Funny analysis of Cody Rhodes post-WWE

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

People seem to take so much stock in PWI, stuff like the top 500 list. PWI is written in kayfabe, so it's kind of...pointless?

But I do like the WON awards... While trying to find them for 2016 I stumbled upon a blog post about someone making predictions, here for the "Most Overrated" category:

Cody Rhodes: While you were reading this paragraph, noted 2.5 star worker Cody Rhodes probably yet again went over a top indy name in a mediocre match. Cody made a late push for the title of Most Overrated, but what a push it was. Since going to the indies, rather than work hard and build a name on his performances, he coasted on his family one to get himself wins against most opponents he faced, rarely if ever losing clean in his very few losses, and did so with some of the most lackluster performances you’ll ever see. Once he beat perennial top of the card standout Zack Sabre Jr. in his first Evolve match, things were already looking bad, then he needed to lose dirty in PWG’s BOLA to get bounced from the tourney, beat Matthew Riddle, godking of 2016 independent wrestling, ended Pete Dunne’s undefeated streak in SWE, won multiple titles, and just this weekend came in to Evolve and cheated to beat its top heel because screw Evolve’s storylines, he’s in Bullet Club now, and everything else needs to take a backseat to Cody. If he was good, it wouldn’t be so egregious, but he’s the same grindingly mediocre worker he was in WWE.

WWE unleashing Cody Rhodes did more damage to the quality of independent wrestling than all of Hunter’s signings combined.

 

[BaconBits]

It's not wrong.

 

[ShinChan]

I disagree with that "someone".

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

Wrestling lol

 

[Hyorinmaru]

someone isn't a cody fan

 

[OYDK]

No clue what Cody's been up to on the indie scene but that does seem like an awfully ridiculous amount of accomplishments for somebody of his caliber.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I liked Cody in WWE, but that indeed sounds like far too much.

 

[#tamale]

I have no doubt Cody Rhodes will use this, if he already isn't using it, to post a series of tweets berating the "indy marks" to attract heat, and be the self-aware heel. Truth is, Cody hasn't really set the indepedent wrestling world on fire since leaving.

 

[Navi]

It's not wrong.

I have to agree and was thinking the same thing. When Rhodes was in the WWE he was a name but not a big one. Now that he's out and about, doing this and that you hear about him all the time. He beat this person, he beat that person, his bucket list is getting shorter, he's part of the bullet club so on and so forth.

My opinion of him is who gives a rat's ass. I wasn't a huge fan of his when he was in the WWE and could care less about him now. He is a good wrestler when he wants to be but so are a lot of other wrestlers.

 

[enviousdominous]

Damn you Cody Rhodes and damn you Triple H!

Now that more people than ever are discussing indy wrestling, it will surely perish!

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Cody was never a big deal. A solid hand to have, but he is totally coasting off the family name at this point.

So much so In fact, that when his opponent, I believe it was Trevor Lee, said fuck Dusty Rhodes, Cody threw a fit. He has an over inflated ego for someone who was last seen on major TV playing a guy from the fifth dimension.

 

[Da Prophet]

Cody been shit since like 2012.

 

[ISkye]

Matt Riddle loses a lot. Marty Scurll cheated throughout all of Bola to win, and almost every match in every other promotion. Young Bucks were TNA Nobodies and got pushed into Bullet Club right away in Japan. Zack Sabre Jr. doesn't get hurt if he loses a match in almost every hypothetical. Hardly anyone watches Southside Wrestling even in comparison to other U.K. promotions. He lost quite a bit pre-American Nightmare/ Bullet Club and was kind of just going around putting people over and testing the water. He fought CJ Parker/ Juice Robinson. There was no way Cody rhodes, vs That guy was going to get over that on the same card of Omega v. Okada.

He's on top of a few live events, but he's not a "big" star in Japan. Upper mid-card ROH guys, and promotion favorites are still over him on cards. There's zero chance he's going over Adam Cole, Elgin, Young bucks, Lethal, etc unless he's running a short run angle or a side story in the main event. He does get injected, but it's kind of like WWE getting the chance to grab Aj Styles and pretending he's not worth using. A majority of the run thus far was testing the water, putting over Indy talent, and having a few okay matches.

If you could make a case, it'd basically just be stating what would be casually assumed. Look at his Brother, Dad, and friends. His last name, and the fact he was still actively on WWE TV not so long ago. Wrestler rides off popular story and is a face because of fan support. It get's stale, turns heel. Promoters want to make money and draw attention to their promotion. Mid-card WWE wrestler, is now slightly upper mid-card wrestler working Indy shows because his backstory, and was in WWE.

WWE Guys help Indy wrestling more than people realize either way. WCW, WW/F, ECW, TNA, ROH, NJPW, and even CZW have created or contributed to most of the bigger and consistent draws in Indy wrestling. Which are the guys who are keeping a lot of the smaller and even hole in the wall promotions in existence. Indy wrestling usually hurts Indy wrestling more than the big guys.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Cody was never a big deal. A solid hand to have, but he is totally coasting off the family name at this point.

So much so In fact, that when his opponent, I believe it was Trevor Lee, said fuck Dusty Rhodes, Cody threw a fit.

Well, can you really fault him on the latter? How he grieves belongs to him. Cody wants to keep Dusty out of his work, including a target for getting heat. That's his prerogative, really. I'm not sure how ego comes into it.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Well, can you really fault him on the latter? How he grieves belongs to him. Cody wants to keep Dusty out of his work, including a target for getting heat. That's his prerogative, really. I'm not sure how ego comes into it.

Fair point, but I feel like he is coasting off his last name.

He is calling himself "The American Nightmare" a clear play on his dad's nickname. Like I said, I feel like he is using his name to his credit, when there are far superior names on the indie circuit.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Fair point, but I feel like he is coasting off his last name.

He is calling himself "The American Nightmare" a clear play on his dad's nickname. Like I said, I feel like he is using his name to his credit, when there are far superior names on the indie circuit.

I don't disagree, but I don't see it as much of a negative, either. I share the frustration of many others when a third generation Henning is saddled with the last name Axel, so I can't find much grievance in Cody wanting to hold on to a piece of Daddy's legacy. I'll meet you halfway, and agree that it'd be nice if it wasn't so on the nose. I frankly don't understand why he's going by just Cody when Runnels is a serviceable surname.

All in all, I reiterate and celebrate my Cody fan card, but the accomplishments he's racked up on the circuit in such a short time is pretty tricky to defend.

Then again, when you consider how Dusty booked himself, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I don't disagree, but I don't see it as much of a negative, either. I share the frustration of many others when a third generation Henning is saddled with the last name Axel, so I can't find much grievance in Cody wanting to hold on to a piece of Daddy's legacy. I'll meet you halfway, and agree that it'd be nice if it wasn't so on the nose. I frankly don't understand why he's going by just Cody when Runnels is a serviceable surname.

All in all, I reiterate and celebrate my Cody fan card, but the accomplishments he's racked up on the circuit in such a short time is pretty tricky to defend.

Then again, when you consider how Dusty booked himself, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.

I agree with the point about going by Runnels instead of just Cody. The thing I find truly off putting is that in TNA he goes by just Cody, yet his wife keeps the last name Rhodes. I realize that WWE doesn't own the rights to her name, the way they do Cody, but why not have them just both go by Runnels? It isn't like the name was never used in pro wrestling.

The point you make about Dusty booking himself, I think is what lends Cody to believe he is a bigger deal that what he should be. Don't get me wrong, Cody had some good WWE moments. Dashing Cody Rhodes was decent, the mustache was okay, and then there was that amazing match when he and his brother took the tag titles off The Shield, but I think his own opinion of himself is inflated because his father held him in much higher regard than most. Not that I can blame Dusty for thinking his own son was great. My parents talk up my little league accomplishments like I was the next Babe Ruth.

I don't want to come off as a typical smark, believe me I love me some Roman, but it does bother me a bit that there are guys who have worked on the indie circuit their entire pro career and busted their ass, only to have Cody come in and go over because he is a WWE name. Odd that I do say that when I have spent a fair amount of time defending the booking of part timers in WWE. Such is the life of a wrestling fan I suppose.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I was a pretty big Cody Rhodes fan. He stood out in Legacy. His dashing and disfigured gimmicks were entertaining.

I haven't heard much about him since he left WWE, but it seems like he's getting pushed way too much.

It's the classic story of 'ex-WWE wrestlers gets pushed to the moon, hurting everyone else in his path'. IMO that's what killed TNA.

 

[Барбоса]

Never rated Rhodes that highly. Middling talent at best.

Good for a short term interesting character like Dashing or Damaged and capable of a good match with the right opponent (Rey, Shield), but ultimately bland.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Bullshit. Cody treats himself as a character, so if his character is the son of Dusty Rhodes, why not use it? Being called "The American Nightmare" is an easter egg for hardcore wrestling fans. It's not anything more than that. It's marketing and it makes sense for his character. Are we supposed to forget the fact that he is the son of Dusty Rhodes? We won't, so using it is pretty smart and a way to honor his father.

His indy career has been quite regular for someone who comes up from WWE. He has lost a few matches, not much, but some. In TNA for instance, he put over Eddie Edwards in a fairly good match. He's a TV star, a former WWE star (for eight years!). He has some marketing value. He probably has near to 1 million followers on Twitter, which is a pretty big group of listeners and ears to indy wrestling.

He's a plus. So, yeah, that's it. I watched his BOLA match. That was it.