Heel Cody Rhodes in New Japan: A Look Back at His Controversial Role

Alright, listen up, y’all. Let me tell ya ’bout this Cody Rhodes fella, the one they call the “American Nightmare.” Now, I ain’t no wrestling expert, but I know what I see, and I’ve seen this boy on the TV a time or two. They’re askin’ why was Cody Rhodes a heel in New Japan? Well, lemme tell ya, it ain’t as complicated as them city folk make it out to be.

First off, this Cody, he’s Dusty Rhodes’ boy. Dusty, now there was a wrestler! A real good man, even though he wrestled like a wildcat sometimes. Cody, he’s got some of that wildcat in him too, but he’s also got that fancy city-boy learnin’. He knows how to work the crowd, make ’em hate him, make ’em love him.

So, he goes off to this New Japan place. Now, I ain’t never been to Japan, but I hear it’s a far piece from here. Anyways, over there, they like things a certain way. They got their heroes and they got their villains, just like anywhere else, I reckon. Cody, when he first got there, he was what they call a “heel.” That just means he was the bad guy, the one you’re supposed to boo and hiss at.

He was all flashy and arrogant.
He acted like he was better than everyone else.
He’d cheat and lie to win.

Why’d he do it? Well, it’s like this: sometimes, to get folks to pay attention, you gotta rile ’em up. You gotta make ’em mad. Cody, he understood that. He knew that bein’ the bad guy could get him noticed. And it worked, didn’t it? People started talkin’ about him, payin’ to see him get his comeuppance.

It ain’t just about being bad, though. It’s about makin’ folks believe you’re bad. Cody, he was good at that. He had that sneer, that way of lookin’ down his nose at people. He could talk the talk, too. He’d run his mouth and get under people’s skin. That’s what makes a good heel, see? Not just being mean, but being convincing mean.

Now, some folks say he did it for the money. And maybe that’s part of it. Wrestling’s a business, after all. You gotta make a livin’ somehow. But I think there was more to it than that. I think Cody, he liked being the bad guy. He liked gettin’ under people’s skin. He liked the power of it.

And let’s not forget, this fella’s got a net worth of 8 million dollars, they say. That’s a whole lotta money! He ain’t just wrestlin’ for peanuts, that’s for sure. He’s got his WWE contract, all them sponsorships, and other businesses too. So, he’s doin’ alright for himself. But back then, in New Japan, he was building something. He was building a name for himself, a reputation. And being a heel was part of that.

He joined up with this Bullet Club group too. Sounded like a bunch of troublemakers to me, but hey, that’s wrestling for ya. They were all villains, and Cody fit right in. He called himself “The American Nightmare,” which sounds kinda scary if you ask me. But like I said, it got people’s attention.

But here’s the thing: even though he was a heel, he was good at it. Real good. Some say he was the best at gettin’ people to care, whether they liked him or hated him. That’s a talent, you see? It ain’t easy makin’ people feel somethin’. But Cody, he could do it. He could make you wanna cheer for him or boo him, didn’t matter which, as long as you were payin’ attention.

And then, after a while, he changed. He became a good guy, a hero. Folks started cheerin’ for him instead of booing him. That’s the way wrestling goes sometimes. You start out one way, and you end up another. But that time as a heel, in New Japan, that was important. It helped him become the wrestler he is today. It showed he could play any role, be anything they needed him to be.

So, why was Cody Rhodes a heel in New Japan? Because he knew how to work the crowd. He knew how to get people’s attention. And he knew that being the bad guy could sometimes be the best way to get ahead. It’s like makin’ biscuits, you gotta have the right mix of ingredients. Cody, he had the right mix of attitude, talent, and smarts to be a great heel. And now look at him, wrestlin’ for WWE, one of the biggest shows around. He made it work, that’s for sure.