5 ways Cody Rhodes could turn heel at Night of Champions or SummerSlam

The Cody Rhodes heel turn has been widely discussed among online fans. While his babyface run was praised during his ‘finish the story’ arc, his run as Undisputed WWE Champion was not. This was not necessarily Cody's fault, but was due to some questionable booking by the company. His promos and feuds did not meet expectations, and fans want something fresh.

Given that Rhodes has been teasing a heel turn lately, here are four ways that could happen. This could either take place at Night of Champions or SummerSlam.

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#5. Cody Rhodes cheats to win at Night of Champions

At WWE Night of Champions, Rhodes will face Randy Orton in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. This will give him a shot at John Cena’s Undisputed WWE title, which he has been after. However, both men want the title and will do anything for it. Despite being a babyface, The Viper is always one voice in his head away from punt-kicking Rhodes for the win.

Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton [Image Credits: wwe.com]

But if WWE wants to tell a story, all they need to do is use that and have Cody Rhodes cheat to win. This won’t turn him heel instantly if Orton is shown to do the same. While this won’t be the heel turn fans are waiting for, it could be a simple taste of what could come next.

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#4. Randy Orton wins at Night of Champions

If WWE plans on having Rhodes snap before turning heel, Randy Orton could win the King of the Ring tournament. It has been reported that the 39-year-old may face Cena near the end of his retirement tour to win back the title, and this could be the reason why.

If The Viper wins, not only will he get a rematch for the title, but it will also put pressure on The American Nightmare for not being able to get his rematch.

WWE could do a slow burn as he would be without a feud, watching as Orton and Cena get ready to headline SummerSlam. This is set to be a historic SummerSlam Premium Live Event. Cody Rhodes not being on the card will be a huge deal. But all this plays into the former champion slowly losing his patience.

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#3. Rhodes goes non-PG

Cody Rhodes became a controversial figure toward the end of his AEW tenure, and one of his trademarks was his unapologetic and somewhat meta promo style. This made him more believable as a real threat. Despite being on Netflix, WWE still has the PG rating with some adult humor and language sprinkled in.

This is where he could start showing his heelish nature by breaking the PG norm. The American Nightmare can cut promos on anyone, but to give a hint that he is turning to the dark side, he needs to sound like The Rock.

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#2. Cody Rhodes pulls a John Cena on Cena at SummerSlam

If Rhodes does win the King of the Ring title at Night of Champions, he will face Cena for the title at SummerSlam. This is where WWE could finally do a heel turn that fans won’t see coming. Throughout their feud, Cena cheats to win all his matches, and the 39-year-old falls for it every time. This could be the one time The American Nightmare does not fall for it.

Cody Rhodes could stop the champion in his tracks and turn the tables on him. Not only would this result in him winning, but this would be the first time Mr. Boy Scout had cheated to win. This would be unlike anything fans have seen from Rhodes.

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#1 The Rock finds his new ‘Champion’

This whole feud started with The Rock offering the former Undisputed WWE Champion the chance to be his ‘Champion.’ This offer was refused by The American Nightmare, who didn’t want to turn heel, leading to Cena taking it up. However, during his last promo, Rhodes mentioned the deal The Rock had offered. This could be a hint that it is still available.

The Rock and Cody Rhodes [Image Credits: wwe.com]

If Cody Rhodes takes it, he will officially turn heel, and there will be no going back. This will also give Cena the chance to turn babyface. The title does not need to change hands as that can be kept for the last PLE of the year, where fans will see a heel Rhodes take on a babyface Cena for the title.