On the first Dynamite following his TNT championship win over Lance Archer at Double or Nothing, Cody Rhodes addressed the AEW fans and gave subtle clues on a darker alter ego on the horizon, one not seen since his time in WWE. AEW has proved its dedication to long term storytelling. There was a slow burn between Jon Moxley and Chris Jehrico. The all-out war that happened to feature the Young Bucks, Adam “Hangman” Page, and Kenny Omega, both had tremendous build-up and rewarded fans for paying attention to details. Cody has been dropping clues about a possible heel turn for months and in his coronation speech on dynamite he finally revealed the reason he will renounce his baby-face persona.
An Inevitable Heel Turn is Coming for Cody Rhodes
The Clues
Rhodes has been a heel for a large portion of his career and with good reason, he is an exceptional talker and worker for that role. We have not seen him be a true heel since he left WWE either in the indies, New Japan or inside of AEW. Cody Rhodes will become a heel again and the evidence is already there.
Cody has been careful to leave hints right out in the open, but there are also examples where fans have to look deeper into his past to find the foreshadowing of the coming turn. Let’s have a look at the things Rhodes has said, the actions and inaction he has taken on pay-per-views, dynamite, and his run in the pro wrestling indies this past couple of years.
MJF
No one on the AEW roster has been more outspoken against Cody Rhodes’ character than Maxwell Jacob Freeman. MJF betrayed his mentor and made it his mission to besmirch the Rhodes family name ever since. It has drawn him nuclear heat at times and erupted when the former protege pinned Cody earlier this year at Revolution in Chicago. Most heels say disgusting things to get over as a villain in front of the crowd, but some of what MJF says about Cody has an air of truth in it.
MJF has always maintained that the reason for his betrayal was Rhodes was not who he appeared to be. The people that associate themselves with Cody are there to be used to advance his career. Interestingly, MJF chooses these words to describe how Cody treats his friends and family. Has Rhodes reciprocated the support Brandi, Dustin, QT Marshal, and Arn Anderson have given him without fail? Or was MJF’s heel turn a stand-alone event with no bearing on Cody’s storyline?
Brandi
Easily the person closest to Cody, Brandi has been alongside her husband for nearly every match since the nightmare collective folded last year. In those matches along with segments interspersed through dynamite, we have seen where Brandi has been put in harm’s way, both accidentally and other times with a bit more intent. When Cody is in championship fight mode Brandi comes second, that’s not conjecture, that’s Brandi’s experience before Cody’s pay-per-view fight with Chris Jericho at Full Gear last November.
Also, when Cody faced off with Darby Allin in the semi-finals it appeared as though he threw Allin into Brandi despite knowing his wife was behind him. Finally, possibly the most damning moment where Cody’s ego showed through was his inaction after Jake Roberts covered his wife with his trademark snake and mimed heinous motions over her unconscious body. Rhodes never delivered a promo, he let Anderson talk for him on the go-home show before Double or Nothing.
Dustin
The eldest member of the Rhodes family is a strong veteran wrestler who has worked without his half-brother most of his career. However, after a heartfelt plea by Cody after their match at the very first Double or Nothing, the two have teamed together and have stood up for each other much more. However, during the other semi-final of the TNT championship tournament, Cody had an opportunity to stop the contest between Lance Archer and the Natural, Dustin Rhodes.
QT Marshall held the towel in his hands asking, almost begging Dustin to let him end the fight before he made his decision Cody ripped it from his hands and refused to throw it in. This may have been a matter of pride, but the match was over from a realistic standpoint. Cody could have saved his brother from taking even more unnecessary damage. In the lead up to his match with Archer, Rhodes only acknowledged his “need” for the title, he never talked about the match as a way of vengeance for his family.
Kenny Omega
One of the people who battled for power with the second generation pro wrestler and fellow member of the bullet club was Kenny Omega. Many people were speculating back in the tandem’s NJPW days that Cody was jealous of Kenny’s popularity, and talent and that it would lead the nightmare family patriarch to launch a hostile takeover of the bullet club and leave Omega on the outside looking in. The payoff to their tension was never to be, but to this day both Rhodes and Omega still acknowledge they don’t always see eye to eye.
If Kenny becomes a threat in the eyes of Rhodes what will Cody do to maintain his place in AEW?
The TNT Championship Title
On the May 27th edition of Wednesday night dynamite, Rhodes cut a promo as the very first TNT champion and it didn’t start like anyone expected. “Tony (Schivone) do you know why Tom Brady is my favorite quarterback?” He explained that both he and Brady were passed over multiple times by organizations and despite that fact have legacies that speak for themselves. The analogy being made hinges on the fact that Rhodes was the fourth phone call made by Tony Khan when making a merit-based pro wrestling promotion.
“It (being called 4th) doesn’t bother me, and if there is a tinge of bother it is absolved by the fact that in my right hand is the TNT Championship, and I am the very first champion of America’s greatest network,” Rhodes admits to having a sore spot or a chip on his shoulder for being snubbed for the first couple draft picks as it were when selecting the greatest free agents to start AEW. If Rhodes were ever to lose the title, these old feelings would resurface. In the press conference immediately following Double or Nothing Cody talked at length about what the title meant to him, it is important to him personally as it is professionally.
How Does it Happen?
Dropping the championship for Cody will be extremely difficult considering how attached he is to it. Losing the TNT championship would be the most likely opportunity for a change in personality. While a when is difficult to predict, the person to take the title is much less in doubt. While Jon Moxley is a fan favorite it’s very hard to characterize him as a pure babyface. Mox is the ultimate badass, a lone wolf who oozes charisma. While fans root for Moxley his persona will never be a replacement for Rhodes if he does indeed fall.
Who Triggers the Turn?
AEW has many likable wrestlers who could hold the title and perform at a serviceable level. There is only one wrestler, however, who has an unmatched rivalry with Cody Rhodes and always gets the best out of him when they square off. Darby Allin has had three matches with Rhodes each time getting closer to beating him. As mentioned before, Allin collided with Brandi Rhodes and appeared to be redirected into her by Cody. When listening to the promo by Cody leading up to that contest it’s clear he perceives Allin as a threat. A title win by Allin would not only elevate the profile of the Seattle native but would force a new chapter in the Cody Rhodes story.