Cody Rhodes faces a huge uphill battle on Friday Night SmackDown, even though he is the current WWE Champion. If the company isn't careful, this could turn into a full-blown crisis.The American Nightmare dethroned John Cena to win the WWE Title at SummerSlam, but this didn't feel like the first time. Here, Rhodes felt like an afterthought. Whether it was due to Cena's abrupt babyface turn being shoehorned into the story or Brock Lesnar returning at the end of the show, something felt off.That weird energy continued on SmackDown. Cody Rhodes was by no means the focus of the show, instead being written off WWE television. This was his first appearance since winning his second world title, but it didn't feel like it.The former AEW star hasn't been back since Drew McIntyre sent him head-first into the side of the announce table with a Claymore. It's been three weeks, with no end in sight for his hiatus. Meanwhile, Rhodes is currently in Australia for the filming of the Street Fighter movie. We had known this for months, but it doesn't change the fact that the WWE Champion is missing a month of television.Ideally, Cody Rhodes should have been defending his title against McIntyre at Clash in Paris. That isn't happening. The Scottish Warrior may instead face Randy Orton, who interrupted his promo on last week's SmackDown with an RKO from out of nowhere. This essentially confirms Rhodes will be gone for a while longer.It remains to be seen if The American Nightmare will be back in time for a potential title defense against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza. If not, the future might be bleak. The new WWE Champion being gone for over a month right after winning the title isn't ideal, with it being reminiscent of the Brock Lesnar days and the final year of Roman Reigns' historic run with the Universal Title.Speaking of the OTC, he briefly mentioned Cody Rhodes on this week's episode of RAW. The fans booed upon hearing his name. While Reigns found that interesting, it's more concerning for The American Nightmare. He needs to go on a strong and consistent run upon returning, with feuds against McIntyre and Orton on the horizon.WWE has to ensure Cody Rhodes is booked well, having previously left huge gaps between title defenses in his first reign. If not, this problem will only grow until he becomes as unpopular as during his final days in AEW.Could Cody Rhodes Turn Heel in WWE?The one thing that was stopping Cody Rhodes from turning heel in WWE was his fan support. While still high, the next few months will be interesting to monitor. If his title reign continues to falter and frustrate, Triple H might be left with no choice but to turn his biggest babyface into a villain.Rhodes would be a fantastic heel, having shown glimpses of it as part of The Bullet Club. It would be a shame if it came to that, though, given the platform Cody has gotten to become the face of the company. Chances are that WWE will persist, no matter how the fans react to The American Nightmare.After all, it took over five years of constant boos for Roman Reigns to finally turn heel. Cody Rhodes might be in the same boat.