Dashing/Un-Dashing Cody Rhodes - Was It Any Good?

Cody Rhodes the WWE Undisputed Champion had a long winding road to get to this level. One of his most famous gimmicks prior to his success was Dashing Cody Rhodes. A man who was obsessed with his own image. But then he started wearing a mask and he became Undashing. I felt it was quite a good character for us to ask If It Was Any Good? I will take you through the entire timeline of the gimmick with a slightly new format for the show!
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[@HossHeartthrob]

To this day I think this was Cody’s best character work. And for the time period it was maybe the best character in WWE

[@tj-23]

Nahh it’s now and it’s not even close

[@askadoctorifheresyisright4you]

"The Bullet Club is fine" made me start watching wrestling again.

[@thehater6189]

For sure. It's his only character work aside from stardust

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

You gotta give Cody credit, He did everything WWE wanted him to do, He worked his way up. You would have thought with his last name it would have been guaranteed but it wasn't.

[@thehater6189]

He didnt work his way up. He was a jobber lol

[@jonzel472]

​@thehater6189 that's exactly what "working your way up" means "Thehater"... 😂

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

@@thehater6189 you just contradicted yourself lmao

[@thehater6189]

@TihetrisWeathersby no i didnt. During this run, he was and remained a jobber. He then left and they decided to push him. He didn't "work" anything. It's a fake sport. He is no better now than he was then

[@jonzel472]

@@thehater6189 yes you did. He worked his ass off in the indies, roh, aew, njpw and tna to return and be undeniable. You have no clue what you're talking about 😂

[@internationalfailure9997]

The "Only one can judge" theme for Undashing Cody Rhodes is highly underrated.

[@Wh1t3F4c3]

Love that version too, but that’s just a fan given title for the theme. The actual title is “Smoke And Mirrors (Ugly)”

[@Devondavis-fm2dz]

Undashing cody rhodes is the best version of cody

[@Xxx_EDITS01]

The American nightmare was the most successful but undashing Cody Rhodes is the most creative version I think dashing Cody is the most underrated version

[@CasoDoBronx]

Best theme too

[@reirose3069]

At this time, yes. But it's impossible to top the American Nightmare version of Cody compared to his others

[@MarkEstratocaster]

​@@reirose3069 I'd say he feels too bland as this corporate face imo. He has the nuance of Super Cena. His Intercontinental Championship reigns and his team with Goldust were the best runs of his career.

[@mrdude88]

The paper bag over the fan’s face was the cherry on top since the fans wanted free bags over their ugly faces.

[@MarkEstratocaster]

One of the best runs of his career and my favorite alongside his first face turn and teaming with Goldust as The Brotherhood.

[@Xxx_EDITS01]

His dashing gimmick was one of his best but undashing was some good writing

[@MarkEstratocaster]

​@@Xxx_EDITS01 First version of Dashing Cody Rhodes was good, but the second version is a thousand times better. To be honest, I count his Undashing/Dashing phase as a single run, as he was Intercontinental Champion during the character change. So his best run went from 2011, when Rey Mysterio broke his nose, until he lost the Intercontinental Championship for the second time and started to team with Damien Sandow. Team Rhodes Scholars was fun, but it hurt Cody Rhodes' position in the card until the face turn at Money in the Bank. They could have made Cody Rhodes a legit main eventer after The Brotherhood lost the titles, but they didn't split the team and had them doing nothing for months before the Stardust gimmick.

[@Cooljohn760]

I use to hate dashing/Undashing Cody Rhodes as a kid. Now I look back he was good and entertaining.

[@dosenplok140]

The Undashing Theme was pure gold.

[@luherrera8118]

I remember being about 10 years old, a few years after the dashing gimmick was over with (he was teaming with Damien Sandow at the time) and watching all the vignettes with his beauty tips. His grooming advice kept me in good shape throughout my teens haha, thanks Cody

[@matthewpulama106]

Cody's grooming advice lead to good results? Damn, that's great!

[@YourDadYoda]

Me being a dumbass I disregarded them because I hated him

[@salvadorromero9712]

@@YourDadYoda It's pretty wild that they used actual seriously legitmately good tips, used them for a comedic heel rather than a "take your vitamins, kids" from a "role model." I always wondered if some younger kids disregarded for that reason! The "narcissistic pretty boy" gimmick is inherently comedic and absurd and they often give it seemingly deliberately to guys who look plausible as aesthetic narcissists but aren't quite at the very top level of handsomeness in the promotion; it's funnier that way and I normally like it better. But Cody did a very good job with it and making it look plenty funny and absurd. I think it would have been great on its own, but of course what they ended up doing with it was some of the most psychologically sophisticated writing in wrestling history. Pure brilliance.

[@JoeChillton]

Ranking 1. Undashing 2. Dashing 3. Current AEW/WWE EVP Nightmare 4. Bullet Club 5. Legacy 6. Stardust. Stardust is low because of how miserable it made him but as a performer, i loved the camp villain approach he did to dissuade himself from being another Goldust.

[@RobertJW]

Undashing was miles better than Dashing. Dashing was OK. I loved Dusty's heel moment trapping Rey for Cody's beatdown.

[@thegregbooyah]

The dashing-undashing saga gave me American Psycho vibes and Cody knocked it out of the park. I remember that was the time I really started getting invested in his work and when they moved on I was a bit sad to see the mask go.

[@BlackTyrannosaurus90]

i love this version more than the American Nightmare, imagine him turning into the modern day Mankind from 1996, sitting around in the boiler room, weird, cryptic stuff, total psycho, boiler room brawls and all that maybe even getting into a program with the Wyatt family, switching between Normal Cody, Undashing and maybe even Stardust, the new Three Faces of Foley or rather, Cody

[@rigfordthebarbarian2895]

They should do this for a Royal Rumble. Cody comes in early and gets booted. Un-Dashing comes out and gets booted. Stardust comes out and hits a Shattered Dreams (I really wish he did one at Mania) for a huge pop.

[@bandilenkala8380]

The three faces of Cody against the Wyatt 6 with associates like Kevin Owens would be cool

[@shapshapshapshap2829]

Toughest part would be trying to convince Cody to become stardust again 😂

[@bandilenkala8380]

@@shapshapshapshap2829 maybe Stardust can become a darker alter ego this time

[@villiannewyork]

I really want heel/broken Cody. I hope he does the homelander thing he was rumored to do

[@leonarddillon256]

I still think Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania 27 was the most underrated match. I love how it told a good story of getting revenge on Rey for breaking his face and how he utilized the face mask as a legal weapon to his advantage, like a heel should.

[@theconnected7234]

That utilized face mask eventually led to using the metal arm cast as a weapon against Lensar and that's really cool

[@nabinkhadka788]

This has to be my favourite version of cody. His character work for this was amazing

[@princeali4411]

This shows long term storytelling. Dashing and un-Dashing are one long story with two parts. You need both. You forgot to mention his dashing tips promos. Those I found so entertaining

[@AttackerNumberTwo]

Undashing Cody Rhodes is what made me a Cody fan. Very very entertaining and a ray of light in a dreadful era of WWE.

[@jamieholmes4751]

2:04 When Drew McIntyre was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship, he’d beaten up Matt Hardy not Kofi Kingston

[@rigfordthebarbarian2895]

My buddy went to a house show last year just for the meet and greet to meet Cody. He bought a suit just for the occasion. He wanted his Cody weight belt to get signed, so I cut out a giant paper bag for the Un-Dashing gimmick and asked him to ask Cody if he'd sign it too (Dashing and Un-Dashing made me pop so hard). I dropped it off at his house the night before and called him the day of the show, he said he already put it in his car so he wouldn't forget. Then the day after the show I asked if Cody had signed it and my friend replied that he didn't do it because "I didn't really feel like it" and that he had thrown it away. Oh but he made sure to show off all those pics he took and that $120 weight lifting belt he bought twice to get signed.

[@anonluxor470]

Kinda crazy how some wrestlers in 2009/2011 would go on to win the WWE championship nearly a decade later. Drew McIntyre cody Rhodes husky harras(bray Wyatt) and kofi Kingston

[@r.heffner-hoe4983]

That’s the problem I have with wwe. U gotta be there damn near 10+ years to be even recognized.. & they own for keeping ppl in the same spots

[@Honk_Hogan]

This just emphasizes how abysmal almost everything was in this era of WWE. I coulda sworn they released Chris Masters way before this. Also, whoever told you the long videos are bad are lying I live for this shit

[@wilsonjoshwilson]

This was peak Cody Rhodes

[@Jackholiday1025]

I’m pretty sure the Cody we have right now is peak Cody Rhodes .. the cody who is the mutherfuckin undisputed world champion... who ended Romans 1000 day plus title reign... who has won the rumble twice and main evented mania 3 times in the last year 😂😂

[@bashamd96]

Quality wise 100%

[@michaelrivera8360]

​@@Jackholiday1025don't say that for some reason internet now hate Cody now as people always say the internet fans do turn on people once they get over😂😂🤣

[@andrebryant5081]

​@@michaelrivera8360 No one hates mid Cody he's just mid

[@tj-23]

@@andrebryant5081you clearly hate him

[@zhangxnoir6694]

Dashing and Undashing are my favorite versions of Cody Rhodes

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

Cody was a pretty good heel, I wouldn't mind seeing it again

[@Jackholiday1025]

It’s just cooler being a face because as a heel you have to act like a coward typically. But yeah he can play either heel or face very well. He doesn’t need to turn heel anytime soon but I would be interested in seeing him go homelander lol.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

He was a great heel in roh.

[@YourDadYoda]

Heel indie Cody in modern WWE would be gold

[@LordBarros]

Undashing was leaps and bounds better, but without being Dashing first it doesn't work. So we have to appreciate both.

[@basickben]

This was one of the few times I wish I had not stopped watching wrestling almost completely since the attitude era. I heard Undashing CR was a fun time, and now that this video has posted; I can see that it was indeed a good time. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of such an awesome run💪🏾😎

[@SsnakeBite]

This kind of stuff remind me just how long NXT has been around and it kind of blows my mind every time.

[@RiggsHB]

I've been a Cody fan since his team with Bob Holly. Always knew he'd be something special. I didn't expect it would happen in the WWE though.

[@Xxx_EDITS01]

Honestly since he left stardust behind neither did I but something that I feel like should’ve been noted is the fact he completely changed his gimmick yet again but this time he was aiming for something different he wasn’t aiming to be a mid carder anymore not that I think he ever was but the American nightmare gimmick was going somewhere and if Dustin couldn’t quite do it why not let Cody have a try and now he’s the undisputed champion and has had a phenomenal year already you love to see it

[@mikefrost796]

Paul London and Billy Kidman as a Tag Team for ROTH

[@alfredoflores254]

2 Cold Scorpio in WWF run Raven in WWF run Candido in WCW run AL Snow in SMW run All for ROTH

[@markula_4040]

Undashing was a proper step for Cody towards the main event but then the whole Stardust thing happened and while that wasn't bad in the beginning, he pretty much turned into a complete jobber by the end and Vince wouldn't even let him ditch the gimmick despite Dusty passing away. I wasn't a fan of Cody's run in the Bullet Club or AEW but it was necessary to show WWE they made a mistake because look at him now.

[@JudasThundersteel]

Undashing Cody was very good. I loved Smackdown in 2011 and Cody was a big part of that. I suppose the Smackdown 6 of that time was him, Orton, D-Bryan, Christian, Mark Henry, and Sheamus. His character came at a time where comic book superhero movies were red hot and most people loved them. He came off like a comic book villain, Dr. Doom I guess. Really loved this video, a trip down memory lane.

[@Rocket_Skates]

I really liked the early version of the gimmick when he had sort of dark, Mankind vibes. Then they ruined it in my opinion by making him a cartoon super villain.

[@salvadorromero9712]

I think the mystery of a good dark, or overpowered, or whatever, character makes it especially vulnerable to time and wearing out its welcome. And I think the writers and performers know that and always want to pull the plug and evolve the character, such as into something comedic, before things get stale. They can usually get some type of mileage out of that, even if it's not the same; it's often a sort of natural evolution. It's really a separate phase, not quite a separate character but almost so. The fans of course always most fondly remember the early days before the gimmick got "ruined." But it typically doesn't really "ruin" their appreciation of their earlier memories anyway so it's not really a failure in that sense, just a different thing whose pleasures are somewhat lesser. And I do wonder how often the fans are right about that, that they could have kept the mystery going for a bit more and gotten more out of it before pulling the plug.

[@Venemofthe888]

I think Cody being drafted to Smackdown was in a way to get him out of the way cause WWE saw more in DiBiase which is certainly a choice but i think Cody being on Smackdown helped him stand on his own and showing that he was more than capable. While i didnt think much of his dashing gimmick at the time, his undashing run i thought was a lot better and probably his best character. He was so good his IC Title run was actually quite good and very long which was quite rare during this time. He also introduced the White Strap IC Title which everyone loves (apart from me i thought it was a little overrated tbh. Still looks cool but everyone went a little overboard). I'm not entirely sure where they were going ask Cody lost his mask but hey it was better than the mustache lol

[@DahcipheR]

Give him back to back Rumble wins and a world championship idc, Dashing/Un-Dashing is still my favourite Cody.

[@RedWolfWindgear]

The Undashing Gimmick should of been the gimmick that gave Cody his first World Title win. It was one his better gimmicks before leaving WWE to recreate himself.

[@MidnightChillsYT]

I too completely forgot Trent Barreta was in WWE at this time lol

[@marcohavokkhaos]

This is my favorite version of Cody. I was at Mania 27 live, and I was one of the only people standing and clapping for Cody over Rey.

[@AssAssington]

"That referee tried to f*** on me" where is that from? I was dying

[@user-wm8ts8lm1m]

Dusty’s heel turn in 2011 was amazing.

[@anthwaxmusic]

I was so on board with both sides of this gimmick

[@jaredbrady5566]

This was a good run. Also shows Cody's future heel run will be great, and his eventual turn back to baby will be even better

[@thesobieski5081]

One of the Hawk's best videos yet. I love the longer videos.

[@sensei6lack506]

I loved Both these versions of cody! The moment i really became a Huge Fan n Thought he had so much potential✊🏾

[@scottfitzgerald5309]

Even though Cody Rhodes has had an epic rise to the top I do think drew McDonald has had a more impressive rise to the top and his character work has improved

[@RonnieMyers-yq2li]

Its crazy how the guy that you showed at the 23;13 mark that Cody bullied with the paper bag is the same guy that Cody fist bumps now everytime they show Cody walking into the arena before every raw or smackdown..Same short dude everytime...Lol he was with the company a long time I see

[@TophDaGreat]

1:22-1:26 I did Hawk. I vividly remember going on wrestling forums in the early 2010s telling anyone who would listen that Cody was going to be the guy someday and I would get laughed at or bullied by other users (I was a regular on wrestlezone, nodq, and the wrestling roundtable fb group). Believe it or not, at that time the popular consensus was that Dibiase Jr was going to be the star. I imagine they felt this way because he had a better look, but Cody had everything else. If you search deep enough down the rabbit hole of forums you'll see that was the popular opinion at that time. Cody had already surpassed him by mid 2010. He found something to sink his teeth into with Dashing while DiBiase jr was with Maryse because Vince thought he was boring. Anybody else remember the DiBiase posse lol? One final note on Cody. Awhile back Cena was asked at some conference on superstars he thought had potential to break through and he said Cody. I forgot when this was but it was in the early 2010s. I think it was one of those Q&A's before a Mania. I can't remember which one it was though but it was in the early 2010s when Cody was low on the card.

[@keinzmorrissey]

I really lovedd this gimmick and the entrance song especially the undashing one

[@johnkallday]

Oh sweet! I've been waiting forever for a review of Robocop The Animated Series

[@likedmindedrecordsllc.3204]

I actually enjoyed this longer video format

[@NathanIsRacin]

Him bringing back the white strapped IC belt is just chefs kiss level of perfection

[@mjdf122]

The African Dream/Nightmare Cody Rhodes

[@michiel1162]

You forgot the Raheem, Cody Raheem Rhodes

[@rigfordthebarbarian2895]

Cody Raheem Rhodes: The American Nightmare (of Racemixing)

[@gakk8658]

Every time I see a Spinebuster I hear "The Cabdriver Slam, Cabdriver Slam" in my head, even though I barely remember David Young wrestling. Thanks, Markyd!

[@eastsidereviews727]

I actually kind of messed with Dashing Cody Rhodes. Some fun, goofy shit that I love in my wrestling, could've been the next Model Rick Martel.

[@lexduncan5456]

You didn’t repeat the “cabdriver slam” and I felt stupid saying it twice lmao

[@TheNath87]

Undashing Cody Rhodes was fantastic, I really enjoyed his promos from this time. I copied this gimmick on WWE 2K19 and gave it to Bo Dallas to be the leader of a new Wyatt Family like stable called The BOlievers.

[@NoChillPromos]

Undashing Cody was the best gimmick he's ever done. Way better than his current Hellander gimmick.

[@ItsBasmat01]

Cody’s run on the JBL and Cole show around this time was great and hilarious. Him walking around WWE HQ in ring gear was peak dashing

[@nicholasokeefe3632]

At the beginning you mention Cody paying homage to Hardcore Holly. Cody has said before somewhere that anyone he wrestles with at least 5 times he takes a move from, Holly was the Alabama Slam

[@GuntanksInSpace]

Damn, Marky's editor putting in work! And Un-Dashing Cody was fantastic at the very least. Wish he got more out of it. His and Rey's match at Mania would legitimize him to me the way Randy vs Mick Foley's hardcore match did lol

[@dhall888]

I didn’t realize wrestlers had topp cards!! That’s neat!

[@scottfitzgerald5309]

Do like the new shuv it meter

[@ricardonb6375]

Of course you had to put Sonny Siaki's rear on your shove-it meter.

[@SheriffOutlaw]

I say yes to this run because he finally found his footing as a solo act and his feud with Mysterio he said himself helped him change his work and character

[@JeffreyMarksWorld]

I remember enjoying both back in the day

[@Surfword]

Man Cody got every gimmick he ever did over i love dashing to unleashing cody Rhodes

[@sadlyjam]

I LOVE THIS RUN THANK YOU HAWK

[@supermario6_1_95]

RIP Husky Harris🙏🏻

[@TheMC1102]

It's a good thing Cody left AEW when he did, because Christian Cage started his "Your father is dead" shtick just a few months later.

[@NutLump]

"I can literally hear you getting fatter" - Dashing Cody Rhodes

[@B3Band]

To answer your question, YES. YES people believed he was a future world champion back then. People were saying that he and Dolph should leave if they don't get pushes. And sure enough, Cody left, and was immediately the top babyface on his return.

[@Greysonthecat1]

Why did that paper bag on a pole match get me I found it hilarious😂😂

[@CEJRAID]

Undashing Cody Rhodes made his career honestly. He went from being a bland heel to being a unique character and great promo.

[@SNOWDUDE13]

Cody knocked every one of his gimmicks out of the park.

[@JusticeJudge]

Dashing was funny, but undashing was hilarious me and my sister enjoyed that gimmick a lot when we watched it, made me a Cody Rhodes fan.

[@PulpChristian]

Undashing Cody Rhodes was like a villain from a early 2010s PS3 game

[@CadChamberlain]

You should do this for Flair vs Steamboat. Obviously it was good, but its worth a deep dive on how good the feud itself was

[@AquariusLeviathanProphecy]

No Slapnuts😂😂😂😂🎉😢😢

[@randallcobb6406]

Hope you're doing good man shit gets rough but hawks always sore

[@ChaosTaylor]

Really good work this what got me into cody I knew one day he be WWE champion

[@CadChamberlain]

Shockmaster ACTUALLY has some televised matches after his horrific debut promo, which would make for a hilarious 'Was it any good' video

[@CEJRAID]

He wasn’t using the legacy theme. He did have his own solo music. It was his original theme. Out to kill. He used it at wrestlemania too. Ted kept the legacy music.

[@spoonyluv19]

Would love to see them do a drew vs cody match at night of champions or survivor series as a call back to their tag team imploding.

[@rileyporter9444]

Would love a video on Johnny nitro

[@Noscopejohnny]

Good video but seeing Bray as Husky Harris is so crazy now.

[@Etnala]

Updashing Cody is the gimmick that made me a fan. He was so incredibly complicated. Cody made that work

[@devinhudson]

Americian nightmare gimmick is a star highlight.

[@DeUndefined1]

The next Cody Rhodes video has to include "A WILD SLAPNUT APPEARS!"

[@tougakun]

Undashing was the best loved the paper bag gimick was gold.

[@longboy7]

Awesome run

[@vicentenavarro1190]

This run had a lot more "Ted Jr stands around not doing anything" than I remember

[@taishaunholloway9352]

I joined the cody train during the dashing faze and really vouched foe world champion from rey fued on

[@YeTism]

Felt like Cody was on the verge of becoming a main eventer after his IC title reign. Never happened though. He was originally supposed to win MITB in 2012 and 2013 apparently.

[@jamesytez6639]

There was a heel turn planned for those years with Iron Man gimmick, featuring Brandi. But they decide to give him the Stardust one

[@dotpngpic]

I loved the dashing gimmick

[@rok2983]

holy fuck this is the best channel ever rn at this point in my life lmao

[@horsekfobster7823]

Legacy Cody wasn’t trash, he was just an annoying nepo baby. Dashing/Undashing was hilarious and showed that Cody can do character work. Rhodes Family Cody was the best in my opinion, even better than current Cody

[@YourDadYoda]

I feel like undashing Cody Rhodes would’ve thrived even more if it happened just a few years later, the dashing character was underutilized and could’ve gone further too. Imagine undashing Cody vs Daniel Bryan after WM30 instead of Kane, that feud would’ve been really good.

[@DoujinObserver]

Akira Maeda in WWF 1984 for Ring of the Hawk

[@charlienaproductions5633]

hey leader of the shuvit sqaud if u do youtube suggestions can u do the original run ec3 in tna ?

[@DonDeLem]

He had great midcard runs and he honestly had a really good moveset at the time. Unfortunate that he had to leave for WWE to see him as main event material. I think I still prefer him as IC champion tho

[@tomtanaka841]

Good video, I love long videos. Thanks!

[@tomtanaka841]

I'd say this run was good.

[@mrmr5580]

If you'd have said 10 years ago, WWE would have a resurgence, The Rock would come back as a heel, D-X would be in charge of creative, Vince would be gone and Stardust would be the Undisputed champion 😅