The Story of Cody Rhodes in WWE ... So Far

[@WrestlingWithWregret]

ALL MY WRESTLER RETROSPECTIVES! kzbin.info/aero/PLdy7NPpr-Icxk08WVNWy_hh-Ay68Y5R_u

[@erikchristopherkc]

The reason he became Dashing Cody Rhodes is because there was an internal poll of the Divas on who was the best looking wrestler and Cody won. They talked about it on TV. Whether that was a work or shoot poll, it was used to inflate his ego and become obsessed with his looks. And then after the "injury " and with body dysmorphia, the point is that *he* doesn't think he looks the same or that he thinks there is a disfigurement. Dashing and Undashing Cody Rhodes were some of the most fun, unique moments of his career and showed his real potential.

[@philpalmer221]

It was an amazing gimmick. My favourite of the time. WWE screwed up with that one

[@KeiFresh]

Cody was my favorite at the time, I was just about to correct him on that

[@ValRamirez-xm6kw]

I remember ppl being so hype when Dashing Cody Rhodes put a bag over peoples face bc they were so ugly 😂😂 everyone wanted to be the ugly person of the night

[@strtfghtr88]

Dashing Cody Rhodes was actually 100% Cody's ideal. When I watched his hygiene promos he really proved he had "it"

[@XcuzeTheMessDeer]

I like how Dark Undashing Cody was. He was like a Batman villan

[@JackEFC1878]

Fun fact, when Cody had the match with Randy that got him ‘fired’, they showed a tweet from Cody on screen where he said he was going ‘All IN’. WWE tried using that as a catchphrase for a brief week or two in the 2010’s.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

😂

[@ASHsor]

So aew never had a unique idea.

[@JackEFC1878]

@@ASHsor I mean, All In didn’t start with AEW

[@thefknscarecrow]

It's still a catchphrase lol

[@GinkgoPete]

​@@ASHsorGotta cry about AEW any chance you get huh?

[@venomousnate7263]

It’s just absolutely incredible how far Cody has come in his career. From his humble beginnings to leaving WWE, going on an indie tour and co-founding AEW, to coming back WWE and being a megastar. To quote MJF, it’s a Roller-Codester.

[@BigDic69-jv1bz]

He was born rich never struggled

[@Mr_Leo_DS]

"humble beginnings"... Yeah, I don't know about that. Even though Cody has daid his father purposely never worked as a booker wherever Cody was, he's still a second generation superstar

[@yomamasofat77]

​@@Mr_Leo_DShe didn't have anything handed to him

[@lornamiller1991]

Love it 😙😙😙😙😙

[@Ryan-ld2nj]

@@yomamasofat77yeah I’m sure his dad being a legend in the industry didn’t help him at all

[@gabepollock1641]

Dusty Rhodes, in my opinion, could've made for a really cool heel in his retired years. I know it goes against what he traditionally did as a character, but that line before Cena gets jumped is so badass. "There's nothing a father wouldn't do for his son. John, I'm sorry, buddy." sounded so cold coming from Dusty, because he absolutely meant it.

[@pokehybridtrainer]

If it was anyone else it would sound fake. With Dusty it felt genuine.

[@YaBoyEdGames]

I think heel dusty, tired of the disrespect he was always put through as a common man face against all the rich heels but seeing rich heels become rich faces like Cena, has a ton of potential. Sometimes the best heels are the ones who are right but just being dicks about it.

[@gabepollock1641]

@@pokehybridtrainer I couldn’t figure out how to say that, but you’re right. It’s the fact that it’s Dusty delivering the line that makes it so genuine.

[@Kaltagstar96]

They did something similar when Cody was Undashing, Dusty came out and told Rey that he wanted Cody to apologise and when Rey shook Dusty's hand, Dusty kept a hold of it and just flashed this smile to Rey before Cody jumped him. The idea of a Heel Dusty being the sort of old crime boss of the Rhodes family would be awesome to have seen.

[@gabepollock1641]

@@Kaltagstar96 I completely forgot that segment until you mentioned it. That was the first time I’d ever seen Dusty on TV as a kid and I was hoping he would stick around. He was incredible.

[@ElectricheadPt1]

Undashing was him doing Dr. Doom, right down to him not actually being scarred. Jack Kirby always said he imagined Doom as only having one small scratch, and that being enough to make him think he was hideous due to his narcissism, and Cody is a big enough nerd to know that.

[@RemoWilliams1227]

I love that about Cody, he's a gamer and pop culture nerd like many of us.

[@theluckiesteh9058]

Cody taking a page from big brother Dustin by not letting bad gimmicks kill his career.

[@johnepants]

Honestly that seems to be the story of all 3 of the Rhodes. Dusty had polka dots and the Midnight Rider and made everything work

[@brooklynnomad]

Goldust was not a bad gimmick. It was innovative and pushed the envelope before there was an Attitude Era. I saw Dustin live in 95 and 96 on MSG house shows and he had so much heat. He could have been world champion.

[@theluckiesteh9058]

@brooklynnomad Honestly, the early versions of Goldust have aged poorly due to the homophobic connotations surrounding the gimmick.

[@govardhanposina17]

But Vince never saw him as more than a comedy act, the Goldust gimmick had a clear ceiling and Dustin broke that and went over and beyond with his work, but Vince would never let him break into the upper echelons of the card, certainly never as Goldust ​@@brooklynnomad

[@richarddweckcomedy]

before he went to wwe developmental he was trying to make it as an actor, he was a pretty successful amateur wrestler in high school, in fact he even faced Xavier woods in amateur wrestling in high school which was cool that they ended up in wwe together. Cody was more of a gimmick guy rather than known for his in ring work, when he got to the indies that was where he began to increase his in ring abilities. Now he's solid in the ring and on the mic.

[@ericpoyntz7460]

You kind of just always knew Cody was gonna be a star from the get go, but I think his story really starts when they did "Fire him before his wedding " storyline worked as part the Authority storyline as a whole. Since then his ability to never give up on himself and take what is his has been generally inspiring

[@MykaTheDevil]

So nice of Legacy to put over young, up and coming talent like DX

[@MegaRay220]

Most underrated part of Cody Rhodes’ journey was him being a recurring character on the JBL and Cole Show on KZbin. Some genuinely great comedy from him and Wade Barrett there

[@claymathewselevator8121]

That’s what made me a fan of both men

[@claymathewselevator8121]

His Ziggy Stardust tribute on Raw after David Bowie’s death was nice ♥️

[@sonicheroxd5767]

12:04 All SmackDown vs Raw 2011 players RISE UP!

[@DJVexillum]

I got a pop out of the Big Show impression last week, I nearly spat out my drink seeing it again this week!

[@comixproviderftw_02]

“WRESTLEMANIA BABY! WOOOOOO!!!!” -Big Show, 2002

[@deadpoolmlp5810]

Fun fact: 2009 DX was what got me into wrestling. I enjoyed the goofy antics as a middle schooler, and didn’t know any of the history, and it led to Shawn’s farewell tour that hooked me like a fish on a rod. So, for all the crap that era gets, can’t say it didn’t make new long term fans.

[@MrAjking808]

Skip!

[@Tryingtogetradical]

“For their whoas” I see what you did. Ngl, I was a fan of Stardust. He was goofy, out of the box, had a good move set. Also the Mr. Sinister vibes were a plus.

[@tylerfast106]

Honestly I think the characters he played back then were far better than his current one. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want him to go back but he needs some edge cause right now is the absolute worst. I can’t as a 38 yr old man think an emo man of the same is cool lol.

[@TheCheat420]

"Shane couldn't connect with a punch of it called him on the phone." 🤣 🤣 Oh that's a great line

[@mrterp04]

ANOTHER great video! Glad you were able to wrap up the Rhodes Family Troika in WWF (for now)

[@ChrisManley1994]

“After dropping the tag titles to The New Age Outlaws at the Royal Rumble *GOD* there’s a thing I forgot happened in 2014!” 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@wstine79]

"WHAAAAOOOOO! YOU'RE ONLY SMOKE AND MIRRORS!"

[@fabioparovina4650]

I don't know which version was, but i'll always liked the one that's in WWE13 😂

[@billa107]

“WOOOOAAAHH! YOU’RE ONLY SMOKE AND MIRRORS TO ME!”

[@MarvelMTs]

I’m probably the lone fan ever who liked that theme

[@gabepollock1641]

@@fabioparovina4650 I think that would’ve been the remix, post-masked gimmick. I haven’t played that game in a while but if they were using his 2012 appearance it should be that one.

[@gabepollock1641]

@@MarvelMTs No, I’m there with you. Smoke and Mirrors worked well for Dashing Cody. It was a good song for such a vain heel.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

🎶WHOOOAAA-OOOOH! YOU’RE ONLY SMOKE AND MIRRORS! WHOOOAAA-OOOOH! YOU’RE ONLY SMOKE AND MIRRORS TO ME!🎶

[@RegretfulDeadMan]

There was a very good explanation for why Cody became conscious of his own good looks. There was a segment on smackdown where it was revealed that there was a backstage poll where all the Divas were asked who the most handsome superstar was, and Cody was voted as number one. I remember that segment because Cody repeated the word "dashing" about 90 times.

[@davidhunter1555]

Always down for more Phantom references

[@HandlebarOrionX]

21:59 Sadly, no crossover with The Funky Phantom featuring The Undertaker

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

The fact that Brian kept laughing at Big Show's WrestleMania record 🤣🤣🤣 Don't do Big Show that way 🤣🤣🤣

[@PhantomOverlordX2]

God. Who remembers when Ted was the highly rated one of Legacy, only for it to be Cody.

[@timbartschwolfman]

I remember the DX vs Legacy Feud at Summerslam 2009

[@blazr1976]

I was a lapsed WWE fan between the end of the Attitude era and 2016. I really like these videos as they show me in detail what I missed.

[@pokehybridtrainer]

Attitude era to like 2 months ago, so binging on these videos to catch up.

[@joewb6851]

Looking back at Dashing Cody Rhodes I wish they went more unhinged with the character and turned him into Dennis from It's Always Sunny

[@aztecwrrior1997]

15:20 sometimes I forget Cody introduced the Classic White Strap IC

[@JusticeGamingNetwork]

In terms of why Cody became dashing (11:46), to clarify: there was an internal WWE women's wrestling poll (kayfabe) that named Cody most handsome. That was literally the start of the "Dashing" gimmick.

[@daringulibon337]

Hey Brian can't wait to see you at 3LW in PA this Saturday

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Ricardo Rodriguez

[@brianadkins3880]

iirc, when Rhodes and Dibiase (Jr.) were a tag team they were called Priceless but when it was them and Orton they were Legacy. And the whole mask stuff was his version of Marvel's Doctor Doom as Cody is a comic book fan. It mirrored Victor Von Doom's story of being so arrogant that he thought a minor blemish on his face had made him too ugly to look at.

[@JakeDeMarco]

Well Mr. Zane, this was absolutely incredible. This was a top notch comprehensive retrospective that is very well edited and put together!

[@MilleniumStrife]

I'm scrubbing back repeatedly on the Wrestlemania X8 bit that I remember seeing live, forgetting how hilarious it was, then Zane laughing and mocking it. Pure Gold. 16:24 "Wrestlemania baby wooooo!" "Woooooo..."

[@KomodoDrake]

A Kinky Boots reference in a wrestling wretrospective? Sir, you have my respect

[@danielgall7665]

Stardust looked like a big can of Rockstar Energy Drink. Idk I still kinda liked it for some reason.

[@Annadr3wmorrison4477]

Congratulations on 370k subscribers love your videos

[@MaxAngor]

14:50 I knew it was coming at some point!

[@SuperB252]

He did it….he finished the story….

[@pepito2847]

22:29 Correction, Stardust and Goldust were already a heel team by the time Stardust turned on Goldust

[@Jeremandre]

woah woah! I LOVE SIM SNUKA! In fact, the only reason I watched SmackDown in the mid 2000s was for Deuce and Domino

[@MovieEggman]

Cody Rhodes finally Finished The Story

[@rowdybpg6193]

Love these deep dive videos you do love them also would love another promotion review love your work as always Brian

[@adamdenby1282]

We need a full vid of wwe long winter

[@redhurricane24]

13:15 This is by design, and one of his characters that I enjoyed. His dysmorphia was reminiscent of Calendar Girl in The New Batman Adventures

[@zlinedavid]

Probably not as timely a reference, but there’s a lot of similarities between Undashing Cody and Tom Cruise’s character from Vanilla Sky.

[@MACsDaddyNotYours]

SOMETHING SOMETHING CODY RHODES‼️

[@RGF91]

WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA

[@Capt._Cheese_Balls]

Do it all so I can beat my meat!!!

[@comixproviderftw_02]

🎶WHOOOAAA-OOOOH! YOU’RE ONLY SMOKE AND MIRRORS! WHOOOAAA-OOOOH! THERE GOES CODY RHODES!🎶

[@robertwarf3316]

Something something sommmmething WHOOOOOOOOOAAAA

[@zlinedavid]

Rubber chicken, Cody Rhodes WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAA

[@LCMaestro15]

11:55 Cody was actually voted as the Most Handsome Superstar on the roster by the Divas during that time, which I believe started the gimmick. Honest to god, I can't believe I remember that, but yeah, that's crazy to think about.

[@nathankenmajor]

Love that Kinky Boots musical reference, just goes to show that wrestling fans tend to be theatre kids 😂

[@opinionatortv6457]

I mean wrestling is basically the last vestige of theatre

[@Lzarndt67]

No way dashing Cody's music was played first lol I popped for that🤣

[@MrAjking808]

It was horrible

[@jesterr7133]

I'm with you. I loved Stardust. I think that they could have done a lot more with it. There were so many directions they could have gone with it, but it doesn't seem like WWE ever fully committed to the character.

[@red5158077]

Night of Champions 2008 was my families first ever show. I was 9 years old and just got into wrestling, and I'm still here now at 25.

[@GamingSaturnMoonManBoy]

3:58 KINKY BOOTS!!!!!!!

[@reddragon0624]

Stardust as a character had potential! He was like Goldust but instead of being obsessed with movies he was obsessed with comic books. It just wasn’t a gimmick fitting for someone with untapped main event potential

[@MarvelMTs]

I am probably the lone wrestling fan ever who liked the “Smoke and Mirrors” theme and the *DASHING* gimmick

[@Mr.G_717]

Nah I like dashing. All for it to some back lol

[@NxFxKW]

I 100% agree Stardust was a great character and was always entertaining.

[@nexusgiga]

Getting a jacklinks ad on this was perfect

[@kushalkaranjit]

biggest megastar no 1 wrestler today cody rhodes.

[@EddyEast]

I could’ve sworn the reason he debut the dashing gimmick was cause a diva leaked a pole or that wwe made a pole that was made about who the divas thought was the most handsome male wrestler on the roster and it was Cody so he took that to level 10.

[@isaiahchapman7660]

Cody is a one of a kind superstar. His decision to leave WWE in 2016 did wonders for him. People stopped saying "Look at the son of Dusty! He's not going to main event WrestleMania!" to "Hold on, this guy actually really good!" I'm hoping that he finally wins the big one at WrestleMania!

[@YoungAce904]

That Stardust backstage promo has always been my favorite one from him and it's a shame most people don't know it exists

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Even at time I thought it was great

[@Obscusion2]

Give it a few more years & I wouldn't be surprised if Cody himself starts pushing for a younger talent to spit that exact promo towards him verbatim, so that Cody can be the "Old man talkin'".

[@Slaye509]

Me linking the whoa’s in all the themes 🤯

[@FreedomDiaries1]

Great video. His time in NJPW as the leader of the Bullet Club was definitely a high point and his strained friendship with the Young Bucks.

[@retrorockerross]

Thanks for this, Brian. There was a decade plus gap where I wasn't into wrestling at all. I missed the whole of Cody's first run and only started following him during AEW. Very informative!

[@SpeakerguyYake]

In October 2021, I sat front row at AEW Dynamite to watch Cody beat Malakai Black in a bloody war and I boo'd that man louder than I've ever boo'd anyone (as did the rest of Orlando). I never thought in a million years I'd watch him become one of my favorite wrestlers less than a year later. There's something about what he did going back to WWE that was so impossibly transformative and I'm very happy he's a pivotal part in bringing the King's Sport to its next (and current) amazing era. Everyone has benefited. Pro wrestling is in such an amazing place across the globe and Cody has played such a huge role in making it so. Great work as always, Brian.

[@OshaGodTTV]

I was a fan of Cody's since Legacy, it is wild how far he has come in his career!

[@HandlebarOrionX]

17:39 Maybe he knew what Col. Sanders' middle name was. Damn

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Ron Simmons is not happy with your comment, my good man.

[@danielhess1082]

Not sure if Cody himself was behind it, or if it was WWE but to stretch Cody's story another year in hindsight makes a lot of sense and perhaps they had a little foresight. If Cody had defeated Roman last year at Mania, it would have been seen as shoehorned and forced since he came back from injury and won the Rumble at nunber 30, the makes of a cookie cutter mania fued. Also the fan favorite at the time was Sami Zayn, though he ended up getting a good story in his own right with defeating the Usos alongside Kevin Owen's for the Tag Title, which I feel did help elevate that championship. If WWE doesn't pull the trigger and have him win this time......wtf are they actually doing?!

[@opinionatortv6457]

Yeah they would be foolish to have him lose again instead of finally giving him his full circle moment, but this is the WWE we're talking about, bad creative decisions tend to be the norm around there

[@tthomaselli2]

Wrestling With Wregret- What event was Dusty Rhodes at around 3:52?... I can't place it.

[@MikeCassandra]

Yooooooo! Haha Brian sayin deadass?! Love to see it my guy haha

[@hotcoldman77]

Last 5 mins of this video gave me chills. Cody is a huge inspiration to me. Sure wrestling is fiction but his story is very real and I relate with it so much. I've always felt undesirable but Cody has inspired me to bet on myself and I'm in my grind phase of becoming undeniable. C'mon Cody... FINISH THAT STORY!!!

[@KHLthe2nd]

I wonder how many caught youur Mr. Sinister reference???😅

[@claymathewselevator8121]

XMen 97

[@lovetron3628]

Great video man.

[@JofoInTheRing]

#wrestlingislife

[@mattportman3038]

It's strange to think that in 2008 people were talking about Ted DiBiase being the breakout star of the group with the higher ceiling and Cody being the Marty Jannetty of the pair, and now 14 years later, Cody is in the main event of mania, and Ted's potentially going to prison.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Where’s parallel universe Ted was on Arrow as Derek Sampson 😂

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Ted Jr starts AEW in parallel universe 😂

[@telademise]

Stardust's feud with Stephen Amell is what got me into wrestling. Went from "I'll check out Raw and then the Summerslam PPV and call it quits" to watching every PPV since.

[@stephen9281]

At GAB 2007 right before Randy's match with Dusty, Randy cuts a promo and says "Did you know that today is Shawn Michaels' birthday?" and I just love that line. I would say it to my friends all the time.

[@RApollos107]

Now I kind of want to see a vidoe detailing Cody’s independent run between WWE and AEW, I feel like there’s a good amount of material in it for one.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

He briefly went into it in Cody AEW one

[@PrometheusOfVideos]

5:43 - ""Together, this collection of half-naked, oiled up Abercrombie models became the scourge of WWE ..." LMAO - I was eating while watching this and nearly spat out of my food in laughter!!! thanks for the laugh Zane!!! 🤣

[@IAmRickyLozano]

That kinky boots reference fucking caught me off guard!😂

[@moosedawgatlantaproductions]

26:20 DWL’s Jack Spade!

[@Inzaynmembrain97]

That Mania 29 tag match not only had 2 future NWA champions it had two future WWE Hall of Famers if you had to guess which 4 you’d definitely never get that trivia question correct

[@claymathewselevator8121]

🤣

[@Anynom]

Nice just rewatched the vid on Cody and aew so good timing!

[@_Pauper_]

Would love to see one of Cody in the indies between WWE and AEW

[@MauFerrer2000]

I remember 2012-13 when eveyone thought Cody was about to be elevated to main event status. And then... Stardust happened, which in handsight was probably for the best

[@metalneck1979]

I would love to see a video on Aaron Stevens run as Damien Sandow.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Loved Sandow

[@ShinRyojin]

I enjoyed Cody’s Dashing/Undashing gimmick as it reminded me Christian Bale in American Psycho with the unhinged vanity.

[@victheorize4939]

A missed moment that was great during the Damian feud was when Cody threw Damian's briefcase to the sea and Damian swam for it. Needless to say I was very sports entertained that segment

[@azisles02]

I think that Cody is an example of timing is everything & sometimes you just have to bet on yourself. I try to think of where Cody would be now if he never left and just stayed where he was. Not blaming WWE, creative, Vince, HHH or even Cody. He plateued on where he could be there at that point and he needed to go to grow into the main event he felt he could be and had become. Sometimes you just have to bet on yourself to hit the jackpot.

[@trentonantill]

I was pleasantly surprised by the Kinky Boots reference 😭💙

[@vandercudo]

Thank you Brian, a really good topic, and a well made video!

[@sagethevvitch]

I'm still so so so thankful for his AEW match with Dustin.

[@Mr_Leo_DS]

Speaking of Cody and Husky Harris, I'd love to see a "Bray Wyatt in WWE" video

[@MossB87]

That stardust character will never fail to make me laugh

[@jaccblacc8424]

11:24 After I heard the news of the American Psycho reboot, I'm convinced that Cody should play Patrick Bateman

[@aztecwrrior1997]

17:53 cue wrestletalks moustache break

[@EpicRyGuy]

The on screen reason for Cody to start acting like a pretty boy was he was voted the most attractive superstar by the wwe divas in some kayfabe poll

[@michaeljensen3548]

The F.O.M reference was great!😂😂😂😂

[@JofoInTheRing]

FOR REAL LOL

[@weinermug]

I really liked Stardust too! I think the Cosmic Wasteland (or Cosmic Kingdom) had some potential and actually think it would have gotten over better in NXT. But also having seen where Cody went to *because* of that gimmick, I'm glad it didn't get over.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Same The Ascension was underrated

[@X_Blake]

What a story. Can't wait for the conclusion.

[@mkproductions2.0]

My favorite was "Undashing" Cody Rhodes that was pretty good!

[@Bomb-Bit_Genesis]

20:06 The Rhodes/Shield storyline will definitely comeback again