Despite a heel turn for Cody Rhodes being pitched and even reportedly occurring earlier this year, leading to his WrestleMania 41 Undisputed WWE Championship win, WWE currently has no plans to continue portraying “The American Nightmare” as a heel. This report comes via Fightful Select.
Fightful had previously confirmed that the heel turn Rhodes was indeed presented to him as a creative direction. At the time of that initial pitch, sources indicated those around Rhodes were not in favor of the move, primarily due to his strong merchandise sales, ticket-drawing power, and overwhelming babyface reactions from the fans.
More recently, The Rock, during an appearance on Pat McAfee’s show, suggested WWE could revisit a Rhodes heel turn or a storyline where “Cody selling Rock his soul.” However, despite these comments, Fightful reports that as of WrestleMania, there was “no plan in order to turn Cody Rhodes heel” again or keep him in that role long-term.
In fact, the report states that “the company had creative plans for him as a babyface throughout the year.” Sources also indicated an internal reluctance to put “too much of a spotlight” on a heel direction for Rhodes. It was added that “a number of people were against the idea of turning Cody Rhodes heel, noting his heavy contributions to the company’s ticketing and merchandise success.”
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