{"id":139961,"date":"2025-08-11T07:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T11:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=139961"},"modified":"2025-08-11T07:13:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T11:13:20","slug":"the-rise-of-cody-rhodes-in-wwe-babyface-star-to-heel-tease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/08\/11\/the-rise-of-cody-rhodes-in-wwe-babyface-star-to-heel-tease\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rise of Cody Rhodes in WWE: Babyface Star to Heel Tease"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cody Rhodes defeated John Cena at SummerSlam 2025 to become a two-time Undisputed WWE Champion. The company has officially named Cody as the WWE Champion in its records. On the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/08\/08\/wwe-smackdown-results-8-8-25-fallout-from-summerslam\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">latest episode of SmackDown<\/a>, &#8220;The American Nightmare&#8221; was attacked by Drew McIntyre.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_130427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-130427\" style=\"width: 686px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-130427 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/02\/hq720-14.jpg\" alt=\"The Aftermath of Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens: What's Next?\" width=\"686\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/02\/hq720-14.jpg 686w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/02\/hq720-14-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 686px) 100vw, 686px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-130427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Cody Rhodes&#8217; Babyface Run Since WrestleMania 38<\/h2>\n<p>Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 as Seth Rollins&#8217; mystery opponent. He defeated Rollins and began a babyface run that continues to this day. During this period, he became the first male wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>He challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania twice and completed his story last year. The former AEW superstar lost the title to John Cena at this year&#8217;s Show of Shows before reclaiming it at SummerSlam.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cody Rhodes just dethroned John Cena at SummerSlam! \ud83c\udfc6 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e1XkSZ8qZC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/e1XkSZ8qZC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1952183297896767971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Cody Rhodes Deserves a Heel Turn<\/h2>\n<p>Cody Rhodes has been captivating as a babyface, but he recently hinted at a possible heel turn. Many expected this shift at SummerSlam 2025, but it did not occur. Meanwhile, John Cena turned heel after 21 years at Elimination Chamber 2025 and has since reverted to his babyface role.<\/p>\n<p>WWE SmackDown boasts a strong babyface roster, including John Cena, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and Damian Priest. If Cody Rhodes remains a babyface, the show risks an oversaturation of good guys. While fans might enjoy a babyface-versus-babyface storyline, a heel turn by Rhodes could be a refreshing change, allowing the former &#8220;Dashing&#8221; wrestler to explore new dimensions and captivate the audience.<\/p>\n<h2>Drew McIntyre Attacks Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">On a recent SmackDown episode, Cody Rhodes teamed up with John Cena to face Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre. The match ended in disqualification after Logan delivered a low blow to Cena. The two <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/08\/08\/john-cena-accepts-challenge-at-wwe-clash-in-paris\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Clash in Paris 2025 opponents<\/a> took their rivalry backstage, while Drew McIntyre, after initially being attacked by Rhodes, turned the tables on him. It appears likely that Rhodes and McIntyre will face off at Clash in Paris 2025, scheduled for August 31.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DMcIntyreWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DMcIntyreWWE<\/a> warned <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CodyRhodes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CodyRhodes<\/a>&#8230; \ud83d\udc40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/a1TmLI8mR7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/a1TmLI8mR7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1954003532325032029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cody could maintain his babyface run until John Cena retires in December this year, potentially setting the stage for a dramatic shift that would excite fans on the road to Royal Rumble 2026 and WrestleMania 42.<\/p>\n<h2>How Cody Rhodes Could Turn Heel?<\/h2>\n<p>Cody Rhodes could orchestrate a dramatic heel turn during John Cena\u2019s final appearance. He might start by embracing Cena, only to betray him with an attack as payback for Cena\u2019s actions at Elimination Chamber 2025. Rhodes could then escalate the moment by targeting his former Legacy teammate and mentor, Randy Orton. With Cena officially retiring this year, he would likely not compete in matches starting in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>This betrayal could spark trouble for the current WWE Champion, as Randy Orton vows to avenge both himself and Cena. The storyline could intensify heading into Royal Rumble 2026, with fans rallying behind &#8220;The Viper&#8221; to win the Rumble and challenge Rhodes for the title. This narrative would allow Cody to fully develop his heel persona, building momentum toward an explosive WrestleMania 42.<\/p>\n<p><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on Cody Rhodes and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cody Rhodes defeated John Cena at SummerSlam 2025 to become a two-time Undisputed WWE Champion. The company has officially named Cody as the WWE Champion in its records. On the latest episode of SmackDown, &#8220;The American Nightmare&#8221; was attacked by Drew McIntyre. Cody Rhodes&#8217; Babyface Run Since WrestleMania 38 Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5578,"featured_media":139972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-139961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-cody-rhodes"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139961"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139973,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139961\/revisions\/139973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}