Cody Rhodes is no longer the Undisputed WWE Champion after Jacob Fatu's interference in the "Three Stages of Hell" match against Drew McIntyre on the January 9 episode of "WWE SmackDown. This has naturally led some people to believe that "The American Nightmare" could be getting a run as a top heel in WWE rather than a top babyface, primarily because Fatu was a babyface the last time fans saw him, and there have been a smattering, or sometimes more than a smattering, of boos directed Rhodes' way. However, during a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray outlined when the company should turn Rhodes heel, and the main reason for it to actually happen.
"The time to turn Cody Rhodes heel is when you've milked every ounce of babyface dollar and cents out of him, and when it makes sense for him to turn heel in the story," Bully said. "Hulk Hogan, one of the most loved wrestlers of all time, turned heel and it worked like a charm. John Cena, one of the most loved babyfaces in the history of wrestling, turned heel and it did not work. Steve Austin turned at WrestleMania and it kind of worked, I don't know...Here's the number one thing, if you're going to turn Cody Rhodes heel, who is the babyface that you're turning Cody Rhodes heel for?"
Bully explained that Rhodes makes a significant amount of money for WWE as a top babyface, so there would be no logical reason to turn him heel from a financial perspective as the company would need to have someone in line to take the spot of someone who makes WWE so much money as a babyface. If WWE doesn't have that, then Bully doesn't see a Rhodes heel turn happening any time soon, regardless of whether someone deserves a push or not, because it would impact WWE's bottom line financially. "I don't see that [new] babyface on the horizon. You need to find somebody who has as much potential, if not more, than Cody Rhodes.
Please credit "Busted Open Radio" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
