Despite a strong internal push from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, WWE has no plans to turn Cody Rhodes heel. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Johnson advocated for a character shift for Rhodes, but company leadership ultimately rejected the pitch, opting to maintain his current babyface alignment.
The decision to keep Rhodes as a heroic figure is reportedly reinforced by internal data. Rhodes stands as one of WWE’s premier performers in merchandise sales, live event attendance, and overall fan engagement, providing compelling business reasons to keep him in his current role.
Speculation surrounding a potential heel turn intensified earlier this year. Rhodes received mixed crowd reactions during on-screen encounters with John Cena in the build to WrestleMania, and a recent moment of mutual respect with Seth Rollins fueled further discussion. However, WWE reportedly decided months ago to stick with the current direction.
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This commitment to Rhodes as a top babyface was further solidified at Money in the Bank on June 7, where he teamed with Jey Uso to defeat John Cena and Logan Paul. The company intends for Rhodes to remain a babyface for the rest of 2025.
His on-screen trajectory reflects this confidence, as Rhodes is currently advancing through the 2025 King of the Ring tournament. After winning a fatal four-way match on the June 13 edition of WWE SmackDown, he is scheduled to face Jey Uso in the semifinals on WWE RAW. The tournament winner will earn a world championship match at SummerSlam.
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