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Cody Rhodes joined AEW as one of the anchors of the company. The Elite's Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks were lauded for their phenomenal in-ring performances, while the American Nightmare brought the promo and character work in spades. This gave All Elite Wrestling the best of both worlds in the early days of the promotion.
In 2019, many fans and pundits considered Cody Rhodes the biggest babyface in the business. However, the past year has seen a change in the reaction to the son of the American Dream. Since losing the TNT Title at the end of 2020, his storylines have been a mixed bag. From facing celebrities like Shaquille O'Neal to a mini-feud with QT Marshall, the term "Cody-verse" was coined in 2021.
Rhodes capped off his year with a victory over Sammy Guevara to become a three-time TNT Champion. This has only increased the chatter among fans about this complex character who portrays a good guy, but is booed everywhere the company goes. In this article, let's take a look at five reasons why Cody Rhodes is the new lightning rod in wrestling.
5) Cody Rhodes on reality TV has changed his image
At the start of AEW, Cody Rhodes captured the old everyman vibes of his father Dusty. This year saw Cody have to divide his time from the squared circle to some outside ventures and life situations. Last year, Cody Rhodes left for a couple of months to film the first season of "The Go Big Show" on TBS Network.
His hiatus helped give pathos to Brodie Lee's TNT Championship victory over Cody. Rhodes, however, dealt with a lot more matters than this one television show.
Cody debuted his new reality show this year with Rhodes To The Top on September 29th on the TNT Network. The show focused on Cody and Brandi's roles in AEW, the birth of their first child and their interactions with the Rhodes family. This furthered the divide between Cody Rhodes and the fanbase.
These outside ventures and the transition into reality television have altered the perception of Cody Rhodes to the fans. A man who was once relatable, that was now a shell of his former self to the audience. This has caused individuals who once cheered for the American Nightmare to turn their backs on him.
4) The Cody-verse
Cody Rhodes lost the right to compete for the AEW World Championship after losing to Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019. The inability to compete for the top prize limits what is possible for the American Nightmare's character. His TNT Championship reign was remarkable and helped elevate new talent. Following his loss, Rhodes has seemingly been scrambling for direction.
The term "Cody-verse" was coined following a strange series of rivalries for Cody Rhodes. He feuded with Shaquille O'Neal and Jade Cargill, leading to a mixed tag team match with Red Velvet as his partner. Following that contest, Rhodes mixed it up with The Factory's QT Marshall and Anthony Ogogo. These consecutive feuds mixed with a certain speech led to a polarizing reaction forming towards Cody.
3) The Malakai Black feud pushed the fans against Cody Rhodes
On the very first AEW live event back on the road, Malakai Black debuted and immediately inserted himself into a rivalry with Cody Rhodes. The All Elite Wrestling fans quickly embraced Malakai Black and enjoyed the dark elements of his persona. The dismantling of the American Nightmare on the Homecoming special of Dynamite made fans love Black even more.
AEW seemingly made this feud to establish Malakai Black as a heel in the company, but the damage to Cody Rhodes had already been done. By placing an excellent character like Malakai Black against Cody at this time, the promotion further pushed the fans against the Nightmare Family leader for good.
2) That "racism" promo on Anthony Ogogo was the moment where the tide changed for Cody Rhodes
The follow-up to Cody's feud with Shaq and Jade Cargill led to a shift in how the fans reacted and perceived Cody Rhodes due to the nature of his rivalries. QT Marshall betrayed the Nightmare Family and created the Factory stable. Anthony Ogogo emerged as a new rival to Cody Rhodes and even draped the Union Jack flag over his enemy after laying him out.
Setting the tone for their feud, Cody Rhodes challenged Ogogo to a showdown at Double Or Nothing. The American Nightmare cut an impassioned speech about how much the United States and the basis it was built on meant to him. He also used the real-life upcoming birth of his bi-racial daughter to compare how his home state of Georgia was segregated years ago.
This strange promo was met with heavy criticism from the wrestling world. Many fans didn't understand why Cody Rhodes said these things or what the purpose was. The fanbase was swift to show that this wasn't what they liked. At Double Or Nothing, the Jacksonville crowd greeted Cody with a split reaction. This response has only gotten worse since then. It all stems back to this promo.
1) Cody Rhodes is the hero in his own story, but becoming the true villain
Throughout recent wrestling history, divisive top stars like John Cena and Roman Reigns have been oblivious to the vocal reaction to their characters. It has led to many fans finding these men unrelatable as a result. WWE has fought against these reactions, but the times they play into them have led to legendary matches and moments.
For AEW, they couldn't have planned the vocal boos for Cody Rhodes to get this kind of response. He has kept all the traits that made him a compelling babyface, but Cody is no longer embraced by the fans. Rhodes could have ignored this like Cena and Reigns before him. However, he has decided to not just acknowledge them but also play into the boos in a subtle way.
Cody Rhodes has offered little nods to fan the flames of his organic reaction. The AEW EVP has shone a light on his outside ventures, started performing teases of doing Triple H's Pedigree and even pulled out a golden shovel during the Atlanta Street Fight against Andrade El Idolo. These Easter eggs have become a weekly topic of conversation and show just how impactful Cody's actions have become.
Whether fans love him or hate him, Cody Rhodes has developed something unique in the business. Although there are comparisons to Cena, Reigns, Triple H and even Jeff Jarrett, the American Nightmare has become something new. He is the hero in his own story, while being a villain in plain sight. That's why Cody Rhodes is the new lightning rod in wrestling.
