Cody Rhodes left WWE a few years ago in search of his own success in the world of professional wrestling. As the grandson of a plumber, he penned a dream match list and embarked on a journey to make a bigger name for himself outside of WWE. Apparently, this decision was made due to a particular fan interaction that Cody recently discussed with Ariel Helwani.
During the interview, Cody revealed the dark time in his WWE career just before his departure. He played Stardust, a painted and hissing Superstar, who was not resonating with the audience. During a fan interaction, Cody’s bubble was burst when he realized that fans had no idea who he was due to his intergalactic gimmick.
“There was a lot of rock bottom [playing Stardust]. Charlotte Flair brought a fan to a show. She told him, ‘Hey, do you wanna meet Stardust?’ and I was just not painted up or anything there earlier in the day in like my sweats. And he came up to me, he’s like, ‘You’re Stardust?’
I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, and I used to wrestle as Cody Rhodes.’ And he was like, ‘What? Who? What do you mean?’ He had no idea that I’d won the Intercontinental title or won some tag titles or Legacy. Nothing. Stardust was his only knowledge of me, and that was a rock bottom moment.”
Cody Rhodes eventually found his way to AEW, where he became an EVP for the company. He later left and returned to WWE, where he was in a better position to fight for the creative presentation he needed.
Upon his return to WWE, Cody Rhodes quickly rose to the main event level. Despite his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, Cody’s quest to complete his story is far from finished.
Regardless of whether or not Stardust makes a comeback, it is hoped that fans will always remember who Cody Rhodes is. However, Cody himself appears to be content with the way everything has unfolded.
