Cody Rhodes: Heel turn coming? (theory)

So, what do you want to talk about? Well, it’s not up to you to decide, it’s me, and today I’m suggesting we dive into a theory that’s been circulating for a while on social media regarding our current undisputed champion: Cody Rhodes. You know, in wrestling, morality is always shifting. Every wrestler, at some point in their story and career, is either on one side or the other of the balance between good and evil.

And it’s not impossible that Cody Rhodes could one day slip into darkness and throw away all of his current moral principles. Now, I can already hear you saying: "No, not Cody!", "No way, he’s the perfect American hero!", "But he’s so nice, he hugs the kids in the crowd!"...

Well, let me show you that the idea of such a scenario isn’t only possible but that WWE has already given us (intentionally or not) a few clues that could make this theory quite plausible!

---

Clash at the Castle 2024

The theory of a Cody heel turn has been circulating for a while on social media, but for me, the real starting point that makes this scenario possible was set up by AJ Styles. Oh really? Yes, let me explain!

Since May, Styles and Rhodes have been in a rivalry, and like any rivalry, it eventually has to be settled in the ring. AJ Styles wants a title opportunity, so they will first clash at Backlash France (always in my heart). Unsurprisingly, Rhodes retained, but the rivalry didn’t calm down, and it will reach its peak at Clash at the Castle 2024, in Scotland.

Cody and AJ Styles face off again, but this time in an "I Quit" match, which is a particularly devious stipulation because it’s humiliating: the loser has to loudly admit that they give up, which is never pleasant, especially when you’re as arrogant as Styles at that point in his career! So, the match begins, and it’s violent since there are no disqualifications, so any means are fair to make the other crack. By the end of the confrontation, AJ Styles finds himself trapped in the corner, his hand tied to the ropes—he has no escape. Cody Rhodes goes to grab an outside ladder, climbs back into the ring, and raises it above Styles, ready to smash him with it.

It won’t take long (less than a second!) for AJ Styles to say "I quit" and end the match, giving the victory to Rhodes. The champion has won, he retains his title, yet he doesn't let go of the ladder, seeming to contemplate something as the entire crowd is already celebrating his victory. Long seconds pass before Rhodes, still holding the ladder, is fueled by rage and throws the ladder at Styles, who is still tied up and unable to defend himself.

I can already hear the nastiest of you saying, "Well, yes, but didn’t he deserve it?" Yes, they were in a rivalry, yes AJ Styles did some nasty things (like when he pretended he was going to retire to trap Rhodes), but Cody is still a face in WWE. In fact, it’s more than that—he’s the ultimate face, the greatest and purest, so showing cruelty for no reason, like he did with Styles, doesn’t make sense.

Would it be for revenge? Rhodes already got his revenge when, completely terrified, AJ Styles begged and said he was quitting. He humiliated Styles in the ring, according to the rules, for the second time—he didn’t need that final attack.

Return of Roman Reigns

After Clash at the Castle, well... life goes on! Rhodes moves on and continues to be the nicest WWE champion in the universe. What’s going to stir things up is the return of the OTC Roman Reigns during the main event of Summerslam 2024. Why will this be a problem? Well, there’s a past with Cody Rhodes, but for now, that’s not Reigns' priority: he’s more focused on the new Bloodline with Solo Sikoa.

And it's a shared target with the undisputed champion, with whom he has a rivalry and a feud, aided by his friends Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. By a twist of fate, Reigns and Rhodes will have to team up to face Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu at Bad Blood, which will lead to an important face-off between Cody and Roman. This promo is quite interesting because the champion is particularly cold and even seems to take pleasure in twisting the knife in the OTC’s wound, who can only acknowledge that he has nothing left. Cody Rhodes will insist on the fact that Reigns no longer holds a title and no longer has WWE (implying that he is the one in his place today, which is both not very kind and a little arrogant on the side).

But aside from this coldness (which may be deserved considering their past), the temporary alliance with Roman Reigns will mainly trigger a much more interesting story, and we finally get to Kevin Owens.

Kevin Owens and the Breaking Point

As I mentioned earlier, before Reigns returned to WWE, Cody was teaming up with Orton and Owens in the fight against the Bloodline. When Roman returns, the dynamic changes: it's now Roman and Cody versus the Bloodline. While Randy Orton doesn't seem particularly disturbed by this shift, Kevin Owens is not having it. Several times, he tries to distance himself from Rhodes, which raises the tensions between them until Bad Blood.

At the end of the show, Rhodes and Owens have a discussion in the parking lot, and Kevin ends up attacking him. This event wasn't broadcast on TV but was only shown on social media, which was a first in terms of storytelling. So, fans had to wait until the SmackDown following Bad Blood to get some explanations.

Because yes, during that episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens will say into the microphone that he didn't betray Rhodes, but it was Rhodes who betrayed him. Rhodes will show up, but he’ll be held back by officials. Randy Orton will try to calm Owens down, but he’ll get accidentally elbowed, and Orton will respond with a punch. Later, Nick Aldis will find Kevin Owens attacking Randy Orton backstage, so it's pretty clear: Kevin Owens has turned on Rhodes and Orton.

Are you sure about that?

Kevin Owens or the designated villain

Hey, I remind you that we’re talking about a theory of Cody turning heel, not Kevin, alright! So no, Kevin Owens is not the villain that WWE wants to sell us. If we take a moment to look at it from Owens' perspective, he has every reason to be angry. He fought against the original Bloodline, teamed up with his bro Randy Orton to take down Sikoa’s version of the Bloodline, and now, not only has Roman Reigns, the super evil guy, returned and is cheered by the crowd, but Rhodes has chosen to team up with him to fight against Sikoa. Owens sent several signals to Rhodes, but Rhodes never picked up on them, and to top it all off, his bro picks the champion's side!

No seriously, remember Owens' face when he got punched by Orton: do you really think that's the face of someone who just betrayed his friend? He's just lost, disappointed, and doesn't know what to think about this second betrayal.

Anyway, it seems that it's not just Rhodes or Orton who are against Owens, but the entire WWE. During that famous episode of Smackdown following Bad Blood, Owens interrupted the entrance of Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend to take the microphone, and the first thing he said was that he was told not to come tonight. In fact, two officials (and I’m not talking about some low-level referees, no, I’m talking about guys in suits) immediately came out to try and stop him.

Due to his insistence, they even went as far as to cut his microphone. Similarly, in the following days, Owens wouldn't appear on WWE, and the only updates we’d get on the wrestler were through videos posted on social media. What is WWE so afraid of that they’d censor Owens and even want to keep him out of the company? We still don’t have an answer to that question, but it’s undoubtedly linked to Cody Rhodes.

The Weight of Power

For me, Rhodes' heel turn goes beyond just him as a person, as we saw with the treatment of Owens. Since his return, Cody Rhodes has been designated as the one who will finish his story, the one who will dethrone Roman Reigns and put an end to his dictatorship, the one who represents WWE worldwide as champion. He knows he's the number one in WWE and is fully aware of the responsibilities that come with it.

And this story about responsibilities, it's not the first time we’re going to hear it. Nick Aldis will say during the Smackdown after Bad Blood that Rhodes should drop the whole thing with Owens because he needs him for Crown Jewel, WWE needs him for Crown Jewel. Similarly, in a promo against Gunther, Cody will talk about the responsibilities that come with the title, stating that Gunther wasn’t living up to them, as if Rhodes was the only one who could truly handle them.

It’s not impossible that in the event of a Cody heel turn, we could see a position of power, responsibilities going to his head, and an arrogance that would lead him to believe that he’s the only one the public, the roster, and the whole WWE can rely on—so many things that would eventually erase the Cody we knew at WrestleMania 40.

---

So with all this, can we seriously consider a Cody heel turn in the style of Homelander? For me, the path is open, but we’ll see if WWE takes it all the way. What’s for sure is that if it happens, it’ll take time, so I think we’ll get more clues as this change unfolds in our champion.

Anyway, keep an eye on him like I do, and I’ll see you next time for another theory!