After spending years and years with Roman Reigns on top, WWE finally pulled the trigger to make Cody Rhodes the new WWE Champion, giving a top belt to a certified babyface for the first time since what, Big E in 2022, but just making the decision doesn't define a title reign but instead, its totality.

Fortunately, in the opinion of one of the most respected men in WWE history, The Undertaker, Rhodes is off to a very good start, as after spending years booking shows one way, the “American Nightmare” now presents the promotion with a sort of anti-Reigns who can engage the fans as a babyface and inspire a new generation of “Little Nightmares” around the world.

“He's doing a phenomenal job, and again, I think he's gonna have a tremendous run as a baby face. But, I think his bigger run will be as a heel,” The Undertaker explained on Insight with Chris Van Vliet via Fightful. “There's just something about Cody with me that I envision a heel. It's down the road because right now, he's killing it as a babyface, his promos are on point, and he's fighting all the people he's supposed to be. He's almost an anti-Roman, things will be very interesting when Roman comes back.”

You know, this isn't the first time Rhodes has been described as having heel potential, as fans have been pushing for him to take a walk on the bad side for years now, and WWE Hall of Famers have been suggesting he could be more Anakin Skywalker than Luke Skywalker since he secured the belt back in April. Still, if Rhodes wants to be a babyface now, and it's working for fans and the front office alike, why not keep the train rolling until the wheels fall off?

Cody Rhodes explains Matt Cardona's run in AEW.

Speaking of Cody Rhodes, in a recent appearance on the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, the “American Nightmare” finally explained his best friend Matt Cardona's weird tenure in AEW, which lasted less than a month and featured just two matches. While Rhodes really hoped to see Cardona in AEW for a special run alongside his former WWE buddy, things turned over very differently indeed seemingly right from the jump.

“I had scheduled a meeting between Matt Cardona and Tony Khan, and the best I could do because of the climate in terms of the pandemic and the fourth floor and the after party, which was always nice, it was just good for morale. I thought they could meet there and Tony said that it was a great idea. The setting isn't great, we should have flown to Matt or we should have done it in an office somewhere. The setting is not great,” Cody Rhodes explained on the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast via Fightful.

“It was so insanely awkward for such a period of time because I noticed that Matt was — you know, when Matt gets kind of nervous, the shoulders tense up, and his face gets a little more red than it already is. You can feel his energy, so I noticed he was a little nervous about this meeting, which whatever, I'm not judging that by any means. But, he hasn't told me anything yet hay he's going to say and of course, I trust my best friend is going to be just fine with this and I don't have to do anything other than say, hey guys, here you are.

“This is how the conversation opened up — and if I could have taken a freaking back bump on the cement, I would have taken a back bump, it was so shocking. Tony starts talking and before long, Matt goes, ‘Well, let me stop you right there.' He's already got a bullish fortune that favors the bold approach to this. He goes, ‘Let me stop you right there. I want you to know that I don't want to be here just to be Cody's friend. I want you to know that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a Nightmare Family jacket.' This is happening in real time to me, and this is the guy I suggested coming in as my friend. I remember to his credit, Tony being such a nice guy he just kind of like, ‘Oh, okay.' and the meeting was done. It was over, we sat there for probably another hour and nothing of substance was said because it just tore me to shreds, it killed me.”

Should AEW have brought Cardona in for more appearances than what he got? Totally, his shirt sold incredibly well when he signed with the promotion, and his outside ventures, like the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, have helped him to create a whole new community of fans who are eager to pay money for their live shows and a myriad of merch. Still, considering he did ultimately return to AEW a few years later to work a match against his mentor, Adam “Edge” Copeland, it's safe to say that Cardona's story had a nice ending, too.