The Cody Rhodes WWE Heel Turn Is FINALLY Happening... (WWE News)

Is WWE about to pull the trigger on a Cody Rhodes heel turn?

WWE Sunday Night's Main Event Cody Rhodes Randy Orton
WWE

Facing off against Randy Orton at WWE Sunday Night's Main Event last night in a WrestleMania 42 rematch, speculation continues to heat up that Cody Rhodes could be set to turn heel sooner rather than later.

At SNME, it was Orton standing tall as the winner by the time all was said and done in the show's main event. Following ref bumps to both Charles Robinson and Eddie Orengo, the Viper put Cody away with an RKO for the 1-2-3, which came shortly after a two-for-one low blow on Rhodes and Orengo.

However, the bigger story here was the crowd reaction towards Cody Rhodes. Now, it's been a somewhat mixed response to Rhodes in recent months, including at the aforementioned WrestleMania 42. While it's one thing to receive boos from certain sections of the audience, or to hear cheers for your heel opponent, what made last night's reaction so noteworthy is that Sunday Night's Main Event took place at State Farm Arena in Cody's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

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As an added wrinkle, even the ringside presence of Cody's wife Brandi and his mother Michelle fell flat in getting that added babyface reaction for the American Nightmare. And from a storyline perspective, Cody Rhodes is somebody who was brutally punt-kicked by Randy Orton at 'Mania 42, was attacked at SummerSlam by Orton in a move that cost Cody his WWE Championship match against CM Punk, and has spent the past few weeks hearing Randy sprew all kinds of heinous things about Cody's wife, Cody's mother, and even Cody's poor old dog, Pharoah.

The point being, everything here was built up as Randy Orton being a complete piece of trash, and Cody being the babyface out for revenge and to defend the honour of his family. Still, as the negative reactions towards Rhodes continue, fans likewise continue to speculate about when WWE will finally pull the trigger on an official Cody Rhodes heel turn.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.