WWE's Cody Rhodes Is at a Crossroads With Fans Ahead of WrestleMania 42

Cody Rhodes received a rousing reaction in Portland upon beating Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the March 6 SmackDown, but the reaction from fans online afterward was hardly as unanimous.

Rhodes regaining the gold significantly shakes up the road to WrestleMania 42 as he'll now face Randy Orton one-on-one for the gold at the event, presumably in the main-event of Night 1. A Fatal 4-Way featuring McIntyre and Jacob Fatu is still possible but not likely.

Despite being booed by an audible portion of fans for the better part of 2025, The American Nightmare has largely remained beloved. Him winning back the prestigious prize so soon after losing it again puts his status as a fan favorite in jeopardy.

Ahead of WrestleMania, Rhodes is at a crossroads with the audience, and how he's handled in the immediate aftermath of his latest WWE title win will determine whether he can still be salvaged or if a drastic character change is necessary.

Why His Latest WWE Title Win Was Premature

Cody Rhodes being booked to look invincible more often than not, specifically since he first captured the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania XL, was always going to lead to fan fatigue.

That's why it was so refreshing when Drew McIntyre shockingly defeated him for the title on Jan. 9 edition of SmackDown in their Three Stages of Hell match. There were no guarantees that McIntyre would walk into WrestleMania 42 as the defending champ, but with the story they were telling, that was the move that made the most sense.

A Fatal 4-Way with McIntyre defending against the three men he's made enemies out in recent months—Rhodes, Randy Orton and Jacob Fatu—should have been the endgame. Instead, WWE opted to put the belt back on Rhodes with just over a month to go until the event.

Rhodes taking the title again at WrestleMania wouldn't have been ideal, either, but at least it would have allowed McIntyre and Fatu to take part in the 'Mania main-event. Him becoming a three-time champ in less than two years will only cause fans to grow tired of him that much quicker.

WWE Is Copying the John Cena Formula with Rhodes

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John Cena won his first world championship at WrestleMania 21, and by the time he finally lost the title nine months later at New Year's Revolution 2006, his crowd reactions were much more split and stayed that way for over a decade.

That was a direct result of his aggressive push at the top of the card and how his character would constantly overcome the odds. Miraculously, Rhodes has avoided getting that same treatment from fans and has received far more cheers than boos since returning to WWE in 2022.

That might be about to change based on how he's been booked in the last year alone.

The fashion in which Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cena at WrestleMania 41, followed by not truly taking time away from the main-event scene before getting the belt back at SummerSlam, was exhausting enough. He then went on to have a mediocre second stint with the title, lost it to McIntyre later than he should have, and won it back within two months.

This is exact the sort of formula WWE followed with Cena for so many years. As successful as Cena was in his role, he didn't have to be so polarizing, and WWE doesn't have to make that mistake with Rhodes, too.

Rhodes vs. Orton would have sufficed as a non-title affair, but WWE is of the mindset that he must be in contention for the title or defending it at all times. Rhodes is the perfect face of the company, but continually revolving the main-event scene around him instead of occasionally elevating others will do long-term damage.

How Will Upcoming Crowds React?

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Rhodes's WWE title win may have gone over well in person, but the overwhelming amount of dislikes the video got on WWE's YouTube channel suggested that not everyone was on board with the decision.

The real test with Rhodes will be how upcoming crowds respond to him in the weeks and months ahead, especially in the buildup to WrestleMania when he's feuding with a fellow fan favorite in Orton.

Orton is so established that it will be difficult for fans to boo him over Rhodes. He hasn't held a WWE world title in almost a decade and the majority of WWE's audience will want to see him win it again, this time at Rhodes' expense.

The company isn't exactly putting The American Nightmare in a position to be cheered by crowds. It doesn't help that, outside of Drew McIntyre, there aren't many—if any—credible heels on SmackDown worthy of working with Rhodes at an elite level at the moment.

Crowds booing Rhodes more and more coming out of WrestleMania 41 led to fans thinking that a double turn could have been in the works for SummerSlam. WWE ultimately didn't go in that direction, but more negative crowd reactions (once again due to their own incompetence) might force them to follow through on the sooner side.

The Highly-Anticipated Heel Turn Draws Closer

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There's been an aura of intrigue surrounding the idea of heel Cody Rhodes for several years, even dating back to his time in AEW.

In reality, Rhodes hasn't portrayed a heel in nearly eight years when he was a member of Bullet Club and fighting with Kenny Omega over who was the rightful leader of the group. Although he was booed by fans for that final stretch of his AEW run, he stayed the course as a face.

Until now, there's been little incentive for him to turn in WWE. He's the undisputed face of the franchise with no one ready to replace him in that role. He can be a heel much earlier in his time on top than Cena ever was, but it doesn't necessarily need to be right now.

The more WWE plays into the notion that he's being shoved down the throats of fans, the more fans will want to see him embrace the boos and become a full-fledged heel. It was always inevitable, but WWE may have to rush into it because they're apparently incapable of booking Rhodes as relatable and vulnerable.

The turn could come as soon as WrestleMania itself, but WWE would only do it for the viral moment much like with Cena last year and not because it was carefully planned out months in advance.

Rhodes' Booking Can Still Be Salvaged

WWE already put SmackDown's top title back on Cody Rhodes. The earliest they can get it off of him again is WrestleMania when he defends against Randy Orton.

Unless Orton betrays him afterward, Rhodes retaining wouldn't make for the most interesting finish to their championship clash. Orton holding the gold, if only briefly, would give Rhodes the opportunity to step away from the title scene for a while without going right back into chase mode.

Jacob Fatu and Trick Williams should have their time in the title picture, and Rhodes has a ready-made program with the disgruntled Sami Zayn waiting in the wings post-WrestleMania. Rhodes must have storylines that exist outside of the WWE title to maintain his popularity.

WWE has had a handful of hiccups with Rhodes over the last year, but it isn't too late for him to redeem himself as the people's chosen champion and correct the bad booking he's had to endure. That can't happen until he defines who he is when he's not in the hunt for a world title.

One more misstep could cost him everything that's endeared him to the audience up to this point, and botching the biggest babyface on the roster is the last thing WWE needs to be worrying about going into their premier premium live event.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.