Predicting When WWE Turns Cody Rhodes Heel Amid The Rock's Return, Kevin Owens Attack

When it comes to Cody Rhodes turning heel, it is a matter of when, not if.

That may seem impossible to pro wrestling fans and WWE lovers right now. Rhodes' whole world is slowly starting to come crashing down around him, after all, with former allies distancing themselves.

Or in the case of Kevin Owens, outright attacking Rhodes.

This is where the fickle when part comes into play.

Everyone understands and agrees that Rhodes is the top babyface in WWE, if not pro wrestling outright. Ditto for the fact he will need to remain in that sort of role through at least the next WrestleMania to counteract The Rock's corporate heel, "final boss" thing.

But that right there is the timeline—and the expiration date on Rhodes the beloved good guy.

Despite being so straight-up, Rhodes' character is really compelling right now. He's almost too good. His ideals and direction demand he see the good in even someone like a reforming Roman Reigns.

Guys like Owens, Randy Orton and even Seth Rollins just won't agree.

One can see where this going. Owens has already attacked Rhodes for his acceptance of this new Reigns. That's going to be a long feud to fill time before the end of the year. Orton has already semi-confronted Rhodes about this and, knowing Randy, the boot-led heel turn is on the way at some point in the near future.

Then there's Rollins, who is no stranger to having problems with Rhodes. He hit the mic on the October 7 edition of Raw and threw a shot at Rhodes for the champion's recent decisions involving Reigns, too—so that one is just a matter of time.

Rhodes is getting what he deserves on this front. Each of those guys have very justifiable long-term problems with the Tribal Chief and in their eyes, the current top champion's willingness to work with him is almost a betrayal.

Something akin to the movie cliche about "dying a hero or becoming a villain" comes to mind here. It can get meta, too. Beyond character motivations, Rhodes' title reign has been pretty stale and by-the-books for a top babyface, which is disheartening compared to Reigns' Bloodline saga for so long. His mic work, even the extremely long entrances...it's going to grate on fans eventually.

But a nod to a superhero cliche feels apt. That's blatantly what Rhodes wants to be, a Cena-like presence for audiences, hence no heel turn in AEW and retaining this perfect WWE character. The other side of that coin, though, is the bleached-blonde, delusional yet powerful villain like Homelander.

There is a possible reality and timeline two 'Manias from now that a super-over babyface Reigns takes down an ultimate heel Rhodes in the complete reversal of this year's main event.

Vince McMahon or not, we're inching closer and closer to what WWE always wanted on this front—a beloved, accepted by all Reigns in main event after main event with the top title around his waist.

Granted, none of this is exaclty how WWE or fans predicted it would happen. But through some careful, measured storytelling, here we are on that path.

If Rhodes' slow descent into the madness of embracing villainy is handled with as much gradual grace as the Bloodline saga, it leaves wiggle room for him to still fill the babyface role with some epic feuds against heels for the remainder of this year and early 2025. Over time, it would make for one heck of a movie-styled, hours-long viewing experience WWE can put together, just like Bloodline sagas.

On paper, this heel turn could fully happen after next year's WrestleMania, once Rock has been sent back to Hollywood and Instagram in some fashion and the roster demands a new top heel. It could be something as simple as one final betrayal (Sami Zayn, perhaps?) or outright losing his title or a hot crowd that rejects him. Who knows? That's the fun of pro wrestling. But 'Mania and right after is the big spot on the calendar to circle in red.

This is giving WWE a lot of credit to capitalize on the super-long entrances, fan fatigue due to overexposure and how all the betrayals while just trying to do the right thing can wear a guy down.

But...perhaps Rollins crawled so Rhodes can run, so to speak. Rollins has endlessly suffered from overexposure and fan indifference, especially around title scenes, over the last few years. WWE has shown improved long-term storytelling chops since Triple H took over creative, so perhaps everyone can figure out how to channel this into an organic heel turn that is just downright captivating.

Because the road to mega-heel Cody is right there. If taken, it would instantly be another crowning high mark of what this new commitment to storytelling can be in pro wrestling, right alongside the Bloodline saga.