How I would Book Cody Rhodes In 2025.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Credit:WWE
When I started watching Wrestling, it began in the leadup to WrestleMania 40. Immediately, the character of Cody Rhodes stood out to me. The American Nightmare. A Second generation wrestler, son of the great Dusty Rhodes and half-brother to Dustin Rhodes, better known as Goldust. A tough-looking wrestler who gave rebel vibes, and after seeing his match at WrestleMania 40, I became a fan of Cody. However, in the times since WrestleMania 40, Cody's championship reign hasn't gone the way you'd expect. Personally, I've found it a bit underwhelming. I've become reinvested in his feud with John Cena, but The WWE needs to avoid having another 8 months before Cody's next prominent feud, They need to start building the roadmap for his next 12 months immediately. Luckily for them, I have a suggestion that I think could rebuild Cody Rhodes into one of the most relatable and backable face wrestlers since the days of Stone Cold.
What Is The American Nightmare?
Belt. Credit: WWE.
Cody Rhodes is a complex character in WWE. Simultaneously appealing to the common man while walking out in three-piece suits, the character of The American Nightmare is built on a couple core tenets. First; Relatability. You don't need to be a second-generation wrestler to understand the desire to honor your family. That is a universally understood ideal, and everyone lives their lives with the desire to give their family name a reason to have honour, pride, and valour.
Secondly, his character is very much tied in within the idea of Wrestling History. From the real-life man Cody Rhodes attempting to bring back the "Winged Eagle" belt notably worn by Hulk Hogan, to fighting for his Father's legacy, and now fighting to preserve the linearity of the WWE Universal Heavyweight Championship, Cody's story is one built on the honoring and preservation of what came before him. Hell, his nickname "The American Nightmare" is a play on his father's nickname "The American Dream" that his brother also once used. This gives us a view as to what makes the character of Cody Rhodes tick; the honoring of his family and wrestling history. This gives us an interesting piece to work with, as the Rhodes family has had a... well, let's call it "Spotty" relationship with former WWE Owner Vince McMahon.
Rhodes Vs. McMahon; A Brief History.
by Vince McMahon, believed to be a form of humiliation for the wrestling
great. Credit: WWE.
See, Cody's Dad, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes wasn't best known for his time in WWE. The Legendary Dusty wrestled all over the place, from the NWA territiories during the Territory era, the age before WWE Unified the territories, then for Jim Crockett Promotions, which he eventually bought into, helping to change the name to the Professional Wrestling Federation, or PWF for short. During this time, Dusty was a fiery and passionate babyface, whose personality shone through in every promo, every second in that ring, and even behind the scenes. Dusty was charismatic and personable, and the fans flocked to him. Most notably, he delivered his "Hard Times" Promo, where he allied himself with men and women struggling in a time where the economy was in a recession. Even watching this promotion decades later, you can still feel every word he says and the passion with which he says it. We can all relate to what Dusty talks about; a time in life where, one way or another, we went through our own hard times. By using that as a springboard to the fans' heart, Dusty immediately makes you want to get behind him, no matter who you are.
However, when the PWF started going through their own hard times, Dusty had no choice but to relent and go to the WWF, where Vince McMahon was waiting to make an example out of him. Trotting him out in polka dots every night and jobbing him to midcarders, it was clear as glass what McMahon's intention was; Dusty had stood against him during his conquest to unify the territories, so now Dusty was going to be made to pay the toll. After only 3 years in the promotion, he was released. It would mark the end of his time as a full-time wrestler. From this point on, it was part-time gigs in WCW and ECW. However, the damage Vince had intended to do definitely weighed on The American Dream, and left a looming cloud that wouldn't easily be washed away.
When Dusty's first son Dustin was ready to begin his career, he went to WCW, appearing alongside his dad, and leaving with him after 2 months to go to WWF too, spending 2 years there with his dad, also leaving at the same time after the father-son duo lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil. He would proceed to return to WCW, where, after some struggles in becoming the spooky Se7en and being fortunate enough to be involved in the reveal of The Shockmaster, he managed to catch on in WCW. Then, after 5 years, he went back to WWE, where they had him reprise the character Goldust. Goldust is.... interesting, to say the least? He is a very beloved character, and I totally understand why. Dustin put his heart and his soul into making the character work. However, having the second Rhodes family member in as many years come through your company and also saddling him with a ridiculous gimmick is very on the nose for the spiteful McMahon. However, Dustin pulled the biggest 180 on the boss man and got Goldust way over. With his signature blend of outlandish humor (Staring right at the Booker T 7/11 promo,) Dustin thrived as Goldust. However, he shouldn't have had to go to the furthest lengths to make Goldust work. It was definitely an uphill battle to make Goldust work, but, credit to Goldust, he made it work in his 3 stints in WWE.
Then came Cody. With Dusty now in the WWE's Talent Development team, Cody came into the company white hot. After finding a bit of success as "Dashing" Cody Rhodes, Vince once again did what he does best, and strap a Rhodes with a gimmick. In enters Stardust, a bizarre and downright outlandish Alien-esque persona for Cody. Cody was then jobbed while his character sunk, no matter what he tried. Cody has gone on record saying this was the darkest point in his life, where he'd exit the stage and then swig a mouthful of hard liquor the moment he got backstage to try to wash the sour taste of Stardust from his mouth. After years of being jobbed to the bottom oft he barrel, Cody was released. After that, he wandered the indies, performing in a number of promotions, including New Japan, the most popular wrestling brand in Japan. Then, everything changed when he co-founded AEW with Kenny Omega and the Jackson brothers. Now, Cody tried very hard to get over in AEW, and at first the fans were receptive. However, after enough time, the fans got tired of Cody, and after his relationships with his business partners reportedly went south, Cody sold his stake in AEW and joined WWE. The rest is history. 2 attempts to dethrone the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, with one loss and a victory in the rematch. After a middling feud with Kevin Owens saved entirely by Rhodes putting Owens through a table, we find ourselves at the present, where Rhodes is now feuding with the heel iteration of John Cena.
Igniting a feud with Cody
This gives us a reason for someone to start a feud with Cody; a WWE Wrestler can fight with Cody Rhodes on the ground of him being a hypocrite, refusing to acknowledge his family's mistreatment by the WWE until recently. They can create dichotomy by having a wrestler attack him as a person with opposite ideals, not caring at all about the history of WWE. They could give him another legacy wrestler whose family were treated well by the McMahons, sparking a beef between the company's treatment of their families. Whichever angle they choose to go after, the goal is simple; Have Cody evolve by accepting his family's history of mistreatment in WWE in one way or another, whether as Goldust, the polka dots Dusty wore, or even Stardust, and embrace it.
The next question is who you can have spring this feud. There are many good options to choose from as to whom should be the one to initiate the beef with Cody. One good option is Dominik Mysterio, a wrestler who has a reason to defend the McMahons considering his dad's success in the company. You can bring up Oba Femi from NXT and make him heel, someone big and intimidating who wouldn't have a reason to care about the history Cody is so hell-bent on protecting. However, I think there is one wrestler who fits even better, someone Cody has a long history with, their paths intertwining multiple time.
CM Punk.
CM Punk.
credit: WWE.
I do not like CM Punk. I happen to think that, while he is a very talented on-mic performer, his wrestling is moderate at best. I don't have the same appreciation that others do for this man. However, I can't think of anyone better to spur this feud with than CM Punk. Punk was in the WWE the first time Cody was in WWE, getting jobbed as Stardust. he was in AEW when Cody was still there, signing with the company in 2021. Now he's back in WWE, a main-eventer and a person with a reason to fight with Cody.
Punk is someone who has held the title before, and was done dirty by Vince and by The Rock, who was the beneficiary of a suspicious situation, allowing Rock to pin Punk to win the belt. That was the start of Punk's end to his first run in WWE. Now that he's back, fighting someone who is trying to honor the company's history, when within that history there are fighters who he believes get preferential treatment, and has vocalized so multiple times, would make total sense.
How I Would Book Cody Rhodes Vs. CM Punk.
The beef between these two should start right after Wrestlemania, on the Raw after. During this Raw taping, Punk comes out and rips Cody as a friend for now being a corporate shill for the company that held him and his family down for Years. Cody comes out, enraged by his family's name being called out, and Punk leaves, but not before warning Cody that his belt will end up off his waist if he can't come to terms with the history his family and the wrestling industry have.
These two would continue to jaw at each other for a couple months, until weeks before SummerSlam, where Punk would challenge Cody for his belt. Cody accepts the challenge, but gets defeated after his past comes back up in some capacity, whether by interference by other former AEW wrestlers, or other people with history with Dusty, or even with Cody refusing to do a move from his family's past, just like Roman refusing to leave Seth Rollins' beef behind him, the moment that gave Cody this very belt.
Now with the belt around his waist, Punk becomes even more insufferable toward his former friend, admonishing Cody on another Raw, and warning him his career will die if he can't come to terms with his family's staggered history in the WWE. Struggling to grasp it, Cody could go to Jey Uso or to Dominik Mysterio, or any other second-generation wrestler, or even a Randy Orton type, a vet with clear admiration for the game and it's history. With that wrestler's help, Cody begins to return to himself, burying the negative feelings he has for the way his Father and Brother, and himself as well, were all treated by WWE and the wider wrestling word as a whole.
Cody returns on another Raw after winning either the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber and challenges Punk to another match at next year's Wrestlemania, with Punk agreeing on the condition that if Rhodes were to lose, he would leave the company forever. Rhodes agrees, and the two are slated to scrap at Mania 42 in New Orleans. From there, Cody gets his revenge, using Stardust's signature cartwheel and taunt during his entrance, and hitting his CrossRhodes signature move. proceeding to pin Punk with his father's Figure 4 Leglock. On the Smackdown after Mania, Punk goes on and congratulates Rhodes on the win, saying that he challenged Rhodes to change for the better, and Rhodes succeeded. Rhodes comes out and embraces Punk with a hug, thanking him for helping Rhodes to accept his family's history.
Conclusion.
Cody Rhodes with his WWE Undisputed Championship after Wrestlemania
40. Credit: WWE.
I think there's a lot of potential to telling this kind of a story. Cody is a great wrestler and can easily draw people to a storyline of this kind. I think Punk is the right person for it. Punk is notoriously solid on the microphone, and their real-life friendship would give Punk a reason to want to push Rhodes to be better. Punk is also such a natural heel you could ditch the concerned friend angle and just have him be his regular heelish self, removing the concern and replacing it with disgust.
However, I think this is the move to make for Cody. People cared most about Cody when his storyline had a heart to it, wanting to repair the Rhodes legacy in WWE. This would bring that same heart back to the story of The American Nightmare, with Cody having to accept his family's rocky history with the company, including his own, and continuing to want to move forward. You could even do a backstage segment after Cody loses the belt where he goes to Triple H and laments that he's having second thoughts coming back to WWE, and how he can't believe he's back in a place that wronged both him and his father. You could have The Game comfort Cody by reminding him he knows what it's like to be wronged by the WWE, and how he also went from undesirable to undeniable, a phrase Cody himself used multiple times. I think this is the move to make, and one that could set up the WWE's biggest star with a solidified heart to his character for years to come.
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