5 stars who should become AEW's version of John Cena

#1. AEW's most polarizing star Cody Rhodes

AEW EVP and now 3-time TNT champion Cody Rhodes is currently one of the most divisive characters in the company. From beloved babyface to polarizing tweener, Cody Rhodes' role in All Elite Wrestling has drastically shifted since the launch of the promotion two years ago.

The chorus amount of boos in the arenas when Cody makes his overproduced entrance is becoming increasingly pronounced. His falling out with the AEW faithful was only inevitable. Just this year alone, he's had underwhelming feuds with Anthony Agogo, QT Marshall and even Malakai Black to a certain extent.

John Cena suffered from a similar issue for a good chunk of his WWE career, and now Cody is quickly becoming his AEW equivalent from that standpoint. Both wrestlers have remained a good guy character despite the audience begging for a heel turn. An interesting connection between Rhodes and Cena is that the current AEW EVP used to drive the former WWE champion around back in the day. In an interview with the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Cody said:

"He's killing it. John's a great guy. I drove John around for a year - super valuable learning experience. He was going through a cowboy phase when I drove him around. He was into Coors Original, the Banquet beer, and he was such a diligent, hard-working guy. He was up at 6:00 a.m. every day squatting, nearing the 500-600 pound level. He was just an absolute Olympic lifting monster."

Whether it's by coincidence or design, Cody seems to be patterning his career as a babyface after John Cena's run on top. He has refused to cross over to the dark side and instead doubles down on his heroic traits. By remaining steadfast in his moral code, perhaps Cody might transcend a pretend hero and become a real one to his fans. He's certainly AEW's version of John Cena from a crowd reaction standpoint. It will be interesting to see if he will waver in 2022 now that he is a TNT champion once more to the groan of the fans.