Cody Rhodes has been feuding with Randy Orton for months and it’s clear that the feud has brought him to a dark place. On Saturday at Crown Jewel the two bitter rivals faced off in a Last Man Standing match, and the fans were clearly behind Randy Orton as they booed Cody.
Ultimately The American Nightmare picked up the win after he hit Randy Orton with the punt. While Cody managed to score a major victory over The Viper, the crowd was not on his side as the fans booed him while he walked up the ramp.
Despite the fact that Cody received a negative reaction from the fans at Crown Jewel, a heel turn seems unlikely as Dave Meltzer pointed out on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE still needs Cody in his current role.
“Here’s the thing with Cody, Cody’s still number one or number two merch seller right now. So, you turn him heel you risk losing a large percentage of that. Number two, he’s the glad hand guy. He’s the guy who does what John Cena used to do. Sees the kids, he does all the extra work. That’s not really a role for a heel. I’m not saying he can’t do it, but I mean who would do it? Roman’s not doing that schedule to do all that stuff. So, you need someone in that role, and Randy’s not doing it either.
If you need a workhorse guy who’s a babyface like John Cena used to be, Cody’s the best for that. That’s one of the reasons why they would be reluctant to turn him. I mean, they could do it, but that’s kind of the major hold up.”
Some fans have been calling for a Cody Rhodes heel turn for some time now, and Cody himself even recently claimed that “Cody fatigue” has set in. Regardless it doesn’t seem that a change is coming for The American Nightmare’s character in the near future.