Cody Rhodes has become a huge success story for many future WWE Superstars to follow. His path from the bottom to becoming the poster boy in the WWE is truly remarkable. The American Nightmare made his thunderous return to the global juggernaut in 2022 at WrestleMania 38 when he jumped ship from rival promotion AEW and shocked the entire world.
The Prodigal Son fulfilled his destiny and dethroned the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion, ending his four-year title reign in the main event of WrestleMania 40. However, it was not all rainbows and sky for The American Nightmare, as the now-face of WWE had to prove himself time and time again and reinvent himself into the star that he has become today.
Why Cody Rhodes’ Stardust gimmick failed in the WWE?
Out of the many gimmicks and characters Cody Rhodes portrayed in WWE, Stardust was the most outlandish gimmick he has ever created. Cody Rhodes’ Stardust gimmick was a slightly toned-down imitation of his real-life brother, Dustin Rhodes’ Goldust character, which failed to connect with the WWE Universe due to the lack of authenticity and creativity that Goldust possessed.
Furthermore, when a fan asked Cody Rhodes why the reason for the Stardust gimmick failed, The American Nightmare took it on his own shoulders and blamed himself. He stated that he worked hard with the gimmick but not hard enough. However, WWE legend Arn Anderson believed that one of the reasons the Stardust character did not work out was that it was not the real-life personality of The Prodigal Son.
“Cody put everything he could into the Stardust gimmick but that’s not who he is, that’s not who he ever is going to be.The biggest mistake I would tell any young guy in this business is a guy playing a character. If you are you being you and the more you take being you down, the worse it is. You have to take the real you and make it a little louder, colorful and intelligent, it’s hard to screw up being you. That’s who Cody wanted to be, even though he gave it 120%, he still wanted to be Cody.”
Credits: Sportskeeda
The Stardust character is long gone, and The American Nightmare is now ruling the WWE Universe’s hearts. From Undesirable to Undeniable, Cody Rhodes had quite a journey in the wrestling industry and has truly earned himself the spot he is in today.
What do you think are the possible reasons for Cody Rhodes’ Stardust gimmick failing in WWE? Share your thoughts in the comments!