Cody Rhodes.... Too Generic?

[mikde_]

Right so i'm probably going to get a great deal of hate for this but in my opinion since cody ditched the 'Disfigured' gimmick a while back he just has not stood out as interesting character or even a big time player. For me he just seems too damn generic and is just playing the cocky, arrogant, pretty boy heel that we have seen so many times through out the years.

He is very talented in the ring and pretty good on the mic (if somewhat cheesy at times) and is apparently one for the future but i really am not interested in seeing cody on any level with his current character as it just does not engage me in the slightest and i think it's a damn shame because he is too talented to be playing the role he currently is.

Well thats my opinion, What's your's?

 

[Dagger Dias]

Rhodes IS a little more generic now, but at least now he can be taken seriously as a threat to the World Championship. There's no way that either the Dashing or Disfigured personas could have ever made it past the Intercontinental Championship. Cody would have been laughed out of the building had he challenged main eventers. He's more serious now and comes off as a signficantly greater threat. He may not be as interesting, but he's come a long way since tag teaming with Hardcore Holly or the Team Priceless days, that's for sure!

The current persona does still allow him to showcase his skills both on the mic and in the ring, he'll be main eventing in the future, and that matters more than having a unique gimmick. I still watch his matches and promos, so I personally don't find him TOO generic. I'd rather he have stayed in the Dashing persona, it was too silly to go past the midcard though, and the same can be said for the Disfigured persona. Rhodes needs to be this character in order to climb any further up the card.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

You're right. The man is bland. He's vanilla. He's dull. They actually showed character development with him when he was disfigured. First time I've ever been impressed with him. It wasn't a gimmick that would be longlasting, but I thought it would lead to better things. Sure hasn't really. He just turned back into another cocky heel who loses a lot. The majority of his wins over the past year have come against the disappearing act known as Ted DiBiase, a black announcer, and Big Show.

Just when I get invested in a guy, the WWE manages to screw it up. I fear for you, Wade Barrett.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Rhodes IS a little more generic now, but at least now he can be taken seriously as a threat to the World Championship. There's no way that either the Dashing or Disfigured personas could have ever made it past the Intercontinental Championship.

Cody's been in this "persona" for about a year and he hasn't given any indication that he is going past the Intercontinental Championship.

Cody would have been laughed out of the building had he challenged main eventers. He's more serious now and comes off as a signficantly greater threat.

The guy whose majority of the wins have come against an announcer and Big Show is a significantly greater threat? You're not convincing me in the slightest.

He may not be as interesting, but he's come a long way since tag teaming with Hardcore Holly or the Team Priceless days, that's for sure!

I saw more personality from him in the Priceless days than I have now, that's for sure.

The current persona does still allow him to showcase his skills both on the mic and in the ring, he'll be main eventing in the future, and that matters more than having a unique gimmick. I still watch his matches and promos, so I personally don't find him TOO generic. I'd rather he have stayed in the Dashing persona, it was too silly to go past the midcard though, and the same can be said for the Disfigured persona. Rhodes needs to be this character in order to climb any further up the card.

Narcissistic gimmicks can sure make you go far than being characterless.

 

[legendkiller1979]

I have to agree with everyone else. He's sooo boring. The only thing interesting about him is his lisp. It's not quite as bad as Swagger's but still annoying. I've often wondered what so many people praise him. I get that he's good in the ring, but he looks like he should be a JV basketball player, not a wrestler. I just don't see what the WWE sees in him. He was IC champion way too long. Hopefully that's the end of his success.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

You're right. The man is bland. He's vanilla. He's dull. They actually showed character development with him when he was disfigured. First time I've ever been impressed with him.

I never saw potential in Cody Rhodes until the disfigured gimmick.

He was bland-on-bland, decent in the ring, but to be fair also wasn't being given enough time to work. Once they dropped the "Dashing" angle and he started wearing the mask, it was like an entirely different performer. More agile, better on the stick, better in the ring, he'd a great feud with Rey Mysterio and a pretty good one with DiBiase(should have been given more time, but it's irrelevant now.)

Last year at Survivor Series he gained a big pop from the smark crowd in MSG, dude looked to be going places, but ever since the angle with Big Show hes been becoming more normal, more basic, just like another cocky heel. He can still speak very well, he can compete too, they just need to give him something to work with.

I always thought they'd take the mentally disfigured route with him, but instead it was as though they took his months under the mask and tossed it to the curb. He's nowhere near a lost cause, has the potential to certainly become a transitional World Champion, but he needs to be tweaked again.

 

[xJER1CH0H0L1Cx]

I think he IS more generic now but by no fault of his own. The WWE was too quick to change his gimmicks around and I think he suffered for it. I would have liked to have seen the Undashing gimmick last much longer but they scrapped it out of nowhere. I still truly believe that Cody is the future and he will become WWE Champion some day.

 

[DirtyD79]

I agree they should have kept the mask and stuff. His current character is just too bland. He needs to show some of his own personality, something that makes him stand out from all the other one dimensional, cocky, pretty boy heels.

 

[The Crock]

I still enjoy Cody Rhodes, but he's taken quite a step back recently. He's a natural talent -- the business truly does run through his veins -- but he's nothing more than a run-of-the-mill midcarder, as of right now. Rhodes has the in-ring ability, the mic skills, and the charisma to some day really make it as a star, his only problem is that he faded back into the crowd. Whether he was "dashing" or "disfigured," Rhodes knew how to work a gimmick well and make himself unique -- right now, he's just kind of there. Rhodes (well, the creative team, really) is running the risk of stunting his growth as a performer, they need to capitalize now and finally let Rhodes make the final jump to stardom.

The way I see it, Rhodes needs one really good feud with an upper-level guy (like Ziggler is with Jericho) to finally make it over the hump. That isn't the only thing he needs to do, but he's got enough natural ability to make whatever he is given work. I think it's less of an issue of being generic, as it is really just not being given his chance. Given a major opportunity, Rhodes would have to be as entertaining as ever to hold onto his spot -- right now, he's just stagnating in the midcard, so complacency might very well be setting in. WWE needs to strike while the iron is still relatively hot with Rhodes, even if he's nowhere near where he once was.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I disagree completely with the OP, I feel the "disfigured" gimmick was the worst run of Cody's career since he started his singles push. His "Dashing" gimmick was unique and was over huge with the crowd. When he started wearing the mask, he became ungodly bland and started...talking...really...slow...like...a...Randy...Orton...clone... I feel that ever since he lost the mask, Cody has been on fire and is quickly becoming one of the top stars in the WWE. I think he could make a huge impact in the main event scene within the next year or two.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I disagree completely with the OP, I feel the "disfigured" gimmick was the worst run of Cody's career since he started his singles push. His "Dashing" gimmick was unique and was over huge with the crowd. When he started wearing the mask, he became ungodly bland and started...talking...really...slow...like...a...Randy...Orton...clone... I feel that ever since he lost the mask, Cody has been on fire and is quickly becoming one of the top stars in the WWE. I think he could make a huge impact in the main event scene within the next year or two.

Seriously?

Here's a little fact for you. Cody Rhodes has won EIGHT matches this year and four of them were in January. Here are the guys he has beaten.

Booker T
Ezekiel Jackson
Justin Gabriel twice
Khali
Big Show
Tyson Kidd
Christian

Are these the signs of a guy who's on fire? I don't think so.

 

[Airehk]

He doesn't need a gimmick. He just needs to be himself with the volume cranked up.

..heard that somewhere before, but it's true. He's just one of those guys who doesn't need a persona to look good.

 

[trashboy]

Cody Rhodes is boring in everything he does. The only time i somewhat liked him was when he was with The Legacy. After that, I could care less about him. Never found him entertaining at all, even during the disfigured thing. Dashing Cody was annoying. His matches aren't even that good. I hope he never becomes a world champ. When I look at Cody Rhodes, all I see is a midcarder for life. A guy that will constantly run for the IC title, but never get the world title.

 

[Headman]

I miss the mask and paper bags. The gimmick made him different and he did a great job getting it over. Not to say he's bad right now, but they're just not doing anything with him. IMO it was a mistake taking the IC title off of him at Mania. A run at HTM's IC title record would have helped him a bit.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

He's Nack Swagger without the brutal title run and the actual wrestling credentials. When Legacy first started, Ted looked like he'd be the break out from the group. Then, somehow, likely because of Ted's injury and Rey breaking Rhodes' nose, that Cody got pushed. I think they should have gone all the way with Ted's intended push for Cody and given him the Fortunate Sons. The best part of Cody was bringing back the old IC title, which would have fit well.

 

[dman1373]

I feel that he is still finding his character, but i wouldn't call him generic. Its live calling shawn micheals generic in 92 and 93. He has a very destinct look, feel, and his mic work is original. His lisp doesn't hinder him as swaggers does, cause he is the american dreams son, it sort of works out cause of that.

 

[Teddy Irving]

He's Nack Swagger without the brutal title run and the actual wrestling credentials. When Legacy first started, Ted looked like he'd be the break out from the group. Then, somehow, likely because of Ted's injury and Rey breaking Rhodes' nose, that Cody got pushed. I think they should have gone all the way with Ted's intended push for Cody and given him the Fortunate Sons. The best part of Cody was bringing back the old IC title, which would have fit well.

I don't see why everyone thought that Ted would be the one to be the break out of the two, I always thought that Cody was the better of the two and would have the better career. Ted lost his push because people just didn't react to the guy, they do sort of re act now with the whole DiBiase Posse thing.

Cody on the other hand was given a gimmick and ran like hell with it and got reactions so he got his push.

Seriously?

Here's a little fact for you. Cody Rhodes has won EIGHT matches this year and four of them were in January. Here are the guys he has beaten.

Booker T
Ezekiel Jackson
Justin Gabriel twice
Khali
Big Show
Tyson Kidd
Christian

Are these the signs of a guy who's on fire? I don't think so.

I will grant that Zeke, Gabriel and Kidd are not seen as big wins but...

Booker T was once viewed as great and is a multiple time world champion, Cody's wins here allow there to be an announcer with first hand experience as to just how good Cody is even if they don't want to admit to it.

Khali a former world champion and whenever he comes out is booked as a legit threat due to his past and of course his size.

Christian on old veteran and former World champion, the crowd love the guy and it is well known to them that he is a top competitor so wins over him would mean something for the guy getting them.

Big Show the guy who has recently been dominating John Cena, the guy who is 7ft and 480lbs and a former world champion. Cody beating this guy has it's positives. Not saying Cody has had a great year thus far but beating some of those names will give Cody a reputation as a threat to people in the ring

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I will grant that Zeke, Gabriel and Kidd are not seen as big wins but...

You're doing good.

Booker T was once viewed as great and is a multiple time world champion, Cody's wins here allow there to be an announcer with first hand experience as to just how good Cody is even if they don't want to admit to it.

Damn.

He was once viewed as great six or seven years ago. Me personally, I just find him to be an average upper-level guy. I didn't take much stock into Rhodes beating him. Didn't get him anywhere.

Khali a former world champion and whenever he comes out is booked as a legit threat due to his past and of course his size.

Much as I love Khali, a win over him doesn't mean as much as it would have in 2006 or 2007.

Christian on old veteran and former World champion, the crowd love the guy and it is well known to them that he is a top competitor so wins over him would mean something for the guy getting them.

Really got nothing bad to say about Christian.

Big Show the guy who has recently been dominating John Cena, the guy who is 7ft and 480lbs and a former world champion. Cody beating this guy has it's positives. Not saying Cody has had a great year thus far but beating some of those names will give Cody a reputation as a threat to people in the ring

You mean the Big Show who Cole and King still say continues to dominate even though he lost to Cena at No Way Out and got knocked the fuck out by a briefcase last week on Raw? I know wrestling fans have short attention spans but come on, WWE.

 

[Firewall_Philip_Hanan]

In all honestly, the only wrestlers more bland than Cody Rhodes are Damian Sandow and Ted Dibiase. He's just an average size wrestler with clean looks, boring on the mic, spews out what you would expect, and is not fun to watch. If he was a face, he could get away with it, but why root for a heel who is so lackluster?

 

[MayorMcCheese]

I have been saying this for over a year, and the smarks on twitter and other websites swore up and down cody was all that.....he's a ripoff of the miz/ziggler being a cool heel only works for a couple at a time. it's to bad he has real good wrestling ability, just a terrible character

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

He doesn't need a gimmick. He just needs to be himself with the volume cranked up.

..heard that somewhere before, but it's true. He's just one of those guys who doesn't need a persona to look good.

I disagree completely I think Cody needs a gimmick, now he is just a generic heel along the same lines of Swagger and Miz. He was much better with the gimmicks he had and I don't agree with those saying he'd be stuck in the midcard with them I think he easily could've mainevented with them.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

I think its due to the fact he really hasn't gotten anything to do since Wrestlemania... He did great with Big Show with making the feud personal and about the title.. and since then he has lost the belt to christian and just thrown into random matches pretty much ever since... He doesn't have time to tweak his character and really improve it in any way

 

[cm ben]

Rhodes IS a little more generic now, but at least now he can be taken seriously as a threat to the World Championship. There's no way that either the Dashing or Disfigured personas could have ever made it past the Intercontinental Championship. Cody would have been laughed out of the building had he challenged main eventers. He's more serious now and comes off as a signficantly greater threat. He may not be as interesting, but he's come a long way since tag teaming with Hardcore Holly or the Team Priceless days, that's for sure!

Oof. I really enjoy reading your posts, Dagger, but I can't disagree more here. I've read before that Cody is a big comic book fan and based his Disfigured gimmick on super-villains. I can't help but make the connection to "Super Cena," whose strong moral base and incredible acts of strength, of course, lead to comparisons to Superman. And what about people like Kane? Undertaker? Mankind? Sting? The Ultimate Warrior? Rey Mysterio? All of these characters have similarly exaggerated gimmicks/personalities/appearances, etc. and have had World Title reigns.

I feel like being interesting, even (or perhaps especially) at the expense of being believable, is the only way to truly succeed as champion--that's why Jack Swagger, for instance, failed. He instantly became a generic, slow-speaking, suit-wearing heel, and everyone stopped caring. That's what's happening with Cody, now, too.

 

[Teddy Irving]

Damn.

He was once viewed as great six or seven years ago. Me personally, I just find him to be an average upper-level guy. I didn't take much stock into Rhodes beating him. Didn't get him anywhere.

The Rock and Stone Cold were viewed as great 6 or 7 years ago would beating them mean nothing as well due to the fact it was that long ago? No it wouldn't mean nothing because if you were once great and get beaten by the up and comer then they get credibility for beating you.

It's not Cody's fault that beating Booker took him nowhere, they just kind of stopped booking him as they had bigger concerns with Rock Cena.

Much as I love Khali, a win over him doesn't mean as much as it would have in 2006 or 2007.

I'm not saying that Khali is anything special other than the fact he is a big guy who looks unable to move around at all well. But the fact he is so big WWE will consistently book him as a legit threat so a win over him for a mid carder should be viewed as a stepping stone.

Really got nothing bad to say about Christian.

Good!

You mean the Big Show who Cole and King still say continues to dominate even though he lost to Cena at No Way Out and got knocked the fuck out by a briefcase last week on Raw? I know wrestling fans have short attention spans but come on, WWE.

Does anyone other than Cena (and most recently Rock) ever get the better of him? Nope he comes in and dominates the rest of the locker room. Therefore if Cody was able to beat him it would be an accomplishment. I know he wasn't booked that way during there feud but it was still a victory over a 7ft wrecking machine.

You may not count the wins as significant as you don't like Cody or don't rate his opponents but keep in mind it is about moving Cody up the ladder and the opponents he beat are doing that because of the way WWE bills them.
Why do they have a short attention spans at the moment? Well probably because they aim at young kids who will forget something happened if you just don't mention it

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Cody is fine where he's at. I believe he's only 26 years old so he's got time. There is no reason to rush anything or make any character changes. Just give him time and let him add natrually to his character. He is on the right path and just because he won't be a main eventer by the end of the year doesn't mean he needs to make drastic changes.