Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson speaks, people—especially those in the WWE Universe—listen.
When he gives a sneak peek at upcoming storylines even more ears perk up. When that information is about Cody Rhodes, we nearly have cause for a news bulletin.
On Tuesday, The Rock appeared as a guest on the Pat McAfee Show and he revealed a Rhodes heel turn is coming “down the road.” It’s wrestling. We shouldn’t be surprised, but it’ll still be a big deal when it happens.
“If done right and I think if finessed right, and if nuanced right, down the road, that guy not only has an incredible run again as a babyface champion, but also an unheard of run as a heel.” The Rock said during the interview.
You can see the entire segment tomorrow.
The moment didn’t feel like a throwaway line. When The Rock casually mentions something on a major platform like McAfee’s show, you can safely assume it was intentional.
Whether it was a soft pitch to gauge fan reaction or an unofficial prelude to Rhodes’ next act, it’s clearly part of the larger creative conversation. Rhodes has been a mainstay babyface for the last year, carrying much of the company’s momentum, but there were signs of shifting tides even before WrestleMania 41.
Rhodes will be amazing as a heel. He already has a built-in angle. During the build for his WrestleMania 41 match with Cena, fans turned on him and booed. The boos came despite Rhodes having carried the company for the past year and holding his own against Cena in several head-to-head mic battles. It’s almost natural for him to turn against the WWE Universe.
Rhodes wasn’t involved in Monday’s Raw after Mania, but Randy Orton and Cena clearly were.
The Rock appeared on McAfee’s show to explain why he wasn’t at WrestleMania 41, and why he didn’t play a role in the finish with Cena and Rhodes.
That ending led to Cena’s historic 17th title win and kicked off his next feud with Randy Orton—an angle that was re-ignited less than 24 hours later with an RKO “outta nowhere.” As Rhodes re-emerges into this mix, the door is wide open for a character pivot. And one that includes his wife, Brandi.
I’ve long felt WWE needs to move away from pure heels and babyfaces. The 2025 WWE fan loves to boo the people the promotion wants them to cheer and vice versa. I’m awaiting oan Anarchy Era that leaves fans to boo and cheer anyone they want and for Superstars to have a little more freedom to carve their own personas.
The heel run The Rock is referring to could happen sooner rather than later.
If Orton is the man who dethrones Cena, it would make all the sense in the world for him to have beef with Orton. They have history and weaving a story around that would be simple.
The pieces are already in motion. With Cena vs. Orton heating up and The Rock teasing his own re-entry into the fold, Rhodes could step back into the picture in a very different role. If WWE wants to test that Anarchy Era concept, Cody may be the perfect bridge between eras—someone fans now love to hate and hate to love.
Admit it, Cena was 100 percent right about WWE fans.