Cody Rhodes is one of the most intriguing stars in all of professional wrestling these days, and we can easily see him carrying that momentum forward into the next few years of his career - and perhaps even beyond that.
However, the idea that he should be a top babyface within All Elite Wrestling is certainly an issue that can be debated. There are great elements to his game and there are bad ones, and when you really start to get down to the nitty gritty of it and work out the pros and cons on both sides, you start to uncover quite a lot.
10 WORKS - The Rhodes History
While Dustin Rhodes has done some great things throughout the course of his time in pro wrestling, Dusty Rhodes is the real superstar within the Rhodes family and that’s not exactly a controversial thing to say. Back in the day, Dusty was best known for being an incredible babyface, grabbing the attention of every single fan that came to watch him compete.
Cody has the ability to carry on that legacy and given how many fans still adore the Rhodes name and lineage, that can’t be a bad thing, can it?
9 DOESN’T - He’s A Great Heel
Cody has proven time and time again that he is a tremendous heel in this crazy world of professional wrestling, and to many, that mainly came out during his post-WWE days.
However, when he was actually with WWE, he had several different gimmicks which he seemed to work best with as a heel.
Plus, if he decides to keep the blonde hair, that just kind of screams “bad guy”, and while appearances aren’t everything, his mannerisms certainly lean towards that alignment. He’s capable of the babyface role, but there are better options out there.
8 WORKS - Underrated Worker
The popular theory is that Cody isn’t quite as good in the ring as many of his peers. While you could make that argument, we don’t think it’s actually true.
He’s a really crisp performer and seems to make every single move he does feel important. In gimmick bouts, in particular, he’s capable of making you buy into every single little story that the match entails – and that’s not an easy thing to do.
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We aren’t about to suggest he’s the Shawn Michaels of his generation but he does deserve a bit more respect.
7 DOESN’T - He Helped Create AEW
We all know what’s going to happen if Cody starts finding success as a babyface: he’ll be viewed as a guy, in a similar manner to Triple H, that is simply putting himself over.
While that may or may not be true, it just doesn’t sit right with a lot of fans because he helped to create All Elite Wrestling. He has a great deal of power over what kind of product the promotion puts out and as a result, he’s going to rub people the wrong way every single time he gets the win.
The same can be said for Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, as you’d probably expect.
6 WORKS - Wonderful Promos
One thing you can quite literally always count on with Cody is that he’s going to give you a great promo. The guy always manages to deliver them with the perfect tone and with some really great content, and that was even true when it didn’t seem as if it was really the case.
One of the major benefits of any great storyline in this industry stems from the story itself, and that is almost always told through promos. With Cody, he definitely knows how to make you feel something in the build-up to a big encounter.
5 DOESN’T - Not Over With Casuals
Casual wrestling fans will know the names of many stars, but we’re confident in saying that Cody Rhodes isn’t one of them. If he is, then he’s probably best known for being Dusty’s son, and we aren’t even remotely suggesting that’s fair or justified – because it isn’t.
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People should give Cody more respect but the whole point of being a casual fan is that you want names you can recognize at the top of the card. The big babyface will be on all of the promotional material, and that’s not a role we can see him in.
4 WORKS - Great Available Feuds
From the Inner Circle to all of the upcoming heels in the promotion (especially the veterans), there’s a great deal of material for Cody to work with.
It seems like the direction AEW is going in will see them make their way slowly but surely through the available feuds, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Cody is going to be around for quite a while and if they want to keep him as a babyface for a little while, then they could get some real-time behind the push.
3 DOESN’T - Commitments Behind The Scenes
Cody is one of the executive vice presidents of All Elite Wrestling and with that comes a great deal of responsibility. He has the equivalent of an office job to go alongside what he does in the ring and while that may not be seen as much of a big deal, the bottom line is that he has a lot of plates to keep in the air.
If he’s being dragged in so many different directions, then it’s going to be pretty difficult to maintain his position as a top babyface. You can’t have everything, and he needs to learn that.
2 WORKS - Can Get Young Heels Over
While competing with guys is one thing, Cody is at the stage in his career where putting them over is almost a little bit more important. Sure, he can win every so often, but being knocked off of the perch by these young guns is going to be the best possible move for him – and them.
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All Elite Wrestling has promised to not do things in a conventional manner, and having Cody be the gatekeeper of sorts would certainly send a message.
Just picture Sammy Guevara picking up a big win over him.
1 DOESN’T - MJF Coalition Possibilities
MJF isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and we think that’s probably kind of the point. Everything he does is done with the intention of annoying everyone, and he is able to consistently execute that plan.
We know that the fact he’s a heel and Cody is a babyface makes for a fun dynamic but just think of the possibilities if they were both bad guys. It’d be so much fun to see what antics they’d get up to because let’s face it, Cody would be able to help the youngster go even further as he learns from one of the best.
