The WWE star plans to keep the famous design
Summary
– Cody Rhodes considers his neck tattoo the greatest regret of his life
– Rhodes expected the American Nightmare logo to be considerably smaller
– He admits the recognizable design has also benefited his career and brand
Cody Rhodes has admitted that placing the American Nightmare logo on his neck remains the greatest regret of his life. During a conversation with Santino Marella on What Do You Wanna Talk About?, Rhodes discussed his complicated relationship with the famous tattoo.
Rhodes emphasized that he still appreciates the artwork and respects the artist who created it. His regret comes entirely from choosing to place such a large design on his neck.
“The neck tattoo, I would widely consider the greatest regret of my life,” Rhodes said. Despite those feelings, the WWE star has no plans to remove or cover the tattoo. “We’re gonna rock this till the very end,” he added.
Rhodes explained that he expected the finished design to be considerably smaller. When he finally looked in the mirror, he was shocked to discover that the logo extended into his jawline.
“What I thought was, it was like here and it was like this,” Rhodes explained. “And then when I saw it and it was in my jaw and it was so big, my life changed.”
Rhodes does not regret tattoos in general and considers his “Dream” tattoo his favorite. However, he believes his late father, Dusty Rhodes, would have reacted strongly to the American Nightmare design.
According to Cody, Dusty would not have congratulated him and would have believed that his son had ruined his appearance. Cody imagined his father becoming furious after seeing the size and placement of the tattoo.
The tattoo made its public debut in 2020 and immediately attracted attention from wrestling fans. Over time, the design became an inseparable part of Rhodes’ appearance and the American Nightmare brand.
The logo now appears throughout his merchandise and promotional materials, making it one of wrestling’s most recognizable symbols. Rhodes acknowledged that permanently displaying the design on his neck has provided valuable business and branding benefits.
Although Rhodes wishes he had made a different decision, he understands how important the image has become to his identity. That success has left him with mixed feelings about something he still considers his biggest personal regret.
“It’s complicated,” Rhodes said when describing his relationship with the tattoo.
