Cody Rhodes Loses His Mask and "Grotesque" Image

[D-Man]

[YOUTUBE]wXEmJBcEmjs[/YOUTUBE]​

For those who watched Raw last night, you saw Cody Rhodes with a new ring entrance, a personality adjustment, and he's now without the protective mask.

Personally, this came as a big shock for me. I really thought the "Grotesque" Cody Rhodes persona was successful. The entrance music, the look (sleeveless hoodie) and personality of Rhodes was REALLY getting over as a top heel on Smackdown. In addition, he really brought the Intercontinental title into the main picture and has given it some importance, regardless of his recent booking.

Now, Rhodes has a new entrance theme, no mask, and a psychotic-type of persona that depicts him smiling a lot, as many psychotic people supposedly do. But it should also be noted that Rhodes has gotten into TREMENDOUS shape, as of late, and truly looks the part of a title holder.

As we've seen in the past, slight changes in an already-successful persona can be career suicide in the world of pro-wrestling. What are everyone's views on this? Is this good or bad for Cody?

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'm going to be honest here. When Cody Rhodes first came into the WWE and competed regularly, I thought he was a joke. I thought he was the weakest link of the Legacy but he has proven me so wrong. I absolutely love what he's doing now. I like that he brought back the old IC belt and some interest to that title. The old gimmick with the disfigured face was great and any time you change or even tweak a gimmick, you really have to be careful but I believe they have full confidence in Cody now.

The question now is, how do they get him over as a Main Eventer? His ongoing feud with Orton has helped but I have a feeling this new or 'refined' gimmick is in preparation to give him a main event push.

 

[Marijuanaleaf]

I'ts great. I hate to agree with Lawler, cause he's a mark for faces and rarely gives heels credit, but Rhodes is better off without the mask. Losing the mask will only push him further into the main event because he is on top of his game and in his prime thus far. Cody didn't showcase too much skill in that tag team match so maybe creative is gonna make him look like a pussy now that he has no facial protection giving him the upper hand and also he'll have to find new ways to win the match by cheating that is just as exciting as him hitting someone with the acrylic mask. Hopefully Rhodes is the Soul Survivor at Survivor Series and takes a step into Orton's shoes and really shoots his career into that next level.

 

[#hamler]

I think character changes are completely necessary to be a sucessful wrestler; Cody Rhodes just falls into the category. The Grotesque gimmick has ran it's course and this can be nothing but good for Cody Rhodes. I believe what will help Cody, is if he keeps a lot of the same shit he used to do with his most recent gimmick. For example, It is my belief that Rhodes should keep the bags and continuously hand them out to various fans when he wrestles. That should be somewhat of a trademark for Rhodes. Removing the mask is probably a sign of things to come. With that said, he isn't ready for the main event. He isn't over enough yet. That's a major problem when developing Rhodes' character. I don't care what changes they have to make, just as long as he's a main eventer come six months from now. He damn worthy.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Personally I think it was time for him to lose the mask. That was a significant instrument to help elevate his character and to move him up the hierarchy of WWE, but I think he has established himself there and no longer needs the mask. What I didn't like was his change of theme song and his change of demeanor. I loved his old theme and don't think they should have tinkered with that at all. And I think he could have maintained more of the elements of the grotesque Rhodes character, minus the mask. The way he talks, the way he carries himself, all of that should have been preserved to maintain the persona, minus the mask.

I guess nothing ventured nothing gained. If his character starts to slip, just have him suffer a devastating loss to someone, and the mask can easily be brought back. But I wouldn't want them to mess with his character too much, as he has gotten over far more significantly than I ever thought he would, back when he was the weakest link of the Legacy faction.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I felt that the timing was perfect, he had success with the grotesque gimmick and I think that people really started to take him seriously since then. However I do believe that it was just recently getting a little old and just as I was thinking that he comes out on Raw last night without the mask sporting a massive change in appearance and confidence. I think that Cody Rhodes looked like a brand new man last night and I was very very impressed, maybe I was just blown away when I realized the the first time that he looks huge and has much more muscle definition, I don't know how I didn't notice unless the mask was supposed to take our attention off his body so we focused on his protective headgear. But either way, I know that character tweaks can kill a superstar but last night Cody Rhodes looked and felt like a true champion, and I've gone along with the idea of him being a future world champion because I believed it would happen, last night I felt it.

 

[Jessie Lynn DivaGirl]

I've been calling for the mask to go since WrestleMania and I'm glad it finally came off. Personally I think this new gimmic is going to be entirtaining- what's better on the mic then a crazy hottie? (Josh Groban's voice of course, but that's beside the point) This is good timing because I think the old grotesque Cody was getting a little stale and people were just like, "Yawn" everytime he got on the mic. Now that he has a new gimmic people are going to be interested and want to see what this guy is going to do next. Nice move Cody. At least we get to see him smile again. He hasn't smiled in what, a year? Year and a half?

 

[stephenjpunk317]

You know what was good about this Cody Rhodes segment last night was the little pop up window where he talked for just a minute or so about losing the mask. I don't know why the WWE couldn't do that with more of the mid card guys. give them a chance to speak on something in a backstage segment if they can't get the mic time outside in the ring.

 

[berlinbrawler]

I think this is great news. The mask and disfigured-gimmick was great, but it had run its course. It was time to move on.
From the looks of things Cody is still somewhat psycho, if not with a plastic mask. Great. I think Rhodes is slowly but surely setting his sights on heavyweight gold. Wouldn't be surprised if he won the Rumble and went to Wrestlemania.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This change is going to be great for Cody. The "grotesque" character had run its course and was getting akward. He can be taken more seriously now and will be ready to move up the card. The new entrance theme fits him well and he looks like a legit champion now. While the mask was unique, it was time for it to go and the paper bag thing was so cheesy. Rhodes will be better off now because that character might not have fit in with the main event scene. We will have to wait and see. I look forward to seeing what this new persona will be like.

 

[Headman]

To be honest I think it's a bit of a risk getting away from what got him over. This could be another Dolph Ziggler goes brunette situation, though I feel Cody's promo ability is superior to Ziggler's and may still be able to pull it off. Even so, this is a risk I don't feel they needed to take. The mask was over, the bags were over. Nobody here had a hard time taking him seriously last week, so why change? Cody was different from everybody else. When I think of guys who are truly successful in this business it's the guys who stand out. Can he still do that without the paper bags, the mask and the slow tormented promos? I hope so, but I guess we'll see.

 

[pharrison0scorpion]

I was always calling for the mask to go since it debuted. I really didnt like that gimmicka t all at first, although it had grown on me slightly by the end. I was still pleased when I saw he had got rid of it, although, now I realise that having the mask made him different to the other heels and really got him over. Without the mask, it actually seemed quite awkward and, to me, he just seemed to be a generic heel, who didnt really have any of the characteristics that the 'grotesque' Cody had. Although we didnt see much of his mic skills (only having the speech backstage), he seems to not be quite so demonic now and the monotone voice really worked for me. I hope he doesnt slip back into mid card obscurity now, because he is so deserving of a WHC reign. Im not going to lie, I didnt like the new theme, but I guess it fits him. I hope he goes on to main event now, and I hope he can become a solid heel without the mask, bags, and being quite so demonic now.

 

[berlinbrawler]

To be honest I think it's a bit of a risk getting away from what got him over. This could be another Dolph Ziggler goes brunette situation, though I feel Cody's promo ability is superior to Ziggler's and may still be able to pull it off. Even so, this is a risk I don't feel they needed to take. The mask was over, the bags were over. Nobody here had a hard time taking him seriously last week, so why change? Cody was different from everybody else. When I think of guys who are truly successful in this business it's the guys who stand out. Can he still do that without the paper bags, the mask and the slow tormented promos? I hope so, but I guess we'll see.

Oooh, I remember the Ziggler-goes-brunnette thing. It was uncanny - never before did a wrestler's career go down the crapper as quickly as this due to a hairdo change.
There is a big difference to Rhodes, though. Ziggler with short brown hair looked as generic as they come. He went from stand out to invisible in the blink of an eye.
Cody, on the other hand, has a major presence, with or without the mask. He didn't always have it, mind you, he developed it. Seeing him without the silly plastic thing on Monday had a very positive effect on me (and others, I think). With Ziggler I went "Ohmygawd this looks terrible" and almost immediately lost interest in the character.
The mask and the bags were over, true, but they were also somewhat limiting. He rode that gimmick as far as it could get him, but this plastic mask thing isn't really main even material. To get to that level he has to grow beyond the mask, and he has taken a very important step in doing just that.
(Also the bags backfired a little on Cody. The people were supposed to feel insulted by it, instead they were eager to put those bags over their heads... Not exactly the effect they were hoping for.)

 

[The Future Rises]

This is gonna be interesting to say the least. I really liked Cody's gimmick and thought the mask made his look unique. But right now I'm a little confused. He still has that slow toned voice when he talks yet he smiles a lot, doesn't have a mask, and has a badass theme song remix of his Dashing one. I'm not really sure where they're going with him really, but let's just hope it goes somewhere. Cody has showed me this year that he can actually show a lot of personality when they book him right. Not only that but he has showed me that he has tons of talent and potential. So I really hope he ends up with an interesting character because we all know just how entertaining Cody, or any one else for that matter, is without one.

Though I'm kinda disappointed it looks like we're never gonna see a "Disfigured" Cody Rhodes Vs Mankind program. Foley just came back and that feud building up to Wrestlemania would be gold with Foley putting him over at the big event. Well I guess the WWE wouldn't do it anyway considering they need to concentrate on Rock/Cena more than anything else and don't want it to overshadow something like Rhodes/Mankind too much.

 

[amazing_blue]

While I understand them wanting to tweak Cody's gimmick to help push him into the main event scene, dumbing him down is no way to go about that. They should have made him more dark and over the top, not more generic and run of the mill.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I liked his grotesque gimmick to be honest as well as his old entrance music. As I have already said quite a few times here, Cody Rhodes character transition from dashing to damaged was one of the best character transistions that I have ever seen. It was very believable and every little thing fit in almost perfectly. Remember that slow "WOAH-OH" at the beginning of his old music? That was awesome and dark and kind of gave me the feeling that a really shattered man was reminscing about his past.

This gimmick change does not look bad but it is not on the same level as his previous gimmick change. Maybe I am nitpicking, but I would have liked WWE to explain just WHY Cody decided to discard the mask. On the brighter side though, Cody has not completely discarded his psychotic character which is what got his career going in the first place.

While I do not think that this character of Cody is going to fail, because it seems that it is more or less the same psychotic character anyway with a few tweaks here and there, I do not think there was any reason for him to lose his mask. It did make him stand out.

 

[TheNextBigThing94]

At first thoughts, i am really dissapointed that the 'grotesque' gimmick is gone and in my opinion was very premature. It was really setting him apart as one of the best heels to really be taken seriously, and a believable threat. I may be on my own here, but i could see him winning his first world title with that gimmick in tact. He had become my favourite superstar in a long time and for me, easily the best IC champ of the past few years.

As for the new gimmick, i wont judge yet as it's impossible to see how succesful it will be. I admit that when the grotesque gimmick first came, i was a big doubter, and just didnt 'get it'. HOW WRONG WAS I? Rhodes has shown in the past year or two that he can make a success out of any character so i am placing confidence in him, not in the new gimmick.

Gimmick or no gimmick, he's a future world champion and whilst i wished his gimmick hadnt been changed, i will watch eagerly to see his progression.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I originally disliked Cody Rhodes when he started the whole grotesque angle. Thought it was stupid, thought he was stupid and that people were overrating his abilities, but then for some reason during his spat with Danielson, I gained respect for the guy and began to like him. To add to that, he brought back my favorite version of the IC Championship and his feud with Orton in my own opinion was good and entertaining.

This is what needed to happen. He couldn't wear the mask forever and when he did lose it he'd have to begin a new persona. He was already showing signs of a psychopath to begin with, the laugh isn't new anyway, and in the grand scheme of things he continued to remove the mask anyway and we could see he wasn't grotesque, the idea that we thought was he amused he was mentally grotesque but again that can only work for so long. So from the ashes of grotesque Cody Rhodes rises this new version.

Personally I like it. Like him more now than I have before, his small promo as he was walking to the ring in the side; which was retro and awesome by the way, was good. If he can get into this character like he did his last there is no reason why he can't be successful. Definitely someone whose came on a lot to become a contender in the future for the big titles.

 

[TheMainEvent]

I really liked that Rhodes has "evolved" out of the grotesque gimmick and lost the mask this week. His feud with Orton elevated him and that gimmick would still hold him back slightly. I love that despite losing to Orton he gained alot of credibility and looks to be in line for a continued push up the Smackdown main event scene.

My only complaint is that with WWE missed a great opportunity to elevate another face by feuding with Rhodes while he still held the grotesque persona. By that I mean he had a perfectly built in feud with the "pretty boy" Justin Gabriel that could have pushed Gabriel as a top tier face and elevated the IC title. Aside from that Cody has done wonders with the gimmicks he has been given and has developed into a great future talent.

Now just get the guy some kneepads!!!

 

[Notorious718]

Just as when Cody Rhodes dropped his "dashing" gimmick for the "disfigured" gimmick, I once again have bittersweet feelings about this. I really was enjoying the grotesque thing Rhodes had and I thought it was one of the better things WWE had going on. However, I do agree that the gimmick had run its course (after all, he's worn the protective mask for a very long time and it just wouldn't be realistic if he wore it for very much longer). It's good to evolve Cody's character. Now, he's got the look of a champion while retaining some of the psychotic aspects of his grotesque character. While I guess this might be a risk, it was bound to happen eventually.

 

[The Crock]

The grotesque character and the mask served their purpose -- they were a main catalyst in Cody Rhodes' rise to the top. He used that character to propel himself past the other midcarders, earn an Intercontinental Championship, and solidify himself as a fringe main eventer. That said, he does not need the mask and the grotesque character any longer.

Many times, when a wrestler becomes too dependent on one thing, it becomes a crutch. If Rhodes' had stuck with that, it's quite possible that it would have become his crutch. It can became very one-dimensional and, truth be told, boring. As much as some people fear it -- change is good! This was great timing for Rhodes, as this might be the finally step to finally being a full-fledged main eventer. His feud with Orton proved his worth, but now, with continued improvements and a slight gimmick change, he has all the tools to succeed. It creates interest and allows us as fans more intrigue, we don't know what to expect from Rhodes at this point.

The future looks bright for Cody Rhodes, no doubt. To me, he's the future for the WWE, or at the very least, an important cog in the machine for many years to come. He has the look, the in-ring ability, the mic skills, etc. An excellent talent. This move takes the emphasis off of his gimmick, off of the mask, and allows him to evolve some more. It puts the focus on Cody Rhodes and his tremendous abilities, while offering him a new way to garner heat, a new way to propel his heel character. No longer does he have to use the mask or bag the fans, now he can just focus on buffing out the rough spots and preparing himself for the big time.

This puts Cody Rhodes in the company of guys like Kane, Undertaker, The Rock, and the like. All those guys adjusted their gimmicks over time, using what got them to "the dance," while also tweaking it bit by bit over time. I'm certainly not saying Rhodes needs to pull an Undertaker and go American Bad Ass or anything, but the small changes to the Deadman gimmick is what I'm talking about. Today's Undertaker is not the one we saw when he debuted, hell, it's not the one we saw in the Attitude Era. All greats have to do it, they all have to change. There's just no way around it. Wrestling fans are fickle and impatient, no doubt about it. It's not easy to keep their attention, to keep them interested in you. It's very rare that the EXACT SAME THING will work, over and over again. It's all about evolving.

Rhodes went from Hardcore Holly's tag team partner, to a lackey in Legacy, to now finally emerging as one of the brightest young stars in professional wrestling. If that's not impressive, then I don't know what is. He was dismissed when Legacy split up, seen by many as the Marty Jannetty to Ted DiBiase Jr.'s Shawn Michaels. How did that pan out? Not a knock on DiBiase, as he's starting to make something of himself on Smackdown as well, but he's nowhere near Cody Rhodes. That right there shows Cody Rhodes' perseverance, his ability to adapt, there's no way a slight change in his gimmick, like this one, will bury him.

Rhodes has the key now, he has his ticket to the top. In today's age of wrestling, after the Attitude Era, most gimmick-intensive wrestlers just don't work. After a while the same thing was going to happen. With a larger focus on him being "psychotic," it allows for more realism, something more believable.

I LOVE this change. Excellent move.

 

[TimAH]

You know what was good about this Cody Rhodes segment last night was the little pop up window where he talked for just a minute or so about losing the mask. I don't know why the WWE couldn't do that with more of the mid card guys. give them a chance to speak on something in a backstage segment if they can't get the mic time outside in the ring.

Absolutely agree. So many of these guys look flat out uncomfortable when talking in front of the audience. Prerecorded interviews and such are far more entertaining then watching a guy stumble over what he is supposed to say live.

 

[RKO1989]

I am really liking Cody Rhodes right now, he's on a roll right now. IMO He has not only brought the IC title back some of its lost prestige but he (along with ziggler) has brought the mid-card division to its best days we havent seen in a long time. I personally think him dropping the grotesque look was a good think, the grotesque look was on its last legs and instead of becoming stale he is keeping it fresh.

Its funny I can remember when Legacy broke up the majority thought Cody was gonna either get the boot quickly or stay at the bottom where McIntyre is at right now, funny how things work out.

 

[Suibon]

The man-under-the-plastic-mask gimmick was on its end when Cody v. Randy became an inevitability; he was now a credible near-ME heel, and assuredly over with smarky and casual alike, so it had served its purpose.

Like most people who've seen a wrestler's successful gimmick since day one, I worry about Cody's future without the mask or the paper bags or the suit-and-tie, but banish that -- he got annoyingly over with the shitty 'Dashing' gimmick; he'll be getting over anything.​

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The character had to evolve at some point. It works. He's incredibly talented, you could tell him to be a stuffed turkey and he'd get it over. I'm excited for it. i was honestly getting tired of the mask, there were only so many ways he could work with it. Now it's time to see what else he can do.

On a side note, I don't think he's gotten in that much better shape. He's more tan and probably had more of a pump going in and maybe more oiled up. There's a lot of shit you can do to look better.