Rhodes Says a Heel Turn "Looks Different Than People Think"

Cody Rhodes said on ESPN's UnSportsmanlike that he is open to a WWE heel turn, with no plan for one on the table. Wrestling Headlines reported his remarks on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. We did not hear the show and use the quotes as printed. Wrestling Headlines says Rhodes was asked whether he could embrace a villain role, including by aligning with Paul Heyman.

What Rhodes said

He started with Heyman, who he said has "a unique relationship" with him through Heyman's history with his father. Heyman, he said, "actually just came on my podcast," which he thinks "is going to air, I think the week after Thanksgiving."

On the turn itself he said: "I'm really open to ... whatever's best for WWE to be." He then argued the fan split makes the question hard to answer. "If you think I'm a heel, I might already be a heel because we have a whole other side of it that doesn't think that," he said.

The Randy Orton story

Rhodes gave an example from a recent WWE appearance. He said he told the crowd he "loved punting Randy Orton," and tried "to put a little like growl in it." He expected boos. "They just cheered," he said. Rhodes ended his Last Man Standing match with Orton at Crown Jewel on Nov. 7 with a punt, per our results story. Wrestling Headlines does not name the show or the date of the exchange, and Rhodes himself said, "Where were we Friday? Wherever we were." We cannot say which appearance he means.

Why he says it would look different

Rhodes said a heel version of himself "would take a lot away from what I currently do, and it would probably add in its own way." He pointed to his role in the Team USA vs. Team Mexico story, in which he is "very worried about" the "diplomacy involved." He said, "I don't know if a bad version of me would be as worried." He added that "heel Cody I don't think makes it on UnSportsmanlike."

Who decides

"Triple H is the one guiding the ship here," Rhodes said. "When it's time, we won't miss that opportunity. But if it's never time, I'm sorry. I don't know." He called himself "very open to it."

What is not known

Rhodes gave no timeline, no opponent and no hint of what a turn would involve. We found no WWE comment. The Heyman podcast episode is not scheduled in any source we read beyond Rhodes' own "I think." Rhodes is booked for the John Cena Classic on Monday, Dec. 14. See our story on his comments about the Classic.

Sources

• Wrestling Headlines (Matt Boone), "Cody Rhodes Explains Why His WWE Heel Turn Would Be Different Than Fans Expect", Nov. 11, 2026, no time shown (every quote, the Orton and Team USA remarks). https://wrestlingheadlines.com/cody-rhodes-explains-why-his-wwe-heel-turn-would-be-different-than-fans-expect/
• UnSportsmanlike (@UnSportsESPN) on X, clip post embedded in Wrestling Headlines' Rhodes stories, Nov. 11, 2026, 2:41 PM, no time zone shown (the show's date; the post is a promo clip and carries none of the quotes above). https://x.com/UnSportsESPN/status/2120527311388700993
• WrestlingNews.com, "Crown Jewel Opener: Rhodes Beats Orton in Last Man Standing", Nov. 7, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/crown-jewel-opener-rhodes-beats-orton-last-man-standing/
• WrestlingNews.com, "Rhodes Calls Cena Classic \"Fan Appreciation Meets an All-Star Game\"", Nov. 12, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/rhodes-calls-john-cena-classic-fan-appreciation-meets-an-all-star-game/
• WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: read the Wrestling Headlines story in full, checked the show's date against UnSportsmanlike's post and compared the Orton remark with our Crown Jewel story. We did not hear the show.

How we credit sources: Editorial standards.