WWE has no plans to push Cody Rhodes as a heel despite previous pitches and speculation earlier this year suggesting otherwise. While a heel turn for “The American Nightmare” was reportedly presented and even subtly explored leading into his Undisputed WWE Championship win at WrestleMania 41, the current direction firmly keeps Rhodes in his babyface role, according to a new report from Fightful Select.

Fightful previously confirmed that a heel turn was indeed proposed to Rhodes as a creative option. However, at the time, there was significant resistance from those close to the situation. Sources pointed to Rhodes' consistent popularity with fans, strong merchandise sales, and value as a ticket-seller as key reasons to maintain his status as a fan-favorite.

Speculation resurfaced when The Rock mentioned on The Pat McAfee Show that WWE might eventually explore a storyline involving “Cody selling Rock his soul” or potentially revisiting a darker character arc for Rhodes. Despite that tease, Fightful notes that there was “no plan in order to turn Cody Rhodes heel” at the time of WrestleMania, nor is there one currently.

The report emphasizes WWE’s intent to keep Rhodes in a babyface role for the foreseeable future, stating that “the company had creative plans for him as a babyface throughout the year.” Internally, there is said to be hesitancy to put “too much of a spotlight” on any heel narrative for Rhodes, with many within WWE opposed to such a turn due to his significant role in the company’s recent commercial success.