Cody Rhodes WWE heel turn plans: four potential directions for the American Nightmare following teased character change

WWE

While there has been speculation about a Cody Rhodes heel turn for many years, a potential character change for the American Nightmare feels closer than ever before.

With Rhodes being unable to pull the trigger during his rivalry with Randy Orton, the former WWE Champion has teased that he won’t make the same mistake again.

There are a many potential avenues for a heel Cody Rhodes character in WWE. These include…

Heel Undisputed WWE Championship run

 

The most obvious direction for Cody Rhodes post-heel turn would be for him to win back the Undisputed WWE Championship as a bad guy.

This championship was always Rhodes’ north star in WWE, with the American Nightmare fighting to win the title his father, Dusty Rhodes, never officially held.

With Cody going on to hold the championship on three separate occasions, the gold becoming an unhealthy obsession for the former champion would be an interesting story to tell.

With Rhodes unable to win back the gold as a babyface since losing to Sami Zayn at Night of Champions, we could see a heel version of this character do whatever it takes to take back the company’s top prize.

Ricky Saints tag-team run

Cody Rhodes will forever be tied to Ricky Saints’ wrestling career, with the former “Ricky Starks” wrestling a star-making match against the American Nightmare on the June 11, 2020 AEW Dynamite episode.

The real-life friends have since collided in WWE, with Rhodes being Saints’ first SmackDown opponent on the May 1 episode.

With Cody and Ricky having a relationship both in and outside the ring, it would be interesting to see the duo form a fully-fledged tag team.

With Ricky Saints having high hopes for his SmackDown run, aligning with Cody Rhodes would be the quickest way to elevate him up the card.

Retiring Randy Orton

While Cody Rhodes’ killer instinct has been tested many times over the years, the American Nightmare’s latest moral dilemma comes at the hands of Randy Orton.

Despite his former mentor attacking him after their match at WrestleMania 42, and costing him his WWE Title match at SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes was unable to pull the trigger on Randy Orton at Sunday Night’s Main Event, allowing The Viper to slither away with the victory. 

Given all of his history with Orton, this rivalry could be the one to make Rhodes finally snap, and take out his former Legacy mentor for good.

Whether Randy Orton steps away from the ring for good or just moves to a more relaxed schedule, Cody Rhodes should be the star to trigger this change.

Aligning with The Rock

Ahead of Elimination Chamber 2025, The Rock issued an ultimatum to Cody Rhodes on SmackDown, stating that he wanted the American Nightmare to be his champion, and that he wanted his soul.

Cody Rhodes emphatically turned down The Rock’s offer at Elimination Chamber, telling the Final Boss “go f**k yourself”, ahead of John Cena’s iconic heel turn and attack.

If Rhodes was to turn heel, it would make sense for the star to accept The Rock’s leadership, and wrestle on behalf of the Final Boss.

With there being some uncertainty around The Rock’s status for WrestleMania 43, we could see Cody Rhodes stand in for Dwayne Johnson throughout 2027, and for many more years to come.

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• wwe
• Cody Rhodes
• heel turn

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