SUMMARY
- Cody Rhodes beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to win the Undisputed Universal Championship.
- However, it might be the best time for Cody to turn heel and keep his character fresh.
The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes finally finished his story at the Grandest Stage earlier this year. Everyone was on their feet when Rhodes pinned The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns in the middle of the ring. It was surely one of the most captivating moments in recent memory and will go down as one of the top WrestleMania main events of all time.
Rhodes had the whole WWE Universe in the palm of his hand during the build-up for WrestleMania XL. After an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone Roman at WrestleMania 39, Rhodes assured everyone that he would go the distance once again and finish his story in 2024. The path from WrestleMania 39 to WrestleMania 40 wasn’t an easy one for the American Nightmare.
After achieving several highs and lots of lows, Rhodes prepared himself for the ultimate battle. Receiving a heavy loss at WrestleMania 39 made Cody what he is today outworking everyone in the entire industry. He trained even harder, won Tag titles in the process, conquered a Beast, and had a human shield with him to finish the story.
During this time not only Cody became the true babyface of the company, but also had the support of every fellow wrestler to complete his story. Fans were behind him like they’d been never before which put a huge chip on Cody’s shoulders. He gave his all and completed his babyface arc at WrestleMania defeating the biggest demon of the company, Roman Reigns.
Cody Rhodes gets asked if he thinks about turning heel down the road
“I think minimally about it. You never say never. John’s never happened and I think rightfully so.”
(Cheap Heat/Rosenberg Wrestling) pic.twitter.com/7cmtmRMniU
— Vick (@Vick_8122) April 30, 2024
With Cody finally achieving everything he wanted, it might be his time to turn on fans how his heel side and obtain a villain arc. Fans have already started calling him out for having a boring run. Join us as we dive deep into the heelish personality of the American Nightmare.
Cody Rhodes’ run as a champion may become stale
WrestleMania XL was arguably the greatest WrestleMania of all time which gave several breathtaking moments leaving fans in awe. The WWE Universe was also hyped up for the event as they wanted to see Cody chasing his dream and winning the Undisputed WWE title from Roman. The involvement of The Rock on Roman’s side made things even more interesting.
With a mega match in store, fans wanted Cody to defy the odds and defeat the Bloodline at WrestleMania. As John Cena and The Undertaker made their shocking returns, the crowd couldn’t ask for anything more. Everything seemed perfect and a new era was upon the WWE Universe after WrestleMania 40. Looking at the response from the fans, it seems they didn’t like the new product being shown.
With Cody being the flag bearer, he was elated after winning the championship and finishing his story. Fans were also happy seeing the promos made by the American Nightmare at this point but were quickly bored by the ordinary things he stated each week. Fired up by the Final Boss Rock’s challenge down the road, fans were not able to see the spark from Cody since he won the championship.
WWE doesn’t have a “big-time direction” for Cody Rhodes until The Rock and Roman Reigns make their return.
— WON pic.twitter.com/dhr3ouK9rM
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) May 3, 2024
As dramatic as the story was, it seems Cody is slowly becoming a topic of hate among the WWE Universe. Almost every tweet or video involving Rhodes has numerous comments regarding his boring reign and how he is delivering repetitive promos. Many fans even want Roman to be back as soon as possible as they can’t stand Rhodes each week and openly criticize the Champion.
It seems that without Rock and Roman, Cody is not able to pull fans on his own each week. Also, according to a recent report, WWE has no “big-time direction” for Cody until The Rock and Roman make their returns. This gives another reason for the fans to hate Cody as a user stated “So focused about finishing the story that they didn’t think about the sequel” on Cody’s recent booking decisions.
By the looks of it, it seems like this is the truth as Cody needs a fierce rivalry to get over the crowd once again as he was during WrestleMania season. With a contender like AJ Styles in his opposition, WWE has approached a generic style of rivalry between the two. Styles won a couple of matches to challenge Rhodes for the title at the upcoming WWE PLE, Backlash.
Fans would love to see more intensity and fierceness between the two given their long history. With generic promos and face-offs, fans aren’t enough hyped for the match and can see Cody as the clear winner. All this in turn provides more hate and criticism for the American Nightmare.
This might be the best time for Cody Rhodes to turn on the WWE Universe
As Rhodes faces a lot of heat from the crowd, this might be the time for Cody to start a new chapter in his story. A chapter where the whole WWE Universe is against him instead of being with him. Rhodes has touched all heights of success and has journeyed from being Undesirable to being the Undisputed Champion. Not only this would entertain the fans but it would also showcase how good Cody is as a heel.
While fans are pleading to see Rhodes as a heel, he has been a Phenomenal heel before in the WWE during his previous runs. He started as a part of a villainous group Legacy which involved Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase. Seeds were planted during this time as Cody portrayed a fabulous heel who was loved by the WWE Universe.
As he spent more years in the company, Rhodes was primarily a heel and had different personas throughout the years. His topmost work came after he left the company and joined several other wrestling promotions. The American Nightmare worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Ring of Honor (ROH), TNA Wrestling, and several independent promotions.
Rhodes was a part of the Bullet Club during this time which was a dominant faction. While working in these promotions, he earned the nickname ‘American Nightmare’ due to his heel persona and how he had a whole different personality. Fans loved this version of Cody as he dominated the scene with his witty personality and calculative decision-making.
Several fans also talked about how Cody needs to do the same with his current Championship reign. WWE Legend The Undertaker also thinks the same as he stated “I think he would be a good heel. He gives me heel vibes.” To which another user agreed stating “If you’ve seen his previous heel work in the indies he can certainly pull off being a heel.”
Upon his arrival in the WWE, Cody has been protected by the company and has been produced as the biggest babyface. As things stand for the champion, fans would love to see something new as Cody is all over with the ‘Finish his story’ phase. Only time will tell if things go south for the American Nightmare and tries to replicate what he did in the past by becoming a vicious heel.
