Is Cody Rhodes more popular than John Cena? Exploring WWE's most successful babyface

Cody Rhodes' career in WWE has been nothing short of spectacular. From being Stardust to reigning as the Undisputed WWE Champion, The American Nightmare has come a long way in his wrestling career.

On top of this, Rhodes is also the biggest babyface in the Stamford-based promotion at present. The amount of love Cody gets from the fans often leads to comparisons between him and John Cena. Many wonder if the 38-year-old is as famous as Cena.

As per veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, during an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE's numbers seemed to suggest that Rhodes had surpassed Cena in terms of popularity. He also said Cody was the biggest face in the company since the Steve Austin-Rock era.

"Cody Rhodes outside of the ring is everything, he’s one of the best faces they have ever had and he’s drawing like it too. Look, his numbers are bigger than Cenas. So that would make him the biggest, most successful babyface since the Austin & Rock era," said Meltzer.

Rhodes' entire story leading up to WrestleMania 40 got him a lot of attention from wrestling fans. Since he lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, almost the entire WWE Universe came together to root for him at The Show of Shows. When Rhodes won, the victory skyrocketed his popularity even more.

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Cody Rhodes' former manager had words of praise for him

The performance Cody Rhodes has delivered in WWE has earned him many fans. These fans speak highly of Rhodes and make it a point that his name is cheered and heard whenever he is on screen.

However, apart from the love of the fans, he has also earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues. Recently, The American Nightmare's former manager from his AEW days, Arn Anderson, commented on the success Rhodes had achieved in WWE.

During an episode of the ARN Podcast, Anderson called Cody a professional, a tremendous talent, and a person who loves the business. He also mentioned Rhodes' famous wrestling lineage.

"I did not see it, but I saw clips of the aftermath. The fact that he was appreciated to that degree by his company, I mean, that's a guy that if you own a wrestling company, why would you want him a predominant player with your company? He looks the part. He's a gentleman. He's a professional. He's a tremendous talent. He loves the business. He has a lineage of second to none, with his brother and his father," said Anderson.

You can check out his comments in the video below:

Anderson speaking highly of Cody Rhodes shows the level the latter is operating at. Heading towards upcoming premium live events like Clash at the Castle: Scotland and SummerSlam, it will be interesting to see the rivalries The American Night gets involved in.