5 Ways Cody Rhodes could turn heel in AEW

Drawing comparisons to the likes of John Cena and pre-Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes is a character the fans have grown disgruntled with during the past year.

The early signs of dissent against The American Nightmare came through his first AEW TNT Championship reign, seemingly refusing to deviate from his outdated patriotic act.

The EVP progressed to the tournament's final to inaugurate the title and was due to clash with at-the-time unbeaten Lance Archer. Rhodes would emerge with the belt and thus halt the Murderhawk Monster's momentum.

His reign was steady, and he held an open challenge, much like the aforementioned John Cena. The goal of offering a platform for prospects like Darby Allin and Sonny Kiss ended in an excellent squash match against Brodie Lee.

The eventual putting over of the late icon was an excellent deterrent and did well to keep discontent at bay for a while. But after a second reign with the title and engaging in a USA vs. UK storyline with Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo, resentment began to manifest itself abundantly.

Cody Rhodes appears to be self-aware and plays to the negative reactions, donning gear inspired by The Boys antagonist, Homelander, reaffirming his intention to stay babyface constantly.

It very much feels like Cody Rhodes could turn and take centre stage as the company's top heel, given the growing sentiment throughout the fanbase and absence of Kenny Omega leaving a vacancy.

But will it happen? And in what way should we see the turn present itself? Let's take a look at five scenarios where we could see the American Nightmare return.

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#5 "Hollywood" Cody Rhodes leaves Arn Anderson and the Nightmare Family behind

Cody Rhodes has been backed by industry legend Arn Anderson and the rest of the Nightmare Family, a stable comprising the pair and family members like Dustin and Brandi Rhodes and prospects like Arn's son Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson.

During his feud with Malakai Black, where Cody suffered back-to-back losses, Arn grew frustrated with the former TNT Champion and attempted to put him through his paces with stablemates Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson.

Brock and Lee had also suffered losses to Black and were far from pleased with Cody believing he had gone "Hollywood" and forgotten about his friends.

It was an intriguing concept not to follow up on, the idea that Cody Rhodes had been so caught up in being a celebrity that he had either forgotten or neglected to care about his wrestling roots.

This would be an interesting thread to follow with Cody Rhodes' heel turn, circumventing the need for him to break his oath not to challenge for the world title.

Cody could decide he no longer needed friends. His success is his own, after all, and why should he share it?

We have seen names like The Rock and Hulk Hogan don Hollywood gimmicks to equate their persona to their star power. Cody could adopt the gimmick to coincide with his non-wrestling endeavors and feud with the likes of Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson, giving them the main event rub and platform.

#4 "Donning the golden shovel"- Cody Rhodes uses the Pedigree to keep young stars down

Cody Rhodes has handed first-time losses to Malakai Black, Lance Archer, Eddie Kingston, and Anthony Ogogo during his babyface run with AEW. Many fans have criticized this as they felt the reverse result would have been better.

Being an EVP and holding wins against up-and-coming talent has made him get compared to his WWE counterpart Triple H. The Game has been accused of holding talent down, with the term "golden shovel" being used frequently.

This is a comparison that Cody Rhodes has grown accustomed to and adopted during his time with AEW. However, whether it be smashing a throne with a sledgehammer or teasing the use of the Pedigree during a match.

Why not lean into the parallel with an eventual heel turn? Targeting younger talent, a heel Cody Rhodes can elevate unproven stars in matches, getting the crowd organically behind his foes before finishing contests with the Pedigree.

Not only is the material present for the concept, but working fans against a Triple H copycat in everything would stay true to Cody's seeming self-awareness. It will create a platform where younger talent can be elevated even in defeat, and allow wins against Cody to feel monumental when achieved.

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#3 "I'll retire before I turn heel"- Cody Rhodes uses EVP power to undo loss-imposed retirement

It has been made abundantly clear thus far that Cody Rhodes does not want to turn heel, even proclaiming he will retire before making the character change. That doesn't need to be an absolute denial of the concept, however, as The American Nightmare could literally hang up his boots and return as a heel.

Cody Rhodes has dabbled with the idea of retirement before, leaving a solitary boot in the ring following his loss to Malakai Black earlier this year. It isn't far from the realms of belief that Rhodes has considered his future in the sport.

Life imitates art and often art imitates life and if the growing sentiment is that Cody wants to dial down his time in the ring, then he can wager his career much like he gave up his world title pursuits.

Once again, Cody could lose the wager and retire. But out of sheer refusal to be ousted from the industry that runs through his blood, use his power as Executive Vice President to go against the oath.

As said, Cody is someone who lives and breathes the industry within a family of wrestlers and could pay homage to the trope that no one stays retired by directly going against his obligation.

But this also creates a narrative where Cody can lean into refusing to take losses seriously and essentially book himself in storyline.

#2 "It's his moment"- Cody Rhodes betrays Hangman Page for the AEW World Title

When Cody Rhodes first embarked upon his post-WWE career, he was welcomed into the infamous Bullet Club with open arms. His work as an arrogant heel with the faction saw him building relationships with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and the current AEW World Champion Hangman Page as the Elite sub-group expanded.

As leader, Kenny Omega got the selection of marquee matches and championship opportunities, and tensions began to rise between the two alpha males as to who was better for the group.

Cody's heel work was cemented through the web series Being the Elite, where he would routinely manipulate The Young Bucks and Hangman in an attempt to weaken Omega's respect as a leader.

By this point, the Elite faction had adopted roles as tweeners. While acting as heels in many respects, they were so beloved that they could play the babyface role when it suited them or the narrative.

Kenny Omega was shockingly dethroned as IWGP US Champion when Hangman Page entered the ring to confront Jay White.

Omega took exception to the challenge immediately after his loss and interjected himself when Cody emerged to confront his rival, affirming that this was "his moment" when referring to Page.

What happened next would be a turning point in the trajectory of the Bullet Club stable, when Cody Rhodes made his intentions clear by spiking the Cleaner with a Cross Rhodes.

Fast forward to today, and the Elite faction have grown into their roles with AEW, especially Hangman, who holds the World Title. Cody needs a heel turn, and Page is the promotion's number one babyface. The history is there, and the execution can be easy.

Assuming Page retains the title against Bryan Danielson, Cody Rhodes can emerge to congratulate his friend and celebrate another moment. However, this time he can show his true colors and spike Page with a Cross Rhodes and declare his intention to challenge the AEW World Championship.

This turn would cement Cody Rhodes as the number one heel in the company and reinforce Page's reign by having a personal feud.

#1 "Homelander" Cody Rhodes does whatever he wants

Cody Rhodes is Homelander from The Boys. From his ring gear to his promos, Cody has been pushed as a superhero akin to the likes of Captain America or Superman during his time with AEW. But why does the main villain from The Boys fit the billing better?

Homelander is, like the aforementioned heroes, pro-USA and a beacon for the people of America, but only on the face of it. What makes Homelander the antagonist of his story is the emotional imperfections he hides from the general public.

While fans see a squeaky clean hero who can do no wrong, Homelander is someone who cannot keep his emotions in check and will spite those who challenge his persona with no remorse.

Interchange Cody Rhodes and Homelander in the previous paragraph and the notion still applies. Starting with Rhodes' first TNT Championship reign, we see the first inkling of his potential slow-burning heel turn as he takes on all comers.

This can be seen as what was billed by Cody as a platform for future stars to make themselves known. Or it can be seen as Rhodes showing he is superior to his peers, a character trait his manufactured superhero counterpart shares.

We've only seen the infallible superhero character fall when encountered by Mr. Brodie Lee, who savagely destroyed him to capture the title. However, in Cody's first return to the ring, he reclaimed what was once his at the first time of asking.

Cody Rhodes had previously bent the rules and used heel tactics to keep his title, but in such a way that he remained the perceived hero. This is a character nuance that can be used to show his desperation to remain the hero of the story.

The same can be said for his feud with QT Marshall. When the Factory pointed out Cody's character flaws, they were rebuffed and Cody remained in denial.

We have seen Cody Rhodes sever ties with those who question his character. He made sure to turn the narrative of The Factory vs. himself into a battle between UK and USA in order to preserve his image as the hero of the feud.

Even after losing to Malakai Black, we saw Cody Rhodes take the spotlight by teasing his retirement, either reinforcing his entitlement to be on centre stage or his fragility when it comes to the state of his character.

It would make sense then that there were tensions with the rest of the Nightmare Family during this feud, if they were propping up a fragile yet inflated ego possessed by their leader.

We could very well be on the home stretch of the eventual heel turn for Cody Rhodes, with the mask slowly slipping away.

The Homelander heel turn for Cody Rhodes would serve well to explain the refusal to buckle to fan demand, with The American Nightmare genuinely not seeing his own character flaws and feeling he is superior to those who surround him.