Why did Cody Rhodes become Stardust?
AEW superstar Cody Rhodes had a forgettable stint in WWE as Stardust. Many thought it turned out to be one of the most unimpressive gimmicks in Cody's career. So, who came up with the idea of the Stardust character?
It was none other than Stephanie McMahon.
Cody dared to change gimmicks for a fresh look in front of the WWE Universe. Before Stardust, he and Dustin Rhodes formed a tag team called the Brotherhood. Fans loved the, as The Brotherhood became the top tag team in the division. They were part of some of the finest matches, especially their feud with The Shield. However, the Brotherhood became stale and fans started giving a lukewarm response to the team.
People might think that Stardust was a horrible gimmick but the truth is that without Stardust and if WWE had let @CodyRhodes be himself, AEW would never exist. So be happy that we got Stardust because wrestling is alive again thanks to @AEW https://t.co/bFz4yhnOIR
WWE was aware of the issue, and was desperate to make the tag teamwork and, one day, Stephanie McMahon asked Cody to paint his face like his brother.
This was the start of the Stardust gimmick, which turned out to be a disaster for Cody. In a tweet, Cody revealed how the character broke him:
@AlexM_talkSPORT Not pushing Stardust wasn’t the crime, the character had broke me and I was a subpar performer under the paint during that period
The crime was not capitalizing on 2010-12 where I was cooking with gas and my live event work was top level consistent
In the end, blame is on me
Cody stated that he never wanted to be like his brother because the uniqueness between him and his brother was the sole reason why The Brotherhood worked. Making Cody similar to Dustin was the reason why the former WWE superstar became Stardust.
The redemption of Cody Rhodes at AEW
Cody Rhodes was fed up with WWE and, in the end, decided to leave the company to be part of a new project that was in the working stage. AEW eventually became a wrestling promotion, and Cody Rhodes became one of its four EVPs. He also had some stellar matches in the ring at AEW and fans loved seeing a confident Cody Rhodes.
Pro Wrestlers ✅ AEW Executives ✅ New Parents ✅
Watch #AEWDynamite TOMORROW NIGHT LIVE at 8/7c, then stay tuned in to @tntdrama for the PREMIERE of #RhodesToTheTop at 10/9c and find out how @CodyRhodes and @TheBrandiRhodes do it all! https://t.co/cMZMapdPiL
'The American Nightmare' is turning out to be a huge star with the release of his series Rhodes to the Top, which premiers on TNT.
What do you think about Stardust? Was it a character you hated/loved? Share your comments in the comment section.