Cody Rhodes has not turned heel on WWE television yet, and while there is no clear indication that WWE will actually go ahead and pull the trigger on a turn, this is a move that fans have been anxiously waiting them to make for about a year.
In fact, WWE sort of teased a double turn at the Royal Rumble last year when Cody and Kevin Owens fought for the world title, brutalizing each other in a match in which KO got the worst of it and Cody seemed at his most menacing.
And then they could have even tried a double turn later at SummerSlam in the feud with John Cena with the crowd fully moving behind a now babyface Cena and edging a bit against Cody.
Cody Rhodes has taken John Cena’s torch
But the real change in the winds has occurred now in 2026. Cody Rhodes just dropped the WWE Title to long time nemesis Drew McIntyre, whose fourth world title triumph was a long time coming.
Now, fans are openly booing Cody and chanting “Cody Sucks”, and while that is partially a term of endearment with Cody almost fully taking the torch from the now retired John Cena, there is an element of boredom from the fans with the Cody babyface character.
If WWE were to turn Cody on the Road to WrestleMania, which is the smart move at this point, then there is no better opponent for him on the path, at the Show of Shows, or even any time after when it makes sense than CM Punk.
The champion on Monday nights, Punk is operating at his highest level, getting better and better with age. Yes, he is no longer the same wrestler he was in the ring as an athlete, but his selling, timing, attention to detail, and ability to use promos to fuel compelling storylines is better than it has ever been.
Cody would benefit a lot from getting to work with Punk and upping his own ability to weave stories, reinvent himself, and provide a higher level of entertainment to truly reach that legendary status a la Punk and Cena.
The dynamics of a babyface CM Punk vs. a heel Cody Rhodes are simply too good to pass up on, and while WWE, even under Triple H, are still known for screwing things up, they very rarely get the true big money feuds wrong. Cody vs. Punk is a license to print money.
Joe helped manage the pro wrestling site Daily DDT from 2017 to 2019. He has appeared in many wrestling podcasts and has had his work featured by mainstream media sites and professional wrestlers themselves. Joe also covers soccer, writing about Tottenham for Hotspur HQ, Real Madrid for A Trip to Cibeles, and general world football for The Trivela Effect.