Triple H needs to turn 40-year-old WWE Superstar heel in 2026

WWE Chief Content Officer, Triple H, has been subtly teasing a heel turn for one of his biggest stars over the past few months. With 2026 on the horizon, a massive character change for him could be on the cards.

Cody Rhodes has been hinting at a heel turn for the past few months and could abandon his current persona in the near future. As things stand, the heel turn should happen sooner rather than later for the following reasons.

Cody Rhodes is already showing a more aggressive side of himself in WWE

The feud with Drew McIntyre has brought out a much more aggressive side of Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare attacked his rival backstage on SmackDown, and even attacked him at his doorstep in the 'home invasion' cinematic segment released by the Stamford-based promotion on its social media profiles.

Despite being pushed to the brink, Rhodes used to retain his cool during his previous character arc. Things have certainly changed in the last few months, and Rhodes is no longer afraid to showcase his ferocity against his opponents.

Rhodes isn't afraid to bend the rules anymore

Cody Rhodes has not been the same after losing his WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41. Before that loss, he was a typical heroic character who never bent the rules to get the advantage. However, things changed after his return, and he started bending the rules to win matches.

Using the exposed turnbuckle against Randy Orton to win the King of the Ring Tournament was one such instance. He then used the WWE Championship to his advantage behind the referee's back to defeat Drew McIntyre at Saturday Night's Main Event, even though a disqualification would have resulted in a title change.

Rhodes even refused to apologize after getting disqualified to retain his title on SmackDown against McIntyre, which was very uncharacteristic of the persona he used to embody.

Turning heel would revive Cody Rhodes' momentum and would help him start new storylines

Cody Rhodes' second reign as the WWE Champion has seemingly lost its momentum. While he has retained the gold against McIntyre twice, fans have been demanding a title change for months.

Instead of keeping the title on The American Nightmare and running the risk of stagnating his momentum completely, WWE could take a major step and turn Rhodes heel. This would give McIntyre a victory outside the ring for having broken down his rival mentally.

However, it would also give Rhodes a unique position to potentially start rivalries with other fan favorites, such as CM Punk, as the heel in the storyline. This way, he could revive his momentum and give fans a different experience from what they have become used to.

Read all the hottest WWE news from Sportskeeda by choosing us as your preferred source. Click HERE.

Edited by Arsh Das