He did it!
Cody Rhodes is the new WWE Undisputed Champion! WrestleMania 40 was amazing. If you do not know, the well-established wrestler Cody Rhodes, son of Dusty Rhodes, has made history. Something that not even the late and great father has done. Become the champion for the WWE.
The name Cody Rhodes has been wrestling since 2007. He is making his debut on the Monday night brand Raw. Being known as the son of Dusty Rhodes and the brother Dustin Rhodes, who is well known as “Goldust,” you look at Cody’s character, and he wondered when he would make his mark on the company. Being under the shadow of Randy Orton in a legendary group called “Legacy,” the wrestler has been in the business for quite a long time.
I watched an interview Cody Rhodes was in. Down the line, his first WWE career was not going how he wanted it, and he was being pushed as a wasted talent being put in boring and meaningless storylines. The worst was his turning into a different version of Goldust named Stardust. It was so bad that a fan asked him for Stardust, and when Cody asked the fan if he wanted to see Cody Rhodes, the fan did not know who he was.
The wrestler initially tried to make a name for himself, but he failed. He failed because he was quickly pushed into Randy Orton’s shadow, being known as Dusty Rhodes’s son. Being under hardcore Holly as a tag team and the last and final straw being Stardust, a character change he has since dreaded. That is when he had to find himself. Leaving the company in 2016, he decided to wrestle in the independent scene to make a name for himself, and it worked—wrestling in wrestling promotions such as Ring of Honor and New Japan and wrestling in NWA. The Era of Cody wrestling on the inside had been worth it, leading to Cody being the co-owner of the now-successful wrestling brand All-Elite Wrestling. The wrestler did it all; it was time to go home. He was making his return to the WWE in 2021 during WrestleMania 38. But he came back for one thing only.
His father, Dusty, was unable to win the WWE Championship.
This is because the McMahons and Rhodes families were never totally in agreement. Goldust departed the company because it did not employ him honestly and correctly in that gimmick. Dusty Rhodes adores the company, but he never won the big prize. So, Cody had a chip on his shoulder. Cody’s new Era was ideal, with immense matches against Seth Rollins; he best matched his career against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 and won back-to-back royal rumbles, becoming the first person to do so since Stone Cold.
As a wrestling fan, I have never seen a wrestler have that much hype as a babyface since the Daniel Bryan era. Cody Rhode’s moment about finishing his story was highly creative and set the blueprint for current wrestlers to accomplish their goals.
Drew McIntyre wanted to finish his story by winning a world championship in front of a live audience. CM Punk returned after ten years to finish his story the right way. The storyline even brought the rock back: love him or hate him. The list is endless.
But watching WrestleMania 40 and seeing night 1 produced an excellent tag team match, and night two produced the best sequel of Cody vs. Roman was the cherry on the cake. WrestleMania 40 gave us what the fans wanted, just like WrestleMania 39. Seeing Cody win the title was memorable. Holding it and giving the title to his mother was a work of art. All I can say is that Cody has done it. He accomplished a long-time dream.
I really enjoy the character development of Cody Rhodes. I got more into independent wrestling and bumping into Cody Rhodes wrestling gained my interest with a number of successful independent wrestlers. Cody Rhodes really gained my interest more for WWE since the decline during the pandemic and the state of WWE back then slowly fading away. But I am glad Cody Rhodes came back and I am excited to see what happens next because with all the work Cody has done, he deserves every bit of it.
When you see Cody Rhodes, you look at a wrestler who was given a second chance in the wrestling world. From being an afterthought to now being the company’s new face, it feels like a breath of fresh air. Cody Rhodes did it. The Era of Cody Rhodes has now begun.
