Wrestling author David Shoemaker believes Cody Rhodes could be an ideal choice to lead a modern version of one of professional wrestling’s most iconic factions, The Four Horsemen.
Shoemaker appeared on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg while promoting his book, Why Hulk Hogan Matters, and the conversation turned to the possibility of Rhodes eventually embracing a heel role in WWE.
Rather than envisioning Rhodes undergoing a dramatic personality change or turning against the WWE audience, Shoemaker suggested that many of the qualities already associated with “The American Nightmare” could naturally translate into a villainous character.
He also floated the idea of Rhodes using those traits to relaunch The Four Horsemen.
“Isn’t Cody exactly the dude who should relaunch the Four Horsemen? Cody with just some other dudes in suits exactly what you want to see from him as a heel? You don’t have to be a heel. You don’t have to be like, ‘I hate fans now.’ You just have to be like, ‘I’m a dude that dresses really well and is very proud of myself, and my friends here agree,’ and you’re functionally a villain. For the purposes of pro wrestling, you’re a heel. By the way, that gets lost so much in these conversations where I’m like, ‘Oh, blah blah blah, so is so-and-so going to turn heel?’ And inevitably 50% of the response is, ‘There’s no face and no heel anymore. This is modern.’ The pro wrestling match—is a centuries-old tradition. Multitudes of decades old in a modern sense. And, like, they tell stories in a certain way. And part of the way you tell stories is, like, there’s a babyface and there’s a heel, you know? And, like, when the bell rings.”
Shoemaker’s idea would provide an intriguing connection to Rhodes’ wrestling lineage. Cody’s father, the late “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, was famously one of the Four Horsemen’s greatest rivals during the faction’s dominant run in Jim Crockett Promotions.
The original Horsemen became synonymous with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard, although numerous wrestlers joined different incarnations of the group over the years.
For Shoemaker, however, the larger point extends beyond whether WWE should specifically revive the Four Horsemen name. He believes the traditional distinction between babyfaces and heels remains an important part of how professional wrestling matches tell stories, even as modern characters increasingly operate in shades of gray.
A Cody Rhodes heel turn has been the subject of fan discussion at various stages of his career, but Shoemaker’s concept would not require Rhodes to completely reinvent himself. Instead, his polished presentation, confidence and high-status persona could simply be reframed in a way that positions him as the antagonist.
