Photo Credit: WWE.com
American professional wrestler Cody Rhodes is currently the MVP of WWE. At WrestleMania 40, he defeated the dominant Roman Reigns to win the WWE Undisputed Championship. Furthermore, at The 2024 King and Queen of the Ring, he retained his title against WWE United States Champion Logan Paul.
The 38-year-old might have returned to WWE in 2022. However, his relationship with the company began in the mid to late 2000s. Son of the legendary Virgil Riley Runnels Jr., aka. Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, always wanted to be as successful as his father. He was only 12 years old when he began training, and his first guide was Dusty. Dusty helped him with the ABCs of wrestling, but names such as Danny Davis, Randy Orton, Ricky Morton, and Al Snow provided him with advanced training.
Eventually, young Rhodes started performing in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) under his birth name, Cody Runnels. His time in this company was fruitful because he secured prestigious titles such as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, OVW Heavyweight Championship, and more. In 2007, he made his WWE debut and stayed with the company until 2016.
Cody Rhodes’ first WWE run was a mixed bag. He won titles, joined forces with several wrestlers, and even had some fascinating gimmicks. Interestingly, wrestling fans believe that his most infamous character was that of Stardust. The inspiration behind this character came from his father and his half-brother, Dustin Rhodes, aka. Goldust. Once upon a time, Dusty Rhodes performed under this name.
Furthermore, Stardust’s mannerisms, facepaint, and bodysuit were exactly like Goldust’s. In the past, the wrestler has admitted that he was not a big fan of this gimmick and sometimes even felt embarrassed about it.
Cody Rhodes’ career is the subject of the 2023 Peacock documentary American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes.
Who did Stardust fight in his last match?
Cody Rhodes’ last match under the Stardust character was in WrestleMania 32. In a ladder match, he reportedly went up against Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara, and Zack Ryder for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Unfortunately, he did not triumph in this bout, and Ryder became the new champion.
After Stardust’s debut, he aligned himself with his brother, Goldust, and competed in several matches. The pair battled many prominent tag teams and even twice won the WWE Tag Team Championship. Eventually, they split after he attacked Goldust. The storyline animosity between the brothers resulted in a match at Fastlane 2015, which he lost. Stardust’s character evolved after this defeat, and he began displaying comic book supervillain-like attributes.
Soon, he began an onscreen rivalry with actor Stephen Amell, and at SummerSlam 2015, he and Wade Barret teamed up to face Amell and wrestler Neville. Stardust and Barret didn’t with this match but the former subsequently began working with The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor). Their trio was called The Cosmic Wasteland, and they defeated Neville and The Lucha Dragons at the pre-show of the 2015 Night of Champions. From this point onward, his career in the WWE turned downward as he only featured in minor matches and storylines.
After WrestleMania 32 WWE Intercontinental Championship ladder match, he left the company, only to return 6 years later as Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 38. According to Wrestling Headlines, in an After The Bell with Corey Graves appearance, the WWE Undisputed Champion revealed his frustrations with the Stardust character.
Additionally, he stated that he felt the worst portraying that character before his wife, Brandi Rhodes. He said that when he married Brandi, he was the Intercontinental Champion and on the top of his game. However, after becoming Stardust, his mental state degraded, and he felt miserable. Rhodes said, “You never want to lower yourself in front of your beloved, in front of your wife. That was one of the hardest things for me was being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling Randy Orton every night and we were absolutely tearing the joints down”. He continued, “Next thing you know, I’m running around in this space outfit and trying to make the best of it, but I was very dead inside.”
After leaving WWE, Rhodes performed in the independent circuit and promotions such as ROH, TNA, NJPW, AEW, and more. Recently, the 38-year-old has developed an appreciation for Stardust. According to Wrestling Inc, on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, he stated that he could have made the best of the character instead of complaining. He said, “There are plenty of people to blame when it comes to Stardust. But as I have gotten older, the more and more of the blame I put on myself. Because it’s one thing to stand up for yourself two years in — when it’s bottled up and ready to blow versus had I fought this battle six months in.”
Cody Rhodes occasionally talks about Stardust. Interstingly, he has even hinted at the character’s return in several instances.
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