Stop the Stardust gimmick now

[BRAT]

I think that everyone believes this character is maybe the worst in WWE(They're is Adam Rose too). Cody had the potential to become a good contender but he doesn't seem to connect with the crowd as expected. Even his last feud with Dustin was boring. Our expectations were high for this storyline but the booking was terrible.

This man is not even a potential threat for Adam Rose. He has lost any momentum. The only thing he can do is team up with Slater. Just kidding. He should come back as Cody some day.

My best scenario here is to have Goldy come back and starting a storyline again against his bro which will finish with Goldust retiring after a loss at Summerslam and then have Stardust regret about his actions which caused his brother's retirement,become Cody Rhodes again and turn face after a "sorry" speech in a Raw or SD.

 

[lowandmighty]

I also think the stardust character is crap.

However, I see an opportunity to make Cody into a kind of Mick Foley type character where he can keep going back to old gimmicks.

So they should give him a couple more stupid gimmicks to get the ball rolling.

 

[Alex]

The Stardust character has been the most interesting thing Cody has ever done. When he started he was generic Cody Rhodes, son of Dusty who tagged with Hardcore Holly. He then moved into a faction with Ted Dibiase Jr and Randy Orton because they were the sons of well known wrestlers where he was dull as shit. Dashing and Disfigured Cody Rhodes I missed most of but checking out videos they had potential that was never really realised. When he was teaming with Sandow, Sandow was the more interesting character. Then he teamed with Goldust who again was the more interesting character. Ironically it wasn't until he started ripping off Goldust with Stardust that he truly became interesting.

This is something fans need to realise. Sometimes a wrestler needs a truly out there gimmick to be interesting. People didn't really care about Goldust when he was just Dustin Runnells. Nobody cared about Mean Mark Callous or Isaac Yankem. But turn them into Undertaker and Kane and people gave a shit. Sometimes you need extravagent for people to care.

I guarantee you if Cody went back to being plain old Cody Rhodes the interest people have in him right now as Stardust would go.

 

[Hem]

I think the best way to get rid of the Stardust character is for him to just be written off of TV. Give Cody a vacation. Pretend that Stardust never existed and let Cody Rhodes return as if nothing had happened.

I know it's horrid story telling but I honestly don't want to think of scenarios WWE has in their minds to end Stardust.

 

[Prince Vee]

I think that everyone believes this character is maybe the worst in WWE(They're is Adam Rose too). Cody had the potential to become a good contender but he doesn't seem to connect with the crowd as expected. Even his last feud with Dustin was boring. Our expectations were high for this storyline but the booking was terrible.

This man is not even a potential threat for Adam Rose. He has lost any momentum. The only thing he can do is team up with Slater. Just kidding. He should come back as Cody some day.

My best scenario here is to have Goldy come back and starting a storyline again against his bro which will finish with Goldust retiring after a loss at Summerslam and then have Stardust regret about his actions which caused his brother's retirement,become Cody Rhodes again and turn face after a "sorry" speech in a Raw or SD.

Cody Rhodes is one among the many other talents who got never utilized in WWE. Once when me and my friend were discussing he told me that if Cody Rhodes had a physique a little more better he could've been the face of the company by now. Apparently, I can't agree to that completely but he certainly could've been a MainEventer and could've had multiple World Champion reigns.

To answer to the OP, Stardust gimmick could've turned into anything spectacular with its bizzare persona. But the WWE certainly dropped balls on him for some reason. The backstage confrontation of Stardust with Dusty Rhodes is a memorable one in his character. They could've build it up from that point. But they screwed it up so badly.

Even now they can start a midcard feud by altering his character slowly from Stardust to Cody. But that doesn't seem to be imminent. That won't even happen probably.

The worst part about that character lately is, He lost to R-Truth in the first round of KOTR Tournament, asinine!

Cheers!!

 

[Navi]

Personally I don't like the Stardust gimmick. It kind of freaks me out the way he jumps out at people and the camera, and gets right in your face. I like Cody Rhodes though, and while they've given him numerous gimmicks, nothing has seemed to stick.

Goldust in all these years has made the gimmick work for him, and it never looked ridiculous and I never got tired of it. Rhodes could have made the Stardust gimmick work for him for quite some time, but all the jumping around and hissing at the camera, just makes him look foolish. The WWE probably doesn't know what to do with him anymore. Once a wrestler has gone through multiple gimmicks like Rhodes has, and he's stuck where he is, it's not a good sign.

I've always thought he wasn't big enough physically to be a main eventer, but he could have been a solid upper mid carder, for years to come. When he's losing matches to R Truth though you have to wonder what does the WWE have in store for him now. Not much it would appear. The Dust brothers was probably his last run with a title belt, I feel sorry for the guy.

 

[Reflection]

I completely disagree. I love the Stardust character and enjoy watching him, I feel he is new and improved version of Goldust. I particularly like it when he flips out upon getting called Cody and when he does the sneer/hiss at the audience. I remember one episode where he did it to his wife (who was the announcer) and she just smiled. It was sweet. Anyway, Stardust has given Cody a new direction, it has made him unique; a stand-out personality. And in this era where gimmicks and alliances are changed every year, I will miss it when it is gone. I feel they should stick with it until they find another special gimmick for Cody. The basic Cody is very ordinary, but he really excels with a hyper gimmick like Dashing, (Un)Dashing, and now Stardust.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

It's a fun gimmick... one that the WWE really doesn't have enough of these days. Cody seems to have completely embraced it and for me at least, Stardust has been the most interesting Cody Rhodes has ever been in the WWE. It's also a pretty neat homage to his family (Stardust being an early Dusty nickname, the character being patterned after Goldust).

I like what one poster said about eventually giving Cody a "3 faces of Rhodes" type of gimmick. He's shown a lot of range with this run, and could pull something like that off.

 

[rbv13]

Here is the thing with Cody, he is good in the short term but his acts seem to grow tiresome rather quickly. In each of his incarnations it has been the same story. Comes out like gangbusters, looks as if he is about to breakout and fans stop reacting. I will entertain the idea of creative doing him no favors but there is little excuse to little or no reactions. Ultimately it is up to the talent to get over, in any situation. Ryback and Ambrose have been given very little creatively so far in 2015 yet they remain hugely over. It seems as if even Heath Slater garners more of a reaction than Cody. In the end Cody is what he is. He is a mid to lower card talent. When it comes to in ring and mic work he holds the standard amount of ability to keep him employed.

At least the Star Dust gimmick gives him something to standout with.

 

[crossface for ever]

I also think the stardust character is crap.

However, I see an opportunity to make Cody into a kind of Mick Foley type character where he can keep going back to old gimmicks.

So they should give him a couple more stupid gimmicks to get the ball rolling.

Cody Rhodes, disfigured, and Stardust royal rumble 2016 would be the biggest surprise the events held for quite a few years an personally I'd love to see it

 

[TDFG]

Now that the feud with Goldust appears to be over, I agree it's time to end the character unless they decide to push him as Stardust because the character is dieing on it's knees, he's going nowhere fast and is a jobber.

 

[akathelaw]

Get used to Stardust, because I think it's Cody's favorite act and he'll probably be doing it for a while. It's a comic book villain come to life. The first night he came out he was doing a very Goldust inspired persona, but since then through different makeup and ring attire, it's become its own entity. I'm interested to see how he develops the character further, and I really hope he doesn't drop it for a long time.

 

[OYDK]

I don't get the fascination with Cody Rhodes... I really don't. Every single gimmick he's had has been average or below average, or rather, Cody Rhodes himself has been below average. Average on the mic, average in the ring, average connection with the crowd.... I don't know how else to put this, Cody Rhodes is just average. Does that mean he sucks? Not at all, he'd be a good fixture in the mid-card with some better booking AS Stardust, but he doesn't have the chops to jump to the main event. He never has.

At least as Stardust, Cody Rhodes has some real personality. He needs to be booked a little bit better as Stardust to jump up from that lower card spot he currently occupies. I wouldn't mind Stardust as IC or US champ if WWE can figure out what to do with him.

 

[Radical]

What you seem to be upset with is not the Stardust gimmick but the way it has been handled lately.

It's true. It's been pretty bad.

Stardust is just another example of a unique character being lost in the shuffle because creative have nothing for him.

They DID have something for him. A feud with Goldust, potential WM match, but that plug got pulled and when that happens often Creative can take months until they get the guy a replacement feud.

Until then, he's just like Adam Rose, Fandango, Rowan, etc. who are actually good talents but are being wasted away.

They got 20 or 30 some writers and they still can't give every Superstar a feud or a compelling reason to care about them.

 

[L@RISANO]

Here is the thing with Cody, he is good in the short term but his acts seem to grow tiresome rather quickly. In each of his incarnations it has been the same story. Comes out like gangbusters, looks as if he is about to breakout and fans stop reacting. I will entertain the idea of creative doing him no favors but there is little excuse to little or no reactions. Ultimately it is up to the talent to get over, in any situation. Ryback and Ambrose have been given very little creatively so far in 2015 yet they remain hugely over. It seems as if even Heath Slater garners more of a reaction than Cody. In the end Cody is what he is. He is a mid to lower card talent. When it comes to in ring and mic work he holds the standard amount of ability to keep him employed.

At least the Star Dust gimmick gives him something to standout with.

Let's be serious here, both Ambrose and Ryback always look good in their appearances on TV(because some focus is placed on them as Upper Midcarders), whilst the same cannot be said for Stardust, who actually was added to the multi-man IC title match at Mania because his bro vs bro programme with Goldust was shelved with no real explanation.

Stardust came out blazing, but I feel since Fast Lane, he has been in limbo with no real purpose at all, and that has really hurt his chances of forging any sort of connection with the crowd. I am sure that as soon as he is given something to do that is as relevant as Ambrose and Ryback's programmes, he will be of interest to the majority as he was in the initial stages of the Stardust character.

 

[Just Zay'n]

They should definitely get rid of the Stardust character, but I'm not sure what they'll have for Cody after they do.

To be perfectly honest, and man this is going to be unpopular, but I've never really much seen the potential in Cody Rhodes, he's always struck me as looking too much like a regular guy. If he truly had the star power, the crowd would've got behind him when he was actually wrestling as Cody Rhodes, but he never really 'took off'.

I dunno, I may be wrong about him since a lot of internet fans seem to love him, and he performs the Stardust character pretty damn well, but I can't help but notice the lack of connection him or his characters have with the live crowd.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I assume the plan was always to have Stardust face Goldust at Wrestlemania, but their match at Fast Lane was so boring and poorly received that it made WWE scrap the plans, and put Cody into the ladder match instead.

In regards to the Stardust character, it certainly has some potential, but needs to be tweeted so it's more creepy, just as Goldust's best days were his first 18 months as the Hollywood heel. Cody is half way there, just needs to tone down the theatrics and ENOUGH WITH THE CRAZY-ASS TWEETS!!!

So yes, some of this is down to creative, but there's certainly things Cody can try, perhaps do what many do and try more creepy mannerisms on house shows, see how they come across.

As for losing to R-Truth, that was purely to keep the heel-face dynamic going in every round of KOTR

 

[Nick Vibe]

My biggest issue with the Stardust character is that he doesn't and possibly can't seem like a threat whatsoever. We are talking about potential here. Potential for what? Being a comedy villain? Being an upper carder? Being a world champion?

For me, the most interesting Cody Rhodes was when he was wearing the mask and then the face turn with Sandow. He was white hot back then. He then teamed with Goldust (which was one of the best reigns that comes to recent memory) and the fans, out of nostalgia maybe, and seeing that Goldust still had it, stopped reacting for him.

My idea is:have him go back to being Cody, put him in a suit and let him join the Authority. I could see potential for him by doing that. People connected with Rollins, so I don't see the reason why they won't with Cody too, with them being equally charismatic in my eyes.

 

[Mark Henrys Sandwich]

Whether he is Cody or Stardust he will still suck and never get over, the closest was when he went against the authority which lead to Goldust returning, Cody was very hot than but they blew it.

When I see Stardust or Cody it means tea break for me.

 

[Navi]

Whether he is Cody or Stardust he will still suck and never get over, the closest was when he went against the authority which lead to Goldust returning, Cody was very hot than but they blew it.

When I see Stardust or Cody it means tea break for me.

You might have hit the nail on the head here. It's not so much the Stardust character is bad, it's the fact that it's pales in comparison to Goldust.

Goldust wore the gimmick better and he is a much better wrestler in the ring than his younger brother. Maybe when Goldust left, Stardust should have left also, leaving Rhodes to find another gimmick that wasn't so much like his brothers.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

No. Bad gimmick? No. Bad performance? No. Bad handling of talent? The company logo in the corner of the screen bears the answer.

To reiterate: Cody Rhodes remains Stardust forever, until he retires. Absolutely no necessity to revert back to another generic WWE Superstar when ThtaaaahDutht reinforces the the notion that "anything" can happen... even if "anything" involves some weird cosmic sex offender.

The valid suggestion would be to stop SQUANDERING the Stardust character. The guy's skills are apparent in matches such as the recent challenge to Cena. We have only scratched the surface of what "powers" and "abilities" Stardust may possess. Imagine a flying saucer entrance at Wrestlemania. Winning matches by a Force Choke to the opponent's genitals. Obtaining and defending the Celestial Sceptre (coincidentally taking the form if the IC belt in THIS dimension). Even though it greatly enhances his character, this Rhodes (like his big bro) is more than only smoke and mirrors.

 

[kadroan]

I think that everyone believes this character is maybe the worst in WWE(They're is Adam Rose too). Cody had the potential to become a good contender but he doesn't seem to connect with the crowd as expected. Even his last feud with Dustin was boring. Our expectations were high for this storyline but the booking was terrible.

This man is not even a potential threat for Adam Rose. He has lost any momentum. The only thing he can do is team up with Slater. Just kidding. He should come back as Cody some day.

My best scenario here is to have Goldy come back and starting a storyline again against his bro which will finish with Goldust retiring after a loss at Summerslam and then have Stardust regret about his actions which caused his brother's retirement,become Cody Rhodes again and turn face after a "sorry" speech in a Raw or SD.

Yeah they should stop Stardust. He's too talented to be used like that. Personally, I want to see him and Sandow reunite as the Rhodes Scholars since the main event is crowded.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Yeah they should stop Stardust. He's too talented to be used like that. Personally, I want to see him and Sandow reunite as the Rhodes Scholars since the main event is crowded.

In the words of one of the Sith Lord Vader: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Remember, Stardust NEVER will go back to Cody. Unless stupider heads prevail.

Two word solution: Damien Sandust. Eat THAT, MOFOSMARKS.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

The Stardust gimmick doesn't make sense without Goldust in the picture. I've always been of the mind that the best wrestling gimmicks are explainable in one sentence, and generally without having to explain another wrestling character on which they are based. If Goldie was still in the picture it would make sense to keep the character, but he hasn't been seen since the Mania battle royal to my recollection. Why was Goldust against Cody getting lost in Stardust, the one guy in gold and latex wasn't ok with the other guy in gold and latex. Right.

Stardust has been generating decent heat though, the Cody chants were getting him over as a heel, and I think that heat is likely what has kept him as Stardust this long. Cody has always been better when he has used the more over the top gimmicks. His best periods were as Dashing, Undashing, and as Stardust with Goldust. Now that the team is over I would like to agree that Stardust is played out. I do wonder if it feels played out because we were cheated out of the Dust brothers one v one at Mania, or if the gimmick is truly crappy.

Returning to vanilla Cody doesn't make the most sense. When he has with Holly, or in Legacy, or dropped the mask, added knee pads (thank goodness), then grew the moustache were all the less interesting in my opinion. I'm not really feeling all the Rhodes Scholars love, they were ok. I'm a fan of both men, but the holier than though gimmick was always kind of blah. I think the crowd reactions during that time reflect my opinion. Whatever happens, I don't think plain Cody is the answer.

If he revisits any old gimmicks, Undashing is probably his best work. It evoked the best of early Mankind but felt completely original to me. WWE needs heels more than anything, a return to that character would be interesting as there was so much left to go before it was unceremoniously removed on Raw. The promos were dark and creepy in a good way, the crowd was all over him with genuine heat. I was genuinely disappointed when they kiboshed it. He was my favourite heel at the time.

I say transition Cody to a new character with the dark side of the Undashing character. I'd be thrilled if they brought back the disfigured theme as well, it was his best. Put him in a program with Sandow. It would be funny and character progressive to have Sandow dressing up as past Cody's identities and mentors: Dashing Damien Sandow, Undashing Sandow, Sandust are all possibilities. The feud would culminate with Cody debuting a new character, likely an amalgamation of his past personalities.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I think the Stardust gimmick has more longevity than his past gimmicks. Even if i it is a bit of a rip off of his brother. It makes him stand out. And that's the main thing nowadays. What he needs is a good feud to showcase him. Maybe with Ziggler or Bryan. Like a legit feud not being thrown in with a bunch of others for the IC title like he was at WM. I didn't like Cody Rhodes when he first started, but he has shown that he willing to take any gimmick and run with it. And I think this could be the one that sticks