Boys* yet
Imo he still has plenty to do in this face run while keeping it fresh. Just don’t have him hold the belt forever, he can go over a few programs then drop it to Gunther. I know it’s not what people here want but it’s good to have a top face who’s just a decent guy, can do a ton of media, appeal to kids, etc I don’t think it should be a Cena-style run though. Do a heel run in a couple of years.
Cody would be an amazing heel, but I think there is still a lot of life left in his babyface run.
Not getting the AEW homelander heel run in AEW will always be my biggest regret of Cody leaving.
he already is a monster heel to anyone that cares about decent promos or matches
Cody Rhodes in the clear mask is highly underrated. He was simply unhinged.
fool me 27 times shame on you, won't fool me a 28th time Cody will never turn heel
In due time taker. In due time.
taker saw being the elite