Cody Rhodes on Potential Future Heel Turn For Him In WWE

A recent episode of ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike show featured Cody Rhodes as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Rhodes’ thoughts about the potential of him turning heel and aligning with Paul Heyman in the future in WWE.

“Very interesting. I have a unique relationship with Mr. Heyman because of, his relationship with my dad and he actually just came on my podcast. It’s going to air, I think the week after Thanksgiving, but there’s more exposition in that for, cause people ask me all the time. People ask me all the time why we get along. He has a really unique relationship and reputation and in sports entertainment pro wrestling, and in the pod, we talked a lot about why it is, and there’s a sense of loyalty. I’m really open to, that’s the biggest thing that I tell people all the time with, you’re going to make that shift and you’re going to go heel or you stay babyface, whatever it is, whatever’s best for WWE to be. But we are starting to get into an area where if you think I’m a heel, then I’m already a heel. If you think I’m, you know, and I don’t, I’m not trying to make it so that you can’t get what you want, but if you think I’m a heel, I might already be a heel because we have a whole other side of it that doesn’t think that. So it’s very- prime example. I went out there the other night. Where were we Friday? Wherever we were, and I said, I loved punting Randy Orton. I loved it, and I tried to put a little like growl in it. I loved it, and they just cheered, and I thought, ‘oh, I thought they were going to boo.’ So that’s the beautiful thing about our fans. You really, there’s no wrong way to be a fan. You can’t guess which direction. To hit it on the head a little more specifically, if something like Heyman or someone else, me as a heel would take a lot away from what I currently do, and it would probably add in its own way. I don’t want to say it’s different. I think it looks different than people think. I think here I am very worried about this Team Mexico, Team USA, the diplomacy involved. I don’t know if a bad version of me would be as worried, and in 2026 going on 2027… you get a lot of outrage, a lot of cancellations. Heel Cody I don’t think makes it on UnSportsmanlike. Yeah, because you know everyone’s got that in them, and then you start saying some of the things you think out loud, and it’s like, ooh. I’m very open to it. I think everyone in creative always, you know, Triple H is the one guiding the ship here, and I think when something like that, when it’s time, we won’t miss that opportunity. But if it’s never time, I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

Is @CodyRhodes gearing up for a heel turn? – @EvCoRadio raises the possibility of Cody and @HeymanHustle teaming up. – Cody as a heel may look different from what people expect… https://t.co/f73hKEVTen

— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) November 11, 2026

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com