Former WWE personality criticizes major aspect of Cody Rhodes' character (Exclusive)
WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes panders too much to the fans, as per former writer Vince Russo.
After winning the Hell in a Cell match on Sunday, Rhodes cut a passionate and emotional promo on this week's WWE RAW, where he thanked the fans and vowed to return soon. He even teased a comeback at next month's Money in the Bank show after recovering from his torn pectoral muscle.
On Sportskeeda's Legion of RAW, former WWE writer Vince Russo felt that Cody Rhodes pandered to the fans far too much, which he thinks Rhodes' father, the late Dusty Rhodes, did not do at all.
"I could be wrong, I don't remember Dusty ever pandering to the fans. He was beloved, 1000%. But, I don't remember any of his promos, you know, designed around pandering and catering to the fans. Am I wrong? May be I missed them," said Russo. [From 8:19 to 8:42]
Dr. Chris Featherstone, the host of the show, pointed out that Dusty Rhodes' iconic "Hard Times" promo did pander to fans, but a lot of his words were to promote the next town. Russo argued that Dusty Rhodes always tried to help fans relate to his character.
"It was also 'son of a plumber,' it was the relation to the people. He was saying, 'I'm one of you.' I think there's a difference between 'I'm one of you' and constantly putting the people over," said Russo. [From 9:15 to 9:30]
Dr. Featherstone believes Cody doesn't have the charisma Dusty Rhodes had but noted that the former has the "WWE look" more than his father.
What did Cody Rhodes say in his WWE RAW promo?
Rhodes opened this week's RAW, where he spoke proudly about his match at Hell in a Cell, saying that it could be a source of inspiration for his young daughter when she grows up.
.@WWERollins just couldn't help himself... #WWERaw https://t.co/GKEOPXZ3pF
He also praised his opponent Seth Rollins, claiming to have closed his chapter with the former Universal Champion after beating him thrice.
Rollins then arrived in the ring and told Rhodes he still didn't like him, but the latter has earned his respect after putting in a gutsy performance. However, Rollins showed his true colors a few moments later as he attacked The American Nightmare while exiting the arena.
On Thursday, Rhodes is expected to undergo surgery to repair his torn pectoral muscle. You can learn more about that here.
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