Hey Folks, as I’m sure you all aware ‘The Prince of Pro-Wrestling’ Cody Rhodes was granted his release from WWE earlier this week. We at SLTD Wrestling have once again got together to share our thoughts on Cody’s release and what could be next for maybe one of the most under-rated talents in WWE in recent years.
@TomRobinson5199 (Armbar Analysis)
I’ve talked about this in-depth on my Armbar Express blog (which you can read HERE) but I will add a bit more to it. Cody Rhodes is someone that had everything you could possibly want in a top star. Charisma? Oh yeah. He’s exceeded our expectations with every gimmick he’s given and did great performances. In-ring abilities? Top notch. Perfect for fast-paced and slow-paced environments. Looks? I’d say so. He seems like a very handsome man to me. He was a fantastic all-rounder in wrestling and the fact that he’s never been given at least one singles world title program in his career is quite shocking. The amount of releases due to creative frustration is getting ridiculous now. Maybe the WWE should be listening to their talent if they wanted to keep morale up within their company. Barrett and Rhodes before left for similar reasons and they were two wrestlers that had a lot of potential. I wish Cody the very best with his future and who knows, maybe he’ll come back after a few years.
@mrnebarry (Old Skool View)
For me it’s oh what could have been for Cody. He had a brilliant storyline to start and Dashing Cody Rhodes was superb, it’s a damn shame he didn’t get to break the longest Intercontinental Championship reign too. Sadly what should have been his crowning achievement, winning MITB, which they gave to Sandow, proved to be the beginning of the end for Cody. “It’s only smoke and mirrors” good luck for the future Cody.
@Wrestlekicks (WrestleKicks)
Cody Rhodes could have been one of the biggest stars the WWE ever produced but they really dropped the ball. Cody is someone that has had the potential to be “The Guy” for a long time and has even been in situations that could have brought him closer to becoming the main event player he always had the potential to be. The first occasion where he was overlooked came at Wrestlemania XXVI when he and Ted DiBiase where singlehandedly defeated by Orton in a match that could and should have catapulted the former tag team into a place the two never reached.
The second and the biggest mistake the WWE ever made in terms of Cody Rhodes came at MITB 2013, when Cody received one of the biggest reactions of his career as the crowd made it clear that Cody was the guy they wanted as the MITB holder. I personally had no problem with Sandow winning it on that night but nothing ever really came from the story other than a very short match at Summerslam. Even after that Rhodes managed to remain the relevant and managed to connect with the crowd throughout the rest of his career with the company but after a very frustrating run with the Stardust character, Cody decided to call it a day with his WWE career. All I can do now is wish Cody the best of luck in the future and hope that maybe one day WWE can fix the mistakes that were made with Rhodes as he still has many years ahead of him.
@kieranthekiz (UKayfabe)
From Cody’s perspective I can understand why he wanted to leave WWE. His character had done nothing of note for a long time, with a pointless rivalry with a TV star from ‘Arrow’ the only thing that was really ever promoted for Stardust. From the perspective of a big Cody Rhodes fan like myself, it was frustrating to see someone who was once tipped to headline Wrestlemania, amount to such a stop/start career. It’s strange to think his ‘Legacy’ team with Ted DiBiase was billed as the future of WWE, yet neither superstar has been given the opportunity. Even Rhodes’ storylines with Goldust and Damien Sandow had plenty of potential, but never really amounted to anything that benefited Cody. I personally feel that he has good in ring ability, plenty of charisma (as showcased with the Stardust character) and can cut a promo. Something just never clicked for him, and that’s a shame. I find it hard quite frankly that a team of supposed creative writers couldn’t create anything to elevate a man of his talents to the next level. Part of me thinks he’ll be back in a few years, maybe he just needs time to properly grieve the death of his father, but whatever he does from now until then, thank you for the entertaining years in WWE.
@orilex8 (The Spear Effect)
When it comes to Cody Rhodes four words come to mind: underrated, under utilized, dedicated, and loyal. Unfortunately the two words that will stick out is underrated, and under utilized WWE really dropped the ball with him because he has the potential to be a champion and main eventer I personally will miss Cody wholeheartedly.
@ALFarrand (PPV Rewind)
I feel almost bittersweet about Cody’s departure. Bitter because he is another incredible talent that unfortunately fell victim to poor creative decisions but find it sweet that he knew he wanted/needed to leave and he deserves absolute respect for doing so on his own terms. As soon as I read that his release was granted, I thought of all the high points of his run in WWE, specifically his and Goldust’s win over The Shield at Battleground 2013 which at the time looked to (and did for a short period) propel him to new heights. It’s a damn shame his run has come up short but I’m sure he’ll find what he wants and I wish him every luck in doing so.
@callumowen98 (Facebook Manager)
When I heard the news about Cody Rhodes leaving the WWE I was saddened because the first thought that came to mind was what a waste of talent. In my opinion Cody was criminally underrated and underutilised, he put 100% into every gimmick that he was given whether it be Dashing Cody Rhodes or Stardust, Cody did his best to make it work. If I were to name my favourite Cody Rhodes match, I’d have to pick the Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield at Battleground 2013, for two reasons, firstly it sadly would end up being one of the last times we’d see Cody and Goldust standing alongside their father the legendary Dusty Rhodes. Another reason why this match is my favourite is because of the crowd, Cody had never really been a huge fan favourite, however that night I believed made him a star the pop that he received when he hit Cross-Rhodes and win the match, was huge.
@TheWWEVoiceless (The Voice of Reason)
It’s a sad day to see a talented superstar like Cody Rhodes asking for his release from WWE. Even sadder given all he wanted was to go back to being Cody Rhodes and wrestle in real storylines by dropping the stupid Stardust gimmick. I hope Rhodes finds a place he can be himself and achieve great things, and hopefully finds his way back to prove WWE wrong. WWE do really need to get a handle on talented wrestlers who ask for better storylines and gimmicks. Ultimately, only Cody Rhodes knows who he really is and how best to sell himself to the audience.
There are the thought of Team SLTD, but what are yours? what do you think the future holds for Cody Rhodes?
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