The "American Nightmare," Cody Rhodes, has all the makings to be a generational heel – his nickname even notably points toward this – but, so far, WWE has adamantly positioned him as a babyface. Calls for Rhodes to turn heel were especially strong in his AEW tenure, and it seems like veterans like Rikishi still want to see the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion become a villain.

"To be a babyface and to be a babyface champion of the company? That's a lot of pressure," Rikishi admitted during an episode of his "Off The Top" podcast, further noting how babyface champions need to remain in the spotlight positively and that it includes a lot of responsibility. "Cody's a great worker, but for me? I just feel like he could be a better heel."

Rikishi noted how Rhodes has a suave look and his suits remind him of the "Million Dollar Man," Ted DiBiase, and that the champion could be a "heat seeker-type" of heel. "For me, it's so easy to hate him," Rikishi interestingly opined, despite praising Rhodes' in-ring ability. On the topic of being an effective heel, Rikishi explained that a heel needs to be able to control emotional people and manipulate their reactions. "I don't think he's comfortable being a babyface."

Rhodes interestingly addressed the calls for him to turn heel not too long ago, recognizing how many people don't believe that he's a babyface and instead focus on the angles that could possibly follow him turning heel, however Rhodes suggested that he's more concerned about breaking the spirits of his young fans.