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What's Next for Cody Rhodes? An Update on His Creative Direction

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Xaiver Aguiar | Last updated May 15, 2025 9:30 PM ET

The most intriguing story in WWE is no longer John Cena's farewell tour, but when Cody Rhodes is coming back to television. The current face of the promotion has been off programming since his loss at WrestleMania 41, and there have been constant rumors about his return date and program.

With Cena's retirement rapidly approaching, at some point, there has to be a succession plan, with Rhodes as the obvious candidate to reclaim the WWE Undisputed Championship. But how can he reclaim his gold? Will he renege on his automatic rematch clause, or perhaps enter the Money in the Bank ladder match? A wrestling insider has an update on one potential path.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, there are currently no plans for Rhodes to turn heel in the immediate future, despite The Rock suggesting that could happen during a Pat McAfee appearance.

"As of WrestleMania, there were no plans to turn Cody Rhodes heel," Sapp wrote on his Select service. "The company had creative plans for him as a babyface throughout the year. A number of people were against the idea of turning Rhodes heel, noting his heavy contributions to the company's ticketing and merchandise success."

Rhodes still generates a nuclear pop in every arena across the world and has evident buy-in from fans. "The American Nightmare" might need to tweak his character now that he's on the hunt again, but that doesn't mean going to the dark side.