Is Cody Rhodes The New Face Of WWE?

[Liz]

Has WWE begun to position Cody Rhodes as the new face of the company?

That wouldn't be a far-fetched assumption if you've glanced over WWE's social media channels lately. As seen in the screengrabs below, the official @WWE and @WWENetwork handles have been carrying images from Cody's heroic showing at Hell in a Cell as their header photos for over a week.

The header photos are typically reserved for posters of upcoming premium live events or a generic photo of current champions. Also, WWE would typically change the header for a brief period to denote a significant moment – like when Big E won the WWE Championship – but it's extremely rare for the company to feature just one Superstar in such a light.

It should be noted that @WWE on BT Sport and @WWE on FOX still feature Roman Reigns & The Bloodline in their header photos, but those are not accounts operated directly by WWE. Furthermore, the latter account focuses heavily on SmackDown Superstars.

There's little doubt that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is beginning to view Cody Rhodes as 'face of the WWE' material. In last week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that McMahon made the call to have an injured Rhodes defeat Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell, even though conventional wrestling protocol calls for the guy who is about to undergo surgery to lose in such situations. "Vince McMahon decided to go with the finish that kept intact Rhodes's undefeated streak since joining the company two months ago," Meltzer wrote.

The undefeated Rhodes is expected to miss up to 9 months of action, WWE announced last Friday after The American Nightmare underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral tendon. With Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns likely heading to Hollywood eventually, Rhodes could very well be on the verge of becoming WWE's marquee Superstar.