Cody Rhodes Mask....

[GW_Hart86]

This may have been previously discussed, but is it just me? or is Cody Rhodes mask the worst mask ever in wrestling history?

I cannot understand for the life of me why a guy who is supposed to have some deformed face gimmick, kind of along the same lines of Kane back in the day, wears a clear plastic mask which clearly shows his face in fact has no deformity. It really beggers belief.

I'm not saying his gimmick is bad, but I really think they need to revamp the mask and make it perhaps black in colour, hiding his face and giving him a much more sinister look. I think it would only make sense.

Thoughts....

 

[The Dragon Saga]

His mask is fairly transparent but something I've taken notice of, especially on PPV when Jerry Lawler is given the power to comment, he made reference to how Rhodes face would have became healed by now, this brings one to believe that although his face was initially deformed now his character is simply based on an insecurety about the way he looks.

I agree with them changing it to black, or at least make it more fogged. When he originally showed the mask it was fairly fogged but not so much now. But as I said, I think most people do realize his face has healed and his gimmick isn't so much being deformed as it is being insecure. Michael Cole usually plays up how he's disfigured but Josh is always the one to point out that Rhodes' injury happened near six months ago now.

 

[Braxton11]

I think the mask has run its course. I'm all for his gimmick and he is doing well with it but there has to be a way for him to maintain this gimmick while losing the mask. I'm predicting it is only a matter of time before there is some type of "mask vs whatever" match that will cause him to lose it.

 

[Masked_Rick]

I like how the mask has worked so far. Plays up into his gimmick of a psychologically disturbed man that projects his own flaws in the whole WWE universe.

It wouldn't be hard to lose the mask without losing the gimmick, Cody is always saying that he's going to make everyone "look at his face", you could have him feeling increasingly frustrated by the judgmental looks of the crowd and chuck the mask away in rage.

(first post btw. hi guys.)

 

[Ubiquitous]

The mask has nothing to do with hiding some deformity. What was once a shield has now become a comforting blanket. Much like Kane, all his "deformities" are on the inside, but no matter what anyone tells him, he'll always see them. The clarity of the mask is all part of it. You can obviously see that his face is and has been perfectly fine, but he plays it off as if his features have been mangled. Cody Rhodes' charecter has evolved to need the mask, he feels safe in it. He even gets a small amount of heat from it, when he uses it for those headbutts during matches. Now, don't worry, I'm sure there are plans to do something with the whole fact that you can see through his mask, so just wait it out. Although I personally don't want him to, because it makes him different, I believe he'll drop the mask sooner rather than later.

 

[The Future Rises]

His mask is very original and a big part of his "Disfigured" gimmick.

I like his mask because it's something fresh and new. I mean sure we've seen the gimmick before the crazy masked psychopath. But not only does Cody play it to perfection but his mask is very original too.

The only flaw is the fact that sometimes you could actually see through his mask and nothing's wrong with his nose. But other than that Cody's mask is perfect for the gimmick.

 

[LFC till i die]

I like Cody's deformed psychotic character but I find it pretty stupid how he wears a see through mask when he is "disfigured". At least have it anything other than see through ! I mean, you can clearly see he isn't disfigured.

 

[Syborgg]

When Cody first got his face "injury", I was hoping that they would do some sort of "Phantom of the Opera" look. Especially when he did a couple matches in his suit and pants. Now I think it's more along the lines of Cowboy Bob Orton's cast that he wore forever, or D-Lo Brown's chest protector that he had back in the NOD days. It's there as a "legal" weapon whenever Cody needs to take a shortcut.

It's part of the character and he plays the character well. We'll just have to see how he evolves his character when it's time to ditch the mask and the charade that he's disfigured. I hope he keeps progressing, because he could become one of the premier heels of the company in a very short time.

 

[Maddog Lionheart]

I'm not all that a big fan of Cody Rhodes, but I do think it is a step from before. I do think that he's does need to either get a different mask or he needs to change the color or transparency of his mask. It would make him look more sinister and edgier.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

Haven't you seen basketball players wear similar masks?

The mask has nothing to do with hiding some deformity. What was once a shield has now become a comforting blanket. Much like Kane, all his "deformities" are on the inside, but no matter what anyone tells him, he'll always see them. The clarity of the mask is all part of it. You can obviously see that his face is and has been perfectly fine, but he plays it off as if his features have been mangled. Cody Rhodes' charecter has evolved to need the mask, he feels safe in it.

Holy effin' symbolism! This was good and brings me to my next point: ever thought that he's too insecure to risk something happening to his face again? He's just traumatized and needs the mask. Blah blah, repeat things other posters pointed out before me, et cetera et cetera.

 

[The Death Rattle]

I believe that changing the mask would ruin part of the gimmick. Cody Rhodes' original injury suffered was that of a broken nose. The mask he wears is what would be given to any athlete so they could continue participating in whatever their sport was. Being the narcissist that Rhodes' previous gimmick was, it's actually quite beautiful how the mask led to the gimmick. A "dashing" man wouldn't see through the mask when looking in the mirror, he would simply see the mask. From seeing that mask, Rhodes formed the opinion that he was thus deformed. It is a case of creative finding a unique, yet simple, way to give a character substance and direction. So, given the nature of his character, he would see no reason to be more fashionable with his style of mask. What drives him is the very fact that, in his mind, he is forced to hide himself behind one in the first place.

 

[gamma2008]

That actually is the kind of mask somebody may wear if they are a professional athlete who has incurred some kind of injury to their face. It's sole purpose is to protect, so when he was originally "injured" that is actually just a realistic take on the mask. But his character wouldn't be nearly as interesting if he lost the mask. It's psychological, he continues to believe his face is irrevocably damaged. Haven't you ever known or heard of someone who believes there is something physically wrong with them that makes no sense? The anorexic who weighs 90 lbs yet thinks they are fat? The person who gets new plastic surgery every year trying to achieve some concept of perfection? It's actually a realistic problem in today's world, and it helps make Rhodes such an excellent heel.

The guy wasn't doing much before the mask gimmick. Since then he's won a wrestlemania title, received much greater reaction from the crowd, and is now holding the midcard title. Hell, he may be the first midcard champion I've seen in a while who can actually use it for its original intention: to build up to a main event run. He's a demented individual who cannot remove his imperfections, so he externalizes it by trying to remove ugliness from everyone else around him. Or, if you really wanna go crazy, he just wants to bag everyone else's head because if his is the only visible face in the arena, he cannot be considered ugly due to the lack of a comparison?

Oooooh its crazy, thats the point.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Yeah the clear face mask is kind of weird, I agree there. However, even though it looks weird it is good that Cody has it because it sets him apart from the others. A black frame rather than a clear one would definitely look cooler than the clear one, as long as he would still be able to see through it. I can see them upgrading it to a black one after he becomes a main eventer since that would make him look more like a threat.

 

[EchoesFayt242]

I've liked Cody since his 'Dashing' gimmick. At first I didn't like the 'Disfigured' gimmick but it's gotten him more exposure including a Wrestlemania match. This gimmick also saved Cody's character in a way. If he had carried on with the Dashing gimmick he would eventually lost too much steam and fallen into the abyss of other cocky heels. While I do agree I hate the mask I feel that it works great for Cody's character. Like others have said it would be good if his mask was given a darker tint for now. But I would like to see him lose it eventually