Would You Push #8: Cody Rhodes

[CultOfPersonality123]

Cody Rhodes is a former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion. He is currently is a feud with Money in the Bank winner Damien Sandow. It seems as though the two of them are being pushed at the same time. At Summerslam they are scheduled for a match but it isn't over the briefcase. So down to the question that is always asked in this series. Would you push Cody Rhodes? Would you have him defeat Damian Sandow for the briefcase? How far would you push him? To the World title, WWE title, or just leave him in mid card (for those who dont like him)? Feel free to eave your decision on who should be talked about next (suggest heels if possible, trying to follow a pattern).

 

[Kizzani]

YES....YES.....YES......

I would have him beat Sandow clean proving he should have one the case. Sandow get up and says it doesn't matter I don't care you got lucky and I am still holding my case. Cody challenges for the case on smackdown....Sandow says no way and the GM makes it so.....However later in the night Sandow cashes in on who ever garbage champion is. This removes the briefcase from play and puts the strap on Sandow.
Since the champion gets first crack Cody gets his shot at Sandow but not for the title, again he wins but doesn't get the title.

Why do this. Who is there for the Smackdown title Captian fking boring and the Mexican botcher? ( damn I need to change my avatar) This get the title to more of a smaller quicker group like Christian,Sandow,Barrett, Rhodes, RVD, Miz and Ziggler. Almost like a great IC class. D bryan can come over after the Cena beating and rule Smackdown.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

Yes I would. but I would have to push him hard. I would like to see him being pushed with a change in direction for his character. He needs more intensity. His heel character works now as a mid card attraction. But he needs to be taken more seriously so he needs to become a tough guy heel rather than a chicken sh*t heel. He is great on the mic and knows how to work a very good match.

But he has been a cowardly heel for 5 years - he needs a big change to his character.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd have to say yes with Cody Rhodes. Since breaking away from being part of Legacy several years ago, Cody Rhodes is someone that's been consistently entertaining in my opinion. He's also shown himself to be able to pull off a broad range of personality types and characters ranging from a narcissistic metrosexual to a mentally unhinged & brooding "freak" to sort of a laid back comedic heel. His matches have been frequently top notch as a singles or tag team wrestler and his first run as IC champ was, in my opinion, the most consistently entertaining run with the title in over a decade.

There's a ton of upside with Cody Rhodes: he's 28 years old, has a really good look, is highly athletic, is a solid technician, can work well with just about anyone, has demonstrated overall really solid promo skills and has done well as either a tag team or singles wrestler. One thing I'd change would be by simply getting rid of the mustache as it's just too much of a reminder of the "Cody's mustache" taunts from the crowd. In a lot of ways, he isn't really demonstrating standard babyface tactics, such as repeatedly jumping Damien Sandow in the aggressive ways he has. It's not usual and I think WWE should keep him there. I don't necessarily mean going full blown tweener, but having some edge about him works well.

 

[matt_indiana25]

I actually think he is in the middle of a good push that will lead to him winning the World Championship. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't he steal the contract from Sandow? Sandow came on Smackdown to say he has a new briefcase and a new contract. So does that mean Cody still has the original contract? So maybe when Sandow cashes in and wins then will Cody cash it in on him to win?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

WWE is being clever with this feud, they perhaps were undecided on whether Cody or Sandow was the next guy so by doing it this way the fans almost will decide it... So far Cody has the edge for me...

As to Cody in general, he's an interesting case... Physically he is the worst wrestler I have seen, you have no choice but to suspend disbelief with him as he doesn't look like he could kick Hornswoggles ass in a real fight. But then your member his name and lineage and realise you don't grow up son of Dusty and brother of Dustin without being tough, so I get the feeling Cody is a secret badass, he must have been bullied terribly about his "gay brother" when he was a kid...

Cody's strength is that he is able to adapt very easily, to new character traits and methods. Of all his characters, the best so far was "masked" Cody. That gimmick to me was when he should have been pushed to the World title. He was pretty believable as a "scarred" individual, far more so than Kane ever was... he was able to get across that air of having PTSD from his injury and it affecting his sanity. The paper bag thing was also very clever, using the most simple of props in a very sinister way.

Sadly I think two things did for "Ugly Cody", firstly Kane's return (Cody unmasked weeks before Kane came back with his), personally I think there was room for both and even a feud with them... but I actually think the Be a Star stuff killed that character, it too started around the same time and good as Cody was with that gimmick it did play very close to "bullying" behaviors of the kind the Be A Star campaign would be anti... Paperbagging someone cos you think they're ugly, self hatred, feeling/telling others they're disfigured, different are things that campaign would want to stop kids doing, so seeing them onscreen would not work. One of the bad things of PG sadly is that even when we all know kids are sophisticated, adults will never given them the credit to decide for themselves or god forbid they ever have to actually parent, so we can't see it at all...

So Cody ended up with the "Magnum" and entertaining as his moustache has been, I sense it's quickly becoming time for Cody for "man up" and he is doing in this feud with Sandow. It's a feud that can still see him a heel at the end of it as really he's only after the belt, but the fans are taking to him - not on the same level as a Bryan or Punk but certainly more than they did for Ryback. As it's poised now you could have a cash-in/double cash-in/one win being invalid... new ground for the MITB and thus a better launchpad for whoever ends up with the title.

As of today, I say Push Cody as the eventual winner, which means Sandow gets the title first, from Christian at Summerslam.... Have Cody show up with Vicki and yep as he has the original contract, he too can cash in and does so when Chrisitan unprettiers Sandow... Rhodes wins and celebrates with Christian and Ricardo (who cost ADR the title) and they have a mini stable feud against ADR, Sandow and Barrett.

 

[legendkiller1979]

God no! I can't stand Cody. He has had some decent matches but he can't talk. I can't recall one entertaining thing he has ever said. Even if he does, I can't get past his lisp. He's got the build of a JV basketball player, not a wrestler, let alone a world champion. And the mustache is just ridiculous. If he were to win the world title, it would be Miz all over again. A goofy looking guy wearing a belt that's bigger than he is. At least Miz was entertaining from time to time. So we have a guy with no gimmick who can't talk and the build of a male cheerleader with a stupid mustache potentially being a world champion. I sure hope not.

 

[MCMG]

Yes. There is no doubting his in-ring ability. He puts some of the best matches in the WWE. His work on the mic is a little bland for my liking, I think he can definitely improve in that area but, with him still being quite young, is something that should happen.

If he can improve on the mic, he will be a top star. The matches he has put on are of a very high quality and I think he proved that he can work with a gimmick - when he wrestled with the mask. Indeed, the disfigured Cody Rhodes was fantastic, as was the good looking Cody Rhodes. His promos since turning face have been sub-par and I really hope they improve so that he does get the push he deserves.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

No doubt. Cody is on the right track & already getting a pretty decent, well deserved push as we speak. He is easily the hottest up & coming, young babyface behind Daniel Bryan & his current feud with Damien Sandow is the best thing going for Smackdown right now.

Personally I would have had Sandow cash in on Del Rio at Money In The Bank to win the World Title & have made this current match we are heading into with Rhodes & Sandow for the world title & scrapped Del Rio vs. Christian all together. I have been absolutely bored to death with Alberto Del Rio & the World Title picture for well over a year now, though I did enjoy his match with The Big Show at the 2013 Royal Rumble & I think his feud with Jack Swagger was a small resurgence for at least a short period of time. I just think the current World Title picture is very dull & could really use a shake up & while it may be a solid in-ring match, I have little to no interest in Del Rio vs. Christian for the World Title at Summerslam.

But since we can't all just rewrite history as we would like to see it, I would have Cody go over in the match at Summerslam & have Sandow cash in on Christian the following week on Smackdown. So heading into Night Of Champions, Sandow would be reigning champion & defend against Cody or maybe even a triple threat also with Christian. I would have Cody chase the title for a while, most likely capturing it from Sandow a few months down the road around Survivor Series.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I've been clamoring for a Rhodes Scholars split for quite some time. I know some have said this feud is over Cody being a sore loser for not winning MITB, but look at how Cole and JBL helped put the story and MITB over. This feud is the best thing going into SummerSlam along with Bryan/Cena and Punk/Lesnar. This reminds me of the Edge/Christian feud where both performers will benefit. Edge is a HOF and one of the best WWE superstars of the past 15 years. Christian seems to be over the injury bug and has gotten a real nice push since his return. I'm still a peep and I would love to see Christian take the title off of ADR. with Sandow & Rhodes looming the WHC title picture is about the get interesting.

 

[BestntheWorld]

I honestly think it's way past time for Cody Rhodes to get a push because he's probably deserved it for a long time as talented as he is in-ring wise. Even when he was a heel he was always a great heel and always drew as much heat as any of the top heels so I don't really know why it's taken so long, but it looks like he's finally being rewarded for his patience with the push that he's getting now. I love the way the WWE has done the story too they havent rushed anything and it seems like the pace has been really good and its all been building up very nicely. My only wish or complaint is I really think they shouldve put the briefcase on the line at summerslam and let Cody win it and continue pushing him because my main concern is that after this match and feud ends the writers will start jobbing him again or lose interest and put him in stupid inconsequential storylines that nobody cares about and all this wouldve been for nothing

 

[Dagger Dias]

I would push Cody Rhodes. I have been a fan ever since his days of tag teaming with Hardcore Holly. While I thought Ted would get the bigger push after the Legacy split, I did want to see them both succeed. Ted's issues are a topic for another thread though. I loved the Dashing Cody Rhodes persona, he should have stayed in that longer. I personally hated the disfigured persona. The paper bag thing was stupid and this gimmick stuck around longer than it should have. When he feuded with Orton and took his mask off, I thought he was headed for bigger and better things. I will openly admit I was wrong in that prediction.

Cody's time in the Rhodes Scholars team gave him something to do. He needed the Money In the Bank win more than Sandow did this year, although this feud has been very good for him. It's the best promos and matches I have seen from him in a long time. Cody should be pushed and if Sandow wins the World Heavyweight Championship then Cody would be the perfect opponent to dethrone him. I maintain my opinion that he should be pushed to the world title, he has the promo skills and sufficient in-ring ability to be believable in winning the World Heavyweight Championship at least once. I doubt he will ever hold the WWE Championship though.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Not only would I push him, but it seems the WWE is doing so as well. While Cody didn't win the MITB contract, he has since made a successful start to his face turn and has looked strong in defeating Sandow. I believe what we have seen from Rhodes and Sandow is only the beginning of their story as I expect them to spend some time apart from one another and then re-ignite there story down the road possibly after Cody wins the title only to have Sandow take it from him shortly thereafter.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I honestly think it's way past time for Cody Rhodes to get a push ....

Way past time? I don't see it that way, as I can't think of any perennial mid-carder who has received as many chances as Cody. From "Legacy" to "Dashing" and beyond, they've come up with more gimmicks in the 6 years he's been in WWE than many performers receive in their entire careers.

Yes, many fans see him as a great performer, although some might be influenced by the notion that anyone who appears on TV so much must be great. Personally, I see him as a useful ring wrestler with an undersized personality and a famous father.

You might think I'm saying I don't like him, but that's not true at all. I've enjoyed watching many of his matches, but if he were going to hit the main event circuit, I believe it would have happened already. After all the gimmicks he's been handed, I figured Creative had finally given up trying to cast him as a main event wrestler. For a long time, he toiled on the mid-card, not inspiring much excitement.

Now, he's suddenly back in the big picture, dominating his feud with Damien Sandow and making us wonder how high management intends to boost his career this time around.

It isn't a question of Cody being bad.....it's just that he isn't a top notch performer......and if they can figure a way to make him one, after all this time and all the effort expended on his behalf these past years......they will have created a concept in the world of entertainment that others will be trying for years to duplicate.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

It isn't a question of Cody being bad.....it's just that he isn't a top notch performer......and if they can figure a way to make him one, after all this time and all the effort expended on his behalf these past years......they will have created a concept in the world of entertainment that others will be trying for years to duplicate.

I agree with you with the fact that he had a lot of opportunities, but to be honest he never failed his opportunity after his feud with Rey Mysterio. He was getting over, he was a heel getting cheered at Madison Square Garden and that has to mean something to you as a fan. I know a lot of people like to blame the creative team and the booking team, but in Cody Rhodes case, they were really the ones that screwed him. He had no business losing to Big Show at WrestleMania after such a long run with the title, and for what? For the "feeling good" moment? It killed all of Rhodes momentum, because quite frankly the feud wasn't interesting.

It's not like they gave him the title and people didn't care for him like what happened with our boy McIntyre. Now time has passed and I see no reason for NOT pushing Drew McIntyre, but that's also political backstage crap and not talents fault. Cody Rhodes failed with his "dashing" gimmick, but it evolved when he broke his nose, it's not like they repackaged him, they just evolved him to a new side of his persona that just ended up to not being logical anymore after 6 months.

But I really like your comments Sally! I think it's more interesting to read when someone doesn't agree with something, but actually tries to give his opinion with justifications for it. I would really like to know if you think Rhodes has a chance to step up his game as a babyface now, and what have you been thinking about his feud with Sandow.

 

[Cheesechops]

Yes I would push Cody Rhodes, he's alright on the mic, he's great in the ring and his Dad's my profile picture!