WWE legend on Cody Rhodes possibly turning heel after winning King of the Ring at Night of Champions
Cody Rhodes will face Randy Orton in the King of the Ring final at WWE Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 28. Ahead of the event, legendary wrestler Matt Hardy addressed whether The American Nightmare could turn heel in the near future.
Rhodes has been one of WWE's top fan favorites since returning to the company in 2022. The 39-year-old recently revealed in a Fanatics Fest interview with Kay Adams that he sees himself performing as a babyface for at least another 12 months.
On his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy speculated whether a King of the Ring victory could be the start of Rhodes' long-awaited heel turn:
"That's a super interesting match because it's hard to imagine either of those guys deeming themself as King. Not necessarily fitting with their characters. If Cody was gonna turn heel, I think it would be a super interesting thing if he was King Cody. The American Nightmare, King Cody." [8:59 – 9:16]
Cody Rhodes' good-guy status has been a hot topic in 2025. The Rock has revealed in interviews that he thinks the former Undisputed WWE Champion should be a bad guy one day. The TKO board member also tried to turn the popular star to the dark side as part of a storyline ahead of Elimination Chamber on March 1.
Matt Hardy predicts Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
The King of the Ring winner will receive a world title opportunity at SummerSlam on August 2-3.
Matt Hardy initially predicted Randy Orton to beat Cody Rhodes in the tournament final. However, he changed his mind after learning that the winner is likely to face John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
"That does make me think I wanna see Cody back in that match again," Hardy said. "Maybe I've gotta change it, then. Maybe I've gotta go with Cody. I didn't know they were automatically granted that SummerSlam title match." [10:08 – 10:19]
On April 20, Cena defeated Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship. His next title defense will take place at Night of Champions against CM Punk.
Please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
