How WWE Almost Ruined Cody Rhodes

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Backstage Pass is your one-stop subscription to everything pro wrestling. Breaking news from the most reliable insiders, interviews with legends, live Q&As with industry veterans, we have it all. SUBSCRIBE NOW - https://bit.ly/3zbHEH8  In this video, we explore one of the most underrated phases of Cody Rhodes' career—his time as "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. Known for his cocky persona and obsession with his looks, Cody took this character and made it unforgettable. From grooming tips to fierce rivalries, this era showcased his versatility and ability to connect with the audience in unique ways. Join us as we discuss how this run laid the groundwork for his future success and why it deserves more recognition in the wrestling world!  You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe  #codyrhodes #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling

Transcript

00:00Cody Rhodes faced his legacy buddies Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr. at WrestleMania

00:0526.

00:06For the most part it was a 2 on 1 handicap match as Rhodes and DiBiase felt wronged by

00:11Orton and wanted to take him out of the equation first.

00:15Orton used them to advance his career and tensions were brewing between them for months.

00:20When a faction implodes, it's typically the younger, rising stars who come out on

00:24top as they are viewed as the future of the business.

00:27But things were different here, Cody and Ted were not booked strongly and it did not

00:31feel like they were ready for the next level.

00:33So despite being targeted for most of the WrestleMania match, Randy Orton managed to

00:38win ending his story with a legacy.

00:48Following this, they went their separate ways.

00:51Randy and Ted were kept on Raw while Cody moved to Smackdown.

00:54This was the best thing to happen to him at the right time.

00:58Cody was a young and hungry superstar with a ton of potential who had a lot to prove

01:02to WWE and he got the opportunity to shine on Smackdown.

01:06A series of vignettes aired on Smackdown and in these segments, Cody Rhodes was seen as

01:11a man obsessed with his appearance, focusing on his perfect looks and grooming habits.

01:16He would give the audience tips on personal hygiene, skin care and grooming.

01:20He also started referring to himself as Dashing.

01:24This was his new persona, a narcissistic, self-absorbed wrestler who believed he was

01:28superior to everyone else because of his good looks.

01:31Soon people would start to notice as these segments were unique and fun in nature.

01:36He participated in a tournament for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship, but lost

01:41to Christian in the semifinals.

01:43Even though he did not win a lot of matches, he was getting a ton of TV time.

01:48As Dashing Cody Rhodes, his in-ring style also evolved.

01:52He became more methodical and calculated, using underhanded tactics to gain advantages

01:56in his matches.

01:58His character would often taunt opponents by claiming they could never measure up to

02:01his standards of physical beauty.

02:04His matches included moments where he would stop to check his appearance in a mirror,

02:08even mid-match, which added a layer of humor and entertainment to his character.

02:13This arrogance made him an effective heel and fans relished seeing him get his comeuppance.

02:18In mid-2010, he participated in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at the first

02:23ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, but was unsuccessful as the match was won

02:27by Kane.

02:29Following this, he started a partnership with Drew McIntyre, another young and talented

02:33wrestler who was trying to make a name for himself as a heel.

02:36They attacked Christian and Matt Hardy before capturing the Tag Team Championship at Night

02:41of Champions in a Tag Team Turmoil match.

02:44This could have been a great stepping stone for both of them as their partnership worked.

02:49Cody's narcissistic personality complimented Drew's entitled demeanor, making them a

02:52formidable pair that had the potential to rise quickly through the ranks.

02:56Unfortunately, this did not last long as they dropped the titles a month later to The Nexus

03:02and they soon parted ways.

03:04Cody continued playing this character, however on January 21st, 2011 during a match against

03:09Rey Mysterio, Rhodes suffered a legitimate broken nose when Mysterio delivered a 619

03:14with an exposed knee brace.

03:16This injury prompted him to undergo facial reconstructive surgery.

03:20He was not on television for several weeks after that.

03:24This created intrigue among fans as they started questioning Cody's absence and the next

03:28time they saw him, he wore a clear protective mask over his face and declared that he was

03:32no longer dashing, now he was undashing, a swift character development.

03:38This led to some of the best character work that we had seen in WWE in a long time.

03:43His theme song changed to a more darker version, which worked for his character.

03:47Cody played the role of a narcissist who had become unhinged after his looks had been destroyed,

03:53although it was obvious that his face was pretty much the same and there had been no

03:56permanent damage.

03:58He immediately entered a feud with Rey Mysterio, the man responsible for breaking his nose,

04:03and defeated him at Wrestlemania 27.

04:05He later took his character to the next level by handing out paper bags to fans, encouraging

04:10them to cover their faces as according to him, they were ugly.

04:14After winning matches, he would place the bags over his opponent's heads.

04:18During Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull sessions, Cody said that this was some of

04:22the best moments ever for him and that he took inspiration from Patrick Bateman of the

04:27American Psycho movies for this gimmick.

04:29He clearly had fun during this time.

04:32He got paired with his former legacy partner Ted DiBiase Jr.

04:36During their time in legacy, DiBiase was seen as the breakout star, but now Cody had proven

04:41that he was the true standout, showcasing his growth as a performer.

04:45DiBiase was just there to protect him.

04:47He then participated in the Smackdown Money in the Bank ladder match and he was one of

04:51the favorites to win, but it was Daniel Bryan who walked away with the briefcase.

04:56Although he did not win, he was still hot on the roster and WWE decided to give him

05:00a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.

05:03A few weeks later, he won the Intercontinental Championship from Ezekiel Jackson.

05:08At that time, the Intercontinental Championship had lost much of its prestige and WWE was

05:13no longer putting emphasis on the title or giving it meaningful storylines.

05:18However, Cody's reign helped to restore its importance as he brought attention and

05:23credibility back to the championship through his compelling character work and strong performances

05:27in the ring.

05:29He also feuded with his former mentor Randy Orton and even beat him.

05:33It wasn't clean, but a win over Randy was a huge deal for a young Cody Rhodes.

05:38It showcased that WWE had faith in him.

05:40In the meantime, he also turned on DiBiase as the son of the Million Dollar Man failed

05:45to beat Randy Orton, prompting a feud with him.

05:48He beat Ted at Night of Champions and then he went on to unveil the new Intercontinental

05:53Championship.

05:55The classic one with the white straps, yes that title was introduced by none other than

06:00Cody Rhodes.

06:02Following this, he continued his rivalry with Orton, accusing the Viper of mistreating him

06:06during their time in legacy and also cost him the World Heavyweight Championship.

06:11At Vengeance, Orton defeated Rhodes in a non-title match and once again got the better of him

06:15in a street fight on Smackdown, breaking his protective mask in the process.

06:20This was the end of the gimmick and Rhodes returned without the mask, declaring that

06:24Orton had set him free.

06:26However, he still had those mannerisms, he was still a narcissist.

06:31Honestly, it lasted longer than anyone expected.

06:34No one could have imagined that when Cody first called himself Dashing, it would lead

06:38to him becoming one of the most hottest stars in WWE at the time.

06:42He defended the IC title against the likes of Booker T, but lost it to Big Show at WrestleMania

06:4828.

06:49He won it back but dropped it to Christian.

06:51With his character work and the Intercontinental title reign, Cody was now ready for the next

06:56level, the main event scene.

06:59He did some of his best work during that period, but more importantly, he established himself

07:03as a major star.

07:05He had already proved that he can work with some of the biggest names in WWE, but for

07:08some reason he remained on the mid-card.

07:11It was a huge missed opportunity on WWE's part for not pushing him to the main event

07:15scene.

07:16He was stuck in a tag team with Damien Sandow, which had its fun moments, but it didn't

07:21do any favors for him.

07:22This was all before having an awesome feud with The Authority and The Shield, which led

07:27to him teaming up with his brother Goldust.

07:30And then The Stardust happened, which completely ruined any credibility Cody had built.

07:36Of course, he would go on to have an incredible journey after that, establishing himself as

07:40one of the top stars on the independents and becoming one of the founding members of All

07:44Elite Wrestling, before finally making an epic return to WWE at WrestleMania 38.

07:50But after his undashing run, WWE had a chance to establish him as a true superstar that

07:56he is today.

07:58What do you think?

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