I'm not saying that Cody Rhodes IS losing popularity, I just want to know people's thoughts.
Cody Rhodes has easily been one of the most over babyfaces in wrestling throughout the past couple of years. From his feud with Seth Rollins to main events with Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles, he's delivered repeatedly strong performances and placed into compelling storylines on the top card. His rise has felt very earned built on years of perseverance, improving in ring ability, and carving out a reputation in AEW, NJPW, and even TNA before returning to WWE.
He also wears his heart on his sleeve in a way not every top star does. The heavy emotions he showed even after his win over John Cena last night felt like an example, he's very emotionally raw and honest which I personally feel adds to him being a strong babyface. That said, the booing at SummerSlam. The boos during his match with Cena were louder than expected,
While the loud reactions to Cody definitely didn't sound like full-on boos, there were still a lot of boos, surprising for someone positioned as WWE's top babyface. Some of that can probably be attributed to Cena turning back the clock and giving fans 'the old' him, a great way to further his retirement tour on a good note. But still, if Cody is the guy, it raises the question: Why is he being booed at all?
It could just be fickle fans as it often is. But it also might be the early signs of Cody fatigue. Wrestling fans do this kind of thing at events, but even the most beloved faces can get stale if the momentum isn’t carefully managed. In my opinion, Cody will be fine but if WWE wants to maintain the kind of emotional investment fans had a year or two ago then he will need to be placed in strong storylines. And maybe, just maybe, start planting the seeds for a heel turn but I'm not personally a fan of that idea.
Curious where others stand on this. Is the crowd just reacting to Cena, or is the honeymoon period with Cody starting to fade?
Cody Rhodes has easily been one of the most over babyfaces in wrestling throughout the past couple of years. From his feud with Seth Rollins to main events with Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles, he's delivered repeatedly strong performances and placed into compelling storylines on the top card. His rise has felt very earned built on years of perseverance, improving in ring ability, and carving out a reputation in AEW, NJPW, and even TNA before returning to WWE.
He also wears his heart on his sleeve in a way not every top star does. The heavy emotions he showed even after his win over John Cena last night felt like an example, he's very emotionally raw and honest which I personally feel adds to him being a strong babyface. That said, the booing at SummerSlam. The boos during his match with Cena were louder than expected,
While the loud reactions to Cody definitely didn't sound like full-on boos, there were still a lot of boos, surprising for someone positioned as WWE's top babyface. Some of that can probably be attributed to Cena turning back the clock and giving fans 'the old' him, a great way to further his retirement tour on a good note. But still, if Cody is the guy, it raises the question: Why is he being booed at all?
It could just be fickle fans as it often is. But it also might be the early signs of Cody fatigue. Wrestling fans do this kind of thing at events, but even the most beloved faces can get stale if the momentum isn’t carefully managed. In my opinion, Cody will be fine but if WWE wants to maintain the kind of emotional investment fans had a year or two ago then he will need to be placed in strong storylines. And maybe, just maybe, start planting the seeds for a heel turn but I'm not personally a fan of that idea.
Curious where others stand on this. Is the crowd just reacting to Cena, or is the honeymoon period with Cody starting to fade?
