Eric Bischoff has a clear vision for what should come next for Cody Rhodes following his WWE Championship loss to Sami Zayn: a full-blown heel turn.
Speaking on 83 Weeks, Bischoff argued that Zayn’s reign as the ultimate underdog babyface only works if there’s a great villain to play off of, and he believes Rhodes is the obvious candidate.
“All he needs is a really good heel, and if Cody Rhodes doesn’t become that really great heel, I’m going to be thoroughly disappointed,” Bischoff said. “Now you got a long-term story that’s believable with two amazing characters.”
Bischoff feels Rhodes has taken his current babyface run as far as it can go. “I think Cody has to turn heel. I feel that strongly about it, because he’s played this character out,” Bischoff said, while cautioning that WWE should preserve some of that babyface equity for a future return.
“You’ve still got some juice left in that lemon. Let it go while there’s still juice in it, because he can come back to it at some point.”
The Hall of Famer specified the exact kind of villain he wants to see, and it isn’t a physical powerhouse.
“WWE needs a vicious heel, like lie, cheating kind of heel, not a badass heel,” Bischoff said. “You need somebody slippery, somebody greasy.” He’s convinced Rhodes has the tools to pull it off. “If he were to embrace it, I would predict he would be one of the best heels of our generation. He has the potential to do that.”
