Cody Rhodes undergoing significant character change, not a heel turn, is possible, says ex-WWE personality
Cody Rhodes is arguably the biggest babyface in WWE today. However, a former WWE name suggested that the 39-year-old could undergo a significant character change.
Despite admitting in a recent interview with Vegas Revealed that many of his character's traits are usually linked to heels, The American Nightmare explained that he is an "old-school babyface." Former Interim RAW General Manager Jonathan Coachman addressed Rhodes' persona on his Behind The Turnbuckle: The War Room podcast, claiming that he should become more vengeful like in his feud with AJ Styles.
The wrestling veteran explained that Rhodes' character becoming edgier and unforgiving would be more appealing to young fans even if he did not make a full-on heel turn:
"Here's the deal. Do you remember in 1999, Tommy, when The Rock became the coolest heel ever? And we're not even talking about Cody becoming a heel. We're talking about a vengeful Cody Rhodes. So, when a fan looks at Cody Rhodes, yes, he can still be that babyface, Tommy. But yet when you come in, do you not like if you're eight, nine, 13, 14-year-old kid a bada**? Somebody that says, 'You know what? I've had enough. I'm talking you out. I'm looking you in the eye and I'm going toe-to-toe' just like what he did with AJ Styles."
Meanwhile, the 51-year-old pointed out that the Undisputed WWE Champion's merchandise sales would not be affected by the proposed character change:
"That's why I like the vengeful side of Cody Rhodes. He's still gonna be able to sell all the merch, to your point, but I think you can evolve the merch and have, instead of always the smile and the three-piece suit, you can have a face like this (angry face). You can do all of that and you have so much more to work with if you're the creative team, if you're the vengeful Cody instead of the babyface." [From 00:23 to 01:16]
Check out the video below:
Ex-WWE employee thinks Cody Rhodes will never turn heel
On the same episode of the Behind The Turnbuckle: The War Room podcast, Jonathan Coachman's co-host, former WWE employee Tommy Carlucci, predicted that Cody Rhodes will never turn heel as long as he works for the Stamford-based company.
Carlucci, who had a 30+ year run in the promotion, claimed The American Nightmare would have a babyface run similar to John Cena's:
"He's gonna be the ultimate babyface. I can never see him going heel while he's here at the WWE. And it's kinda in line with John Cena and in that business model," he said.
Several experts, including Hall of Famer Rikishi, recently expressed their desire to see Rhodes turn heel. It would be interesting to see if that would ever happen.
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