Cody Rhodes opens up about his potential WWE heel turn, says his character would look different than fans expect
WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2026 is shaping up to be a major attraction on the company's premium live-event calendar, with several high-profile superstars expected to feature in the traditional WarGames matches. As Cody Rhodes is gearing up to captain Team USA for the PLE, the American Nightmare has recently opened up about his potential WWE heel turn .
He even dropped a hint that this time his character would look different from what fans could expect. Since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38, Rhodes has established himself as one of the company's biggest babyfaces. However, speculation is doing the rounds that the American Nightmare will be seen embracing a darker side this time.
Cody Rhodes drops a hint about his possibility of turning heel, and his character could look very different
has recently dropped a hint about his possibility of turning heel, and this time his character could look very different. During a recent appearance on ESPN Radio's Unsportsmanlike podcast, Rhodes was asked about the possibility of turning heel and potentially aligning himself with WWE veteran Paul Heyman . At first, Rhodes described his relationship with Heyman as unique, pointing to the latter's long-standing connection with his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
He then went on to explain why a potential alliance between them could be particularly interesting. During his appearance on ESPN Radio's Unsportsmanlike, Rhodes was asked about the possibility of changing his character alignment and potentially working alongside Heyman.
The WWE champion revealed that his relationship with Heyman goes beyond their professional association, largely because of Heyman's longstanding connection with his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
“I have a unique relationship with Mr. Heyman because of, his relationship with my dad and he actually just came on my podcast. It’s going to air, I think the week after Thanksgiving, but there’s more exposition in that for, cause people ask me all the time. People ask me all the time why we get along. He has a really unique relationship and reputation and in sports entertainment pro wrestling, and in the pod, we talked a lot about why it is, and there’s a sense of loyalty,” Cody stated.
Further explaining about his heel transformation, Rhodes made it clear that he is open to changing his character if the creative direction demands it. However, he believes modern wrestling audiences have made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between babyfaces and heels.
“I’m really open to, that’s the biggest thing that I tell people all the time with, you’re going to make that shift and you’re going to go heel or you stay babyface, whatever it is, whatever’s best for WWE to be. But we are starting to get into an area where if you think I’m a heel, then I’m already a heel.”
The champion further suggested that audience reactions do not always match a wrestler's intended character portrayal. As an example, he recalled receiving cheers after making a controversial comment about enjoying his attack on Randy Orton .
Rhodes admitted that he expected the audience to boo him, but the reaction was quite the opposite. He explained that fans have different interpretations of characters, making it difficult to predict how they will respond.
So it’s very- prime example. I went out there the other night. Where were we Friday? Wherever we were, and I said, I loved punting Randy Orton. I loved it, and I tried to put a little like growl in it. I loved it, and they just cheered, and I thought, ‘oh, I thought they were going to boo.’ So that’s the beautiful thing about our fans. You really, there’s no wrong way to be a fan. You can’t guess which direction.” (source: Fightful)
He further suggested that if he eventually turns heel, the transformation would involve sacrificing some aspects of his current presentation while introducing new elements.
Rhodes also expressed his concern over the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match as wrestling needs conflict and trash talk. He also explained that he is excited to come out of the intense rivalry with Randy Orton at Crown Jewel to a more entertaining Survivor Series programme. But the national rivalry presents a different kind of challenge.
It is important to note that The WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2026 will stream live on Saturday, November 28, 2026. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. CT and 3:00 p.m. PT.
He even dropped a hint that this time his character would look different from what fans could expect. Since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38, Rhodes has established himself as one of the company's biggest babyfaces. However, speculation is doing the rounds that the American Nightmare will be seen embracing a darker side this time.
Cody Rhodes drops a hint about his possibility of turning heel, and his character could look very different
has recently dropped a hint about his possibility of turning heel, and this time his character could look very different. During a recent appearance on ESPN Radio's Unsportsmanlike podcast, Rhodes was asked about the possibility of turning heel and potentially aligning himself with WWE veteran Paul Heyman . At first, Rhodes described his relationship with Heyman as unique, pointing to the latter's long-standing connection with his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
He then went on to explain why a potential alliance between them could be particularly interesting. During his appearance on ESPN Radio's Unsportsmanlike, Rhodes was asked about the possibility of changing his character alignment and potentially working alongside Heyman.
The WWE champion revealed that his relationship with Heyman goes beyond their professional association, largely because of Heyman's longstanding connection with his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
“I have a unique relationship with Mr. Heyman because of, his relationship with my dad and he actually just came on my podcast. It’s going to air, I think the week after Thanksgiving, but there’s more exposition in that for, cause people ask me all the time. People ask me all the time why we get along. He has a really unique relationship and reputation and in sports entertainment pro wrestling, and in the pod, we talked a lot about why it is, and there’s a sense of loyalty,” Cody stated.
Further explaining about his heel transformation, Rhodes made it clear that he is open to changing his character if the creative direction demands it. However, he believes modern wrestling audiences have made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between babyfaces and heels.
“I’m really open to, that’s the biggest thing that I tell people all the time with, you’re going to make that shift and you’re going to go heel or you stay babyface, whatever it is, whatever’s best for WWE to be. But we are starting to get into an area where if you think I’m a heel, then I’m already a heel.”
The champion further suggested that audience reactions do not always match a wrestler's intended character portrayal. As an example, he recalled receiving cheers after making a controversial comment about enjoying his attack on Randy Orton .
Rhodes admitted that he expected the audience to boo him, but the reaction was quite the opposite. He explained that fans have different interpretations of characters, making it difficult to predict how they will respond.
So it’s very- prime example. I went out there the other night. Where were we Friday? Wherever we were, and I said, I loved punting Randy Orton. I loved it, and I tried to put a little like growl in it. I loved it, and they just cheered, and I thought, ‘oh, I thought they were going to boo.’ So that’s the beautiful thing about our fans. You really, there’s no wrong way to be a fan. You can’t guess which direction.” (source: Fightful)
He further suggested that if he eventually turns heel, the transformation would involve sacrificing some aspects of his current presentation while introducing new elements.
Rhodes also expressed his concern over the traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match as wrestling needs conflict and trash talk. He also explained that he is excited to come out of the intense rivalry with Randy Orton at Crown Jewel to a more entertaining Survivor Series programme. But the national rivalry presents a different kind of challenge.
It is important to note that The WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2026 will stream live on Saturday, November 28, 2026. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. CT and 3:00 p.m. PT.
Contact to : xlf550402@gmail.com
Copyright © boyuanhulian 2020 - 2023. All Right Reserved.