WWE's Cody Rhodes Shares Unique Perspective On Fans Booing Babyface John Cena
Many stars that WWE has tried to present as the top babyface have often been met with varied reactions from the audience, which include the likes of Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Batista, who fans have had a love-hate relationship with. However, one of WWE's modern-day stars, Cody Rhodes, has seemingly discovered the secret to remaining a babyface that fans universally get behind since returning to the company in 2022.
In a recent interview on "Flagrant," Rhodes expressed gratitude to the fans for wholeheartedly supporting him and also credited 16-time World Champion John Cena for his approach towards dealing with mixed reactions from the audience.
"I would never be mad if I started to hear the boos. Things would have to change a little bit, you'd have to pivot. But my model in the industry and a guy I drove around for a few years, god bless him, one of the best locker room leaders the company ever had was John Cena. He had a really unique thing with the audience where half the people were there to see him win and the other half were there to see him lose and that still means they're all here for John. He told me once, he goes, 'If they're chanting, "Let's go Cena, Cena sucks," well I feel bad for the other guy in the ring with me.'"
Rhodes also reflected on a conversation he had with WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman, who credited him for opening the door for traditional babyfaces to return to professional wrestling.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Flagrant" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.