Eric Bischoff believes the time has come for Cody Rhodes to take a dramatically different path following his WWE Championship defeat to Sami Zayn.

Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer argued that Rhodes has taken his current heroic character as far as it can realistically go. While Bischoff acknowledged there is still value in Cody's popular babyface persona, he feels WWE should move away from it before fans begin to lose interest.

According to Bischoff, preserving the character now would make an eventual return to it far more meaningful, rather than allowing it to become stale through overexposure.

He also stressed that WWE is missing a very specific type of villain. Instead of another dominant powerhouse who earns cheers despite being presented as a heel, Bischoff wants to see Rhodes become a manipulative, underhanded competitor who wins through deception rather than brute force.

"They've gotten everything they can out of this version of Cody," Bischoff explained. "There's still some life left in it, so don't completely burn it out. Save it so you can always come back to it. But right now, WWE needs something different."

Bischoff went on to describe the kind of heel he believes would thrive in today's WWE.

"WWE needs a lie, cheat and steal type of heel. Not just another tough guy. Those larger-than-life monsters are entertaining, but they aren't true heels. Cody could be that slippery, greasy character who can absolutely wrestle but would rather take the easy way out. It's simple storytelling, but it works every time."

The former WCW President believes Rhodes has all the tools to become one of the defining villains of the modern era if he fully commits to the role.

"If Cody embraces it, I think he could become one of the greatest heels of this generation. Whether it happens is up to WWE and Cody himself, but I really hope they do it. It's time to shake things up because things are starting to feel a little too predictable."