Who's to Blame For WWE Star Cody Rhodes' Downfall?

WWE Sunday Night's Main Event ended with the latest example of why Cody Rhodes desperately needs a new direction.

It has been a rough year for the second-generation wrestler, who had the world at his feet two years ago. Honestly, it's hard to make sense of the drastic jump from his triumph at WrestleMania 40 to his fortunes at the same event over the last two years.

Although Rhodes struck out at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, he regained the WWE title to set up a highly anticipated match with Randy Orton. Unfortunately, their storyline inexplicably focused on Pat McAfee instead of their storied history.

Their showdown on The Grandest Stage of Them All was underwhelming, and Rhodes left the ring with a gruesome orbital injury. The 41-year-old didn't fare much better at SummerSlam. His match with CM Punk was disappointing, and The Viper returned to interfere.

While their feud has produced much better weekly segments this time around, the finish of their latest encounter still left much to be desired. Rhodes is spinning his wheels following another teased heel turn that didn't amount to anything new.

The American Nightmare has been in the same holding pattern for about two years, making it difficult to pinpoint who or what is responsible for his current decline.

WWE's Inability To Maintain A Top Face

Beneath Rhodes' carefully constructed public image, signs of frustration have grown apparent during some of his most recent interviews. After all, WWE has seemingly meddled in his last three WrestleMania storylines.

Sure, the company pivoted in response to the "We Want Cody" chants, and he successfully finished the story in 2024. However, John Cena's heel turn was a creative blunder the following year. This year, McAfee's involvement complicated a long-standing feud, which created an overproduced mess.

Even worse, WWE has a habit of reducing its best protagonists to gullible do-gooders, and it inevitably damages their credibility. Meanwhile, the villains retain their cool factor and outsmart them at every turn.

This creates a cycle where fans want to root for the bad guys, believing a heel turn is the only interesting character development. Roman Reigns and Cena went through the same thing because the company struggles to craft compelling material for its top faces.

WWE/WWE via Getty Images

On the surface, Rhodes is the pure babyface WWE has been searching for over the last decade. Presenting him as a gladhanding company man who won't take advantage of his opponent when they're down makes him unlikeable.

It's truly baffling that he continuously makes the same mistake in big matches when an old friend pleads with him. This cost him the match against Cena last year, but for some reason, the creative team keeps relying on this derivative finish.

At some point, there has to be a payoff to all these hints that he could cross the line. The Legend Killer is the perfect opponent to tell that story because it would finally give Rhodes the chance to surpass his mentor.

Cody Rhodes' Unavoidable Turn

Still, it's reasonable to wonder how much of his current situation is self-imposed. Rhodes went through a similar rut towards the end of his run with AEW. Fans infamously called for a heel turn, and he refused.

The Rock also reportedly pitched a turn last year in the weeks leading up to his clash with Cena at The Showcase of the Immortals. Rhodes turned it down, but WWE was never fully on board with the pitch either, because he was a proven draw.

That raises the question of how much creative input he actually has. It's fair to reason that it wasn't the right time for him to break bad. Even though many viewers didn't want to boo him during his farewell tour, Cena was the more intriguing option.

Still, there was even a chance to do a double turn at SummerSlam. Similarly, longtime fans were nostalgic about Orton's heel persona, but he's not getting the heat that many expected. This was evident during their match in April.

WWE/WWE via Getty Images

The Verdict

Rhodes is still popular, but his character has grown stale. If he's not going to turn heel soon, he at least needs to show some edge. It's hard to root for someone who looks like he's being taken advantage of or overprotected.

It's a familiar narrative for a top star in WWE, but the company must find a compelling way to pay off months of teases. The American Nightmare was a revelation when no one else was set up to end Reigns' historic run, but the chase was more interesting.

That's largely because his storylines for the past two years were too repetitive, and his character has shown little development. The material was given, and situations involving McAfee and Travis Scott didn't help.

WWE/WWE via Getty Images

WWE has to take the lion's share of the blame for his current predicament. Even though the company handed him the ball during its hottest period in years, he proved himself to be a draw and a top merch seller.

Still, there was always this reluctance to fully invest in him as "the guy," especially when compared to the likes of The Rock, Cena, and Orton. To that end, it feels like Reigns never truly handed the mantle over to him, and Cody was just keeping his seat warm until he was ready to take it back.

Now, Rhodes is arguably the company's third-biggest star behind CM Punk, facing the choice of turning heel to right the ship. WWE must produce fresh matchups and stories for him soon to salvage this year.