Ted DiBiase Jr. or Cody Rhodes (who would benefit NOW being a babyface?)

[whoopwhoop12]

After watching this past Monday night on RAW when Ted DiBiase took on Randy Orton, it really made me think of a lot of things when it comes down to getting a positive crowd reaction.

It made me think when Cody was introduced to the WWE through his father Dusty in an on-camera angle when "The American Dream" had issues with Randy Orton. The reaction that Cody got was a very surprising reaction being that people we chanting his name as Cody was getting in Orton's face, without having to wrestle or fight Randy yet. It led Cody to get a good appeal and become a talent of RAW but yet Cody has gotten mediocre reactions pairing with Hardcore Holly until he turned heel turning his back on Holly and pairing with DiBiase.

Now even though DiBiase hasn't turned babyface yet, in this match with Orton this past Monday, people were really routing for Ted DiBiase to win this match. Most of the times when two heels are fighting, one of them is looked at through the fans as the potential "we like you better than the other guy, so we hope you become a good guy if you keep beating the crap out of this guy".

Who would benefit NOW for a full babyface turn?: Cody or Ted?

My answer would be Ted Jr. He's got a good size on him. He's been carrying himself well in big profile matches. He's had more matches where he has looked dominant. He has a finishing move. "Dream Street". (Correct me if I am wrong, but I have not yet seen Cody Rhodes with an official finishing move.) Every time Cody is in a singles match, he works with mid-card talent, or when he works against bigger opponents there is little to any offense given to him because of his size and gets SQUASHED...INSTANTLY. Ted might have a slight advantage on mic skills. I think Ted would be a better babyface NOW if given the chance, but WWE has enough problems with people getting severely injured nowadays. Keep Ted as a heel, but make him turn babyface before Cody does. Cody has a little bit more ways to go to prove to the audience he can ride with the rest of the big dogs in the WWE.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

My answer would be Ted Jr. He's got a good size on him. He's been carrying himself well in big profile matches. He's had more matches where he has looked dominant. He has a finishing move. "Dream Street". (Correct me if I am wrong, but I have not yet seen Cody Rhodes with an official finishing move.) Every time Cody is in a singles match, he works with mid-card talent, or when he works against bigger opponents there is little to any offense given to him because of his size and gets SQUASHED...INSTANTLY. Ted might have a slight advantage on mic skills. I think Ted would be a better babyface NOW if given the chance, but WWE has enough problems with people getting severely injured nowadays. Keep Ted as a heel, but make him turn babyface before Cody does. Cody has a little bit more ways to go to prove to the audience he can ride with the rest of the big dogs in the WWE.

I agree. Ted is definitley the better pick. Cody can do it too, but I think Ted carries much more "natural marketable talent." Having said that, I do think Ted DiBiase JR is one of the next generation's top players. My concern is that if Ted breaks out any time soon, it may leave Cody to bite the dust of nothingness which would be a shame considering Cody does have talent, and a lot of it.

 

[Baller]

After watching last night Ted DiBiase pulled off being a babyface and he was phenomenal last night. He got great pops by facing Orton and had a great match.

 

[CraigThe13th]

Very good points in your post dude

Just wanted to put that Cody's finisher is 'The Cross Rhodes' (rolling cutter similar to the one Carlito used to use) before that he was using a snap DDT. I still think Dream Street is a better finisher.

Well better than that piss poor cobra clutch russian legsweep he was using.

But still Ted Jr is the man.

 

[Suneeboy]

It all depends on booking. The way they are booking these two its pretty obvious Dibiase is the one that would go over better as a face. Him standing up for himself showed the audience that he is an independant thinker. No one likes to be pushed around, so if they keep playing on that angle he will go over nicely as a face, and gain some respect along the way from a character development standpoint.

Based on the matches these two have, and how competitive they are in each, I am inclined to think Cody will be a mid carder for a long time if not his whole career. They are grooming Ted Jr. for the big leagues, no doubt about it. Even if he doesn't make it, he will get a better shot at it than Cody will.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I think Ted should stay heel and Cody should be the Face. Some time down the line, in the future, I think Ted Sr. should come back, patch things up with his son, and present the Million Dollar Title to Ted Jr. Then I could see Sr. talking all this $#!+ in Jr.’s ear and turn him against Cody. Dusty comes out and we have ourselves a blast from the past. I think this time, Alicia Fox can play the role of Sapphire. Ted has the look, but Cody has the name that screams Face. They could always switch roles after the fact, but to get it jump started, I say reignite the fire under the Rhodes / DiBiase feud from the late 80s early 90s.

 

[fmiller]

They should both stay heel for now, WWE needs good heels. In the future, I'd like to see Ted and Cody reverse the roles that their father's played in the eventual feud between the two.

 

[RVDgurl]

It all depends on booking. The way they are booking these two its pretty obvious Dibiase is the one that would go over better as a face. Him standing up for himself showed the audience that he is an independant thinker. No one likes to be pushed around, so if they keep playing on that angle he will go over nicely as a face, and gain some respect along the way from a character development standpoint.

Booking. Booking. Booking- the key to most things in the wrestling world. After last night's RAW, it's obvious that the WWE is testing the waters for a Legacy meltdown. First, we saw Ted verbally attack Orton at the Bash. Then we saw a very well put together scenerio surrounding the DiBiase/Orton match. In my mind, I always saw Ted Jr. as a heel much like his father. However, after his match with Orton, I'm not so sure. The crowd was actually chanting "DiBiase" at one point and were more than willing to get behind Ted. It looks like he has the ability to get the crowd behind him on both sides of the fence.

Based on the matches these two have, and how competitive they are in each, I am inclined to think Cody will be a mid carder for a long time if not his whole career. They are grooming Ted Jr. for the big leagues, no doubt about it. Even if he doesn't make it, he will get a better shot at it than Cody will.

I am in agreement with this statement as well. While I like Cody- and I do think he will have a nice run in the mid to upper mid card range- Ted is the guy who will accomplish more in his career. Last night was the first real taste of the big leagues for Ted and I think he did a great job. I think we all knew that Orton was not going to job to DiBiase, but I feared that it would be a squash. Thankfully, the match made DiBiase look solid and it gives me alot of hope that good things will come his way.

 

[smalltownfan]

After what I saw last night and the way the crowd responded to him, I think Ted, Jr. would benefit more from being a fan favorite rather than Cody Rhodes. There's also another reason...Ted is just better right now than Rhodes. Rhodes has got a lot of work to do to improve his persona and his in-ring ability and I think he'll accomplish that better as a heel because it will allow him to have a mean streak which will help him later on. Bottom line: Ted, Jr. would benefit from the heel to fan favorite turn more than Rhodes and it is now looking more and more like Legacy will undergo a facelift sooner than later.

 

[That's Just Weird]

I agree. Ted is definitley the better pick. Cody can do it too, but I think Ted carries much more "natural marketable talent." Having said that, I do think Ted DiBiase JR is one of the next generation's top players. My concern is that if Ted breaks out any time soon, it may leave Cody to bite the dust of nothingness which would be a shame considering Cody does have talent, and a lot of it.

I think this pretty much covers it. If DiBiase leaves now, Cody WILL fade into pretty much nothing, so they may have to bide their time while considering one of them turning face. Perhaps if they built Cody up to be less of a bitch (considering last night's "PLEASE stop fighting" attitude. Come on, Cody, it's a heel stable!). They just need to spend a little more time with Orton, however the focus needs to be on them a little bit more, and less on them being Orton's henchmen.

 

[tLight]

Although DiBiase Jr had an outstanding match with Orton last night, neither him nor Rhodes would benefit from turning on Legacy at this point, because they have been Jobbing for far to long to stand out by themselves right now.

No if they keep up the push that they start with Dibiase Jr last night for the next few months, then Dibiase could be a great breakaway star from Legacy, but its just too soon for that. Dibiase Jr also need to work on his mic skills, because thats where hes really lacking.

and lets face it Rhodes is just to small at this point to get a solid solo push. If he could pack on 10-15pounds of muscle I think he would do better. He can talk on the mic better than Dibiase Jr, and he's we've had a better chance to see what he can do in a match as a solo wrestler.

but as of right now, they still need each other. Down the line I would love to see the two of them built into a feud agaisnt each other, then agaisnt Orton, just as long as it doesnt end up anything like this Orton vs Triple H feud were still having to suffer and watch

 

[Lukedh1682]

It is pretty easy to see what is going on. They are setting the ground for Legacy to turn on Ted Dibiase. I think Legacy will get a face lift and Jack Swagger will be the new member. On a side note I thought it was amusing how Ted Sr. was a heel his entire career but goes away for 15 years and comes back and all of a sudden everybody loves him. I think Ted Jr. has a bright future but he needs some kind of a gimmick to really get over.

 

[HHH=The Peoples King]

Ted, is going too be the bigger star but he has too leave now, Cody will need too be a face on Smackdown too be anywhere

 

[JJYanks121]

I know this thread is based on the events shown on last night's Raw, so here is my take. Neither guy needs to turn just yet. However, Cody has experience as a face so that could benefit him down the road where I think ultimately, both Rhodes and DiBiase as a team turn on Orton. However, for them to still work, Cody has to be the one to control Mic time. Last night confirmed it for me, so I say to you this: If you can not sound natural on the mic speaking to YOUR OWN FATHER!!!, how can anything you say sound believable. It was bad acting at its finest and a clear sign that the apple fell WAY from the tree, because damn, the Million Dollar Man stole the show last night! He still has it and it ain't goin away. He's one hell of a mic worker. His son, however, is NOT. Cody had a much better segment. I even got a sense of Cody's comedic chops when he started mimicking his father's entrance music. He held his own against Ted Sr., whereas Ted Jr. sounded like a robot and couldn't hold a character. I mean hell, first he was unwilling to fight Orton knowing he's good and his leader, then Orton says ONE thing and Ted thinks he can beat him, then Ted loses and blames his father cuz he "never had a chance". It's a little bipolar for me, and what made it worse is the lack of naturalness that Ted shows you as a character. He feels robotic and if that's the case, he's an Orton clone and needs to be a heel. Eventually if he grows out of it, maybe people could like him, but he needs a LOT more time than Cody does to break out.

Case and point, the best thing to do is keep teasing tension but eventually have Cody and Ted break free of Legacy and be their own tag team, and somewhere down the road, they will, of course, break up themselves and have one hell of a rivlary given at that point they should have almost 2 years together.

 

[Sasori]

I'm going with Ted as well, even though in the long run I'm a HUGE Randy Orton fan, I was really cheering Ted Dibiase Jr. a lot! He was really, really, impressive! Hell, he even made Batista look good in a match on Smackdown once! Ted was soooooo close and I'm sure a lot of people were behind him. And he slapped his dad, The Million Dollar man who is arguably the greatest heel of all time! And than he almost beat Orton, the biggest heel right now! If that doesn't cry face turn I don't know what does!

 

[Chavo450]

Ted has been built for the face turn since that punt kick to the head. Its way more logical for Cody to turn face by having Dusty talk sense into him while Ted Sr convinces Ted Jr to do whatever it takes to succeed but unfortunately that won't be what happens. DiBiase getting in Orton's face, nearly beating him and slapping his, for lack of a better term "tweener" father is the start of what could be a great face run. I just personally believe that Cody is the much more believeable face. They need to be careful with this turn before it had an Evolution/Orton split effect.

 

[freaky107]

I say Ted jr. He hasn't been a face yet, so it would be something fresh and exciting. And as stated before, he has the look and he can wrestle a good match. Cody on the other hand has no charisma and not as much in ring skills yet. Ted's the way to go.

 

[Razor]

First of all, half of Dibiase's reaction last night was the pure hatred the crowd held towards Randy Orton. That same crowd was popping for MARK HENRY when Henry was against Orton.

A part of that reaction was also the promos beforehand. Dibiase had that great promo with Orton right before the match. That got the crowd incredibly amped for the match.

Then, lastly, Dibiase's reaction was from their incredible work in that match. Orton pulled a Cena and pushed Dibiase to the moon with his selling. Dibiase was on his game as well, making the match look like it took his all. Both men were top of their game, and worked that crowd like they just got done reading from "How to Work a Crowd 101."

Honestly, when was the last time you saw ANYTHING from Rhodes that equalled anything near what Dibiase was pulling from the crowd last night? I would argue the Dusty Rhodes angle was completely overshadowed by the combined efforts of Orton/Dibiase/and Dibiase Sr.

I say Dibiase, simply because Dibiase is the better of the two. He could make that crowd like him, which I seriously doubt Rhodes could do right now. Especially with the current storyline.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Lord know's I hope and pray Dibiase stay's heel. Personally I think both guys are in trouble if they turn face. When Rhodes was face nobody really cared about him. They both are generic and I just don't think either have the charisma or special "thing" about them that makes them big with the audience.

But out of the two I think Rhodes would be a better face. I like him as heel, but he could pull it off better as a face I think. I have this feeling that Dibiase as face, would be as bad as when Orton was face. Nobody will care about him, and because of that Dibiase needs to stay heel, and get Orton's hatred to rub off on him.

 

[RH23]

Neither would benefit from a face turn right now. After a decent Tag title reign, I think Rhodes will be the better babyface of the two down the road that is. I think that right now though, DiBiase will be the better babyface.

 

[xN Starksx]

The way I see it right now, Rhodes and DiBiase Jr. are the next generation E & C. Think about it for a minute. Edge was always groomed to be the bigger of the two, which is now what's happening with Legacy. DiBiase Jr. will eventually go for the United States title and win it way before Rhodes ever does. Plus, you can count on Ted getting a push into the WHC scene quicker than Rhodes will.

While, Rhodes will take on the role Christian took after E & C broke up. He'll get a few decent pushes here and there, might even have another tag title run with a new partner, and potentially a US or Intercontinental Championship run, but nothing substantial. Though, unlike Christian .. Rhodes will probably never have to serve time on ECW.

But to the point, Ted Jr. is obviously the one that would benefit from the face turn. The fans seem to be siding with Ted, and he's pretty already as a face. So, I'd say it's only a matter of time before we see the full turn. As far as Rhodes goes, he still needs a ton of work, both on the mic and in the ring. I say they'll find another second or third generation superstar to team with Rhodes.

But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[jmt225]

Well, I think Cody Rhodes sucks, personally. The guy's in-ring skills are mediocre at best, his mic skills are horrendous, he has no charisma whatsoever, and he's not believable AT ALL. The only role this dude could ever have is the sympathy one like when he first debuted. But that's it. He's good for nothing else, in my opinion. As a heel he's just horrible beyond words, and as a face... you can't buy into anything he does, except for the one thing he's good at: Selling.

Ted DiBiase Jr. on the other hand is going places. Other than his look being extremely generic, there's nothing bad about this kid. He has it all. His mic skills aren’t the greatest, but they're good enough and will definitely improve over time. He's a fantastic fucking worker in the ring. He has charisma. And he's believable. He's everything Cody Rhodes is not, and that's a great thing for him. His performance on this week's Raw was absolutely stellar and proved everything I'm stating to be true. The fire this guy has when performing is off the charts and as long as he keeps his head on straight, and is given the right opportunities, Ted DiBiase Jr. will accomplish some great things for WWE and I cannot wait for it to happen.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Right now, I don't think either of them would benefit from a face turn. I think its too early. Although now that they're testing the water, they're sort of forcing DiBiase to turn face just so the story doesn't fizzle out, dissolve into nothing, and then 5 months later it just rears its head and everyone realizes that they tried it prematurely.

In the future, though, I think we're going to be seeing Ted as a heel and Cody as a face for the majority of their careers. Cody's size holds him back but it also lends itself better to being a face that has "the heart to fight" and all that crap, but not always the strength to. When it comes to the hero vs. villain scenario in writing, you have one of three options:

1. Hero is stronger, villain is smarter = This usually is the least intelligent way of doing it, because most of the time, the writer makes the mistake of having the hero ALSO be smarter than the villain, and it just ends up looking like they wanted the hero to look dominant in all cases.

(Example: John Cena when facing anybody but a monster like Big Show. He'll be outsmarted and the only way he wins the match is by punching a lot and hitting a few powerful moves.)

2. Hero is smarter, villain is stronger = The villain has the brute strength or is more powerful in some way and is thusly dangerous, but the hero can out think the villain, and it sort of carries the mentality that the bully thing can only get you so far and if you work hard enough you can find ways to defeat anything.

(Example: Christian when he was facing Jack Swagger, who is more powerful, but would make mistakes that Christian would capitalize on.)

3. Hero has the heart/motivation/willpower to fight insurmountable odds = Hard work, dedication, and believing in yourself goes a long way when facing something that seems like an uphill battle.

(Example: Every fucking Rey Mysterio match to the point where its nauseating.)


I can see Cody being a mixture of #2 and #3 for the majority of his career. He's not threatening looking, so he couldn't be the stronger heel where you don't want to mess with him cause you think he'll kick your ass like Big Show could. He could probably pull off being the smarter heel who isn't as strong as his opponents, but I think he has too much of a "good guy" look to him and they'll revert to him being a face. DiBiase could be a babyface as well, seeing as how the two aren't going to be the only two guys of the future and don't need to constantly parallel one another, but I could see DiBiase being more of a heel between the two. He's not as natural with it as his father was, but he probably has it in his blood.

As for right now, both should stay heel for a few more months as they have a crowded roster on Raw to compete with and they haven't created personalities for themselves to branch off with when they leave Legacy.

 

[NYSandman]

I think Ted would make the better face, but it needs to happen slowly. Here's a guy who's basically been Orton's bitch for almost a year. You can't just have him go out on his own and stand up for himself.

It must happen slowly. The seed was definitely planted Monday night, but now it needs to grow. Let him do more and more on his own gradually, maybe have a few more single matches.

You can't bend over for Orton for a year, and then want to kick his ass.

The purpose of stables is to build young, new guys up so they can go out on their own. Neither Rhodes nor Ted is ready just yet.

I think Ted has slightly better mic skills. Also, him slapping his father wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It shows that, inside he's frustrated.

What they could do is put Orton in a position where he's going to punt Ted Sr., and then Ted Jr. stops it. That could be your face turn, and I thought they might have actually tried it Monday. I'm glad they didn't, because it's just too soon.

 

[King Patrick Star]

What about, instead of turning one Face, they should just both turn Tweener?? Have Bob, Ted Sr. and Dusty come out and get in their respective sons ears and eventually have them face each other. I think Cody has the look and style of a Face, but Ted has skill to be pushed, right?? Well why not just have them face each other and from that point, decide who’s going to be on what side. Think of it as Cody playing the role of Cena and Ted playing the role of Triple H and Randy playing the role of Orton. I think it could work and we would get a better feel for what “Priceless” can do without each other.