Despite being absent from WWE programming, Cody Rhodes received a surprisingly hostile reception from the UK crowd during the August 25th episode of Raw. While Roman Reigns was in the ring reflecting on a past feud with Rhodes, the mere mention of the “American Nightmare’s” name drew heavy boos from the Birmingham audience. The reaction prompted a visibly surprised Reigns to pause and remark, “Interesting!”
The crowd’s response comes as Rhodes is off television, recovering from a storyline injury. He has been missing for two weeks following an attack by Drew McIntyre on the August 8 edition of SmackDown. That assault concluded with McIntyre delivering a Claymore that sent Rhodes’ head through the announcer’s desk.
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This unexpected reaction will likely fuel the persistent social media speculation about a potential heel turn for Rhodes, a character shift the superstar himself has recently downplayed. On a mid-August podcast, Rhodes stated he has “no interest” in being a “bad guy,” explaining that his heart wouldn’t be in the role. Although he has previously acknowledged that in wrestling you can “never say never,” he specified that such talk is more prevalent online than within WWE’s actual creative plans.
Reports from earlier in the month seem to confirm Rhodes’ statement, indicating that WWE has no immediate plans for a turn. According to one report, there are “no plans in the foreseeable future” to make the company’s top babyface a villain, citing the potential conflict of featuring him on family-friendly merchandise.
The speculation reached its peak leading up to SummerSlam on August 3, in what was later revealed to be an intentional misdirection by the company. Many fans anticipated a “double turn” during his Undisputed WWE Championship match with John Cena. However, Rhodes won the title as a babyface, and subsequent reports clarified that the pre-match rumors were a tactic to generate unpredictability for the event.
While Rhodes’ return date remains unknown, Roman Reigns is scheduled to face Bronson Reed at the upcoming Clash in Paris.
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