10 Precise Moments Wrestling Fans Rejected Internet Darlings
3. Cody Rhodes - AEW Revolution 2021
The stigma of a rejected internet darling isn't irreversible. This doesn't mean pro wrestling fans are fickle; rather, it means that the wrestler has reinvented their character, or turned heel or babyface.
Or, in the case of Cody Rhodes, jumped from one promotion to another.
Upon returning to WWE, he got over huge as a babyface that might have done as much as his AEW run to solidify his legendary status. He became a top star in a promotion that can rarely build them without indulging the devices he apparently relied on. He didn't bleed nor set himself on fire; in working a superb trilogy with Seth Rollins, he proved that he's as good at timeless pro wrestling as anyone.
In AEW, he was doomed.
With his charitable initiatives in mind, he was insistent that he didn't want to turn heel in an ambitious, unprecedented bid to endure the heat and retain the credibility of his character. It didn't work; every committed bump was interpreted by fans as an ego-fuelled overcorrection. This was first felt at Revolution 2020, not '21, and the narrative persisted online throughout his tweener-adjacent TNT Title run. He really annoyed people by barely selling Penta El Zero M's arm-breaker spot on the March 11, 2021 Dynamite, and the distanced crowd at Revolution let him have it in response. He didn't win the Face of the Revolution ladder match, but his gutsy return spot underscored his perception amongst the fans who really didn't want to him to return.
Cody is a fantastic pro wrestler with stunning range, but the thought of the besuited, articulate executive playing Terry Funk was too much for the audience to accept.