Cody Rhodes has had a remarkable journey to becoming the poster boy for WWE in the modern era after his triumph over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. In the course of his career, Rhodes underwent multiple gimmick changes before he finally reached superstardom with his current American Nightmare gimmick.
However, an artifact of his highly popular “Undashing” Cody Rhodes gimmick was recently seen on the June 11 episode of WWE NXT. After Rhodes’ announced segment, he walked up to NXT star Jacy Jayne, who has been sporting a face mask after suffering an injury at the hands of her rival, Thea Hail, last month. In a stunning moment, Rhodes handed Jacy his iconic face mask from the Undashing gimmick as the gift he had earlier tweeted about.
With his mask coming back on WWE television programming, let’s revisit the 3 top moments from the Undashing Cody Rhodes era:
1. Undashing Cody Rhodes: The First Look
Before Cody Rhodes’ Undashing time dawned, he portrayed the narcissistic star, considering himself to be the most good-looking WWE superstar in the early 2010s, “Dashing” Cody Rhodes. However, after a match with Rey Mysterio, which saw him break his nose, courtesy of a 619 with an exposed knee brace, Rhodes had to undergo surgery for the same.
This led to him proclaiming that he was no longer dashing and hiding his face for weeks after the reconstructive surgery. However, following that, he finally revealed his face covered with a mask that Rhodes gifted to Jacy Jayne this week on WWE NXT, marking huge significance in the Undashing Cody Rhodes era.
2. Revealing the new WWE Intercontinental title
During his time as the Undashing Cody Rhodes, he began handing paper bags to people to hide their ugly faces and even won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, which led to an iconic moment that the fans have fondly remembered until now.
At the 2011 Hell in a Cell event, Rhodes trashed the previous version of the belt in a paper bag. He then proceeded to unveil the new white strap Intercontinental title, which draws similarities from the vintage IC titles. Rhodes held himself responsible for bringing prestige to the title, which was the main design until it was retired in 2022.
3. End of the Undashing Days
The current Undisputed WWE Champion went almost a year and a half with his Undashing Cody Rhodes persona. In that time, he feuded with his long-time mentor and friend, Randy Orton, on SmackDown.
The duo engaged in important battles before one final showdown that was marked significant in that gimmick’s lifespan.
During their match on the November 4, 2011 episode of SmackDown, The Viper destroyed his mask and ended up winning the bout, marking the end of the Undashing Cody Rhodes gimmick. This was cemented with Rhodes’s appearance ten days later on RAW without the mask and new entrance theme.
What are your thoughts on the Undashing Cody Rhodes mask making its return to WWE NXT? Are you happy that Cody Rhodes gave it to Jacy Jayne? Sound off in the comments!