Cody Rhodes was embarrassed by his Stardust gimmick in WWE, according to Teil Runnels (Exclusive)
Teil Runnels recently mentioned that her brother Cody Rhodes did not like his Stardust gimmick in WWE and that playing the character stalled his career.
Cody's first tenure with the global juggernaut from 2006-2016 had its fair share of ups and downs. Though he had multiple reigns with the IC Championship and Tag Team Titles, a place in the main event scene remained elusive.
Moreover, while he was praised for his portrayal of the Stardust character, Cody himself wasn't a fan of the gimmick, and it became one of the factors in his decision to leave WWE. In a chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Teil Runnels was asked by Bill Apter if Cody Rhodes was embarrassed by his character in WWE.
Teil answered in the affirmative, saying when Cody was Stardust and tagging with his brother, Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust), they weren't even making it to TV.
"I think Stardust, yeah, it really was. Especially when he was tagging with Goldust. I mean, they weren't even on TV. They were just doing live events, and his career really stalled," said Teil Runnels. [2:43 - 2:57]
Check out the full video below:
Teil Runnels says WWE wasn't open to Cody's ideas
Elsewhere in the chat, Teil Runnels mentioned that everyone in the family was frustrated with Cody Rhodes' position in WWE.
She added that the feelings only grew stronger after Dusty Rhodes' passing, as Cody had no backers in the company, and the creative team wasn't open to his ideas.
"Yeah, we were all frustrated. My dad and I even spoke on the phone, and that was not a top-guy character. He was never gonna move out of the mid-card. Really the frustration had been setting in before Dream passed. But after he passed, there was nobody thinking of Cody in the top guy position, and you could see the frustration in some of the backstage footage and just us as the family. I knew him and Brandi all the time; he told her, 'What can I do to get out of this goofy character?' They weren't open to his ideas or how he saw himself," added Teil Runnels. [0:54 - 1:47]
Though he left WWE in 2016 for a stint in the indies and became one of the founders of AEW, Cody made a blockbuster return at WrestleMania 38.
Check out the website for The Dusty Rhodes Foundation, which aims to help sporting talents from disadvantaged and underserved communities.
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