Former Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has never shied away from discussing the advantages — and the pressure — that came with being the son of WWE legend Dusty Rhodes. In a candid appearance on ESPN's Unsportsmanlike ahead of WWE Wrestlepalooza, 'The American Nightmare' addressed it head-on.
I was a legacy hire, so I was going to be there forever — just a little nepo baby," Rhodes said. "And I'd also done really good work.
Rhodes noted that he was one of the last performers to work live events with both Triple H and the Undertaker while they were still active. But despite those credentials, he felt the company still saw him as a kid and he needed to change that perception.
I think it was important for them to know I was not a kid anymore," he said. "I had accrued a lot of good business sense, a lot of great wrestling sense from the people I just mentioned. And I wanted to stretch beyond where I was.
The Decision That Shocked The Industry
At the time Rhodes chose to leave WWE which was virtually unheard of. Talent didn't walk out but the company walked out on them. Choosing to leave on his own terms, and then actually building something meaningful outside of it was even more extraordinary.
That was fairly unheard of at the time to leave. It was even more unheard of to leave and be able to create something — an underground scene, an alternative scene, a different flavor," he said.
Rhodes drew a now-famous parallel to The Lion King — going away, learning from new people and experiences, and returning a transformed version of himself.
I was surrounded by great people who I learned so much from," he said. "I was able to come back a far more complete me.
A Light, Not a Shadow
As for carrying the weight of Dusty Rhodes' legacy, Cody reframed it entirely. Rather than feeling overshadowed by one of the most beloved figures in wrestling history, he used it as a competitive target.
I wanted to be better than he was. My dad to me is a Mount Rushmore guy. How could you ever be better? So the only thing I could really think of is: do things he didn't do," he said. "I didn't think of it so much as a shadow — more than anything like a light.
It's a philosophy that has clearly paid off. Rhodes is now stewarding his father's legacy on the biggest stage wrestling has ever seen — and doing things the American Dream never got the chance to do.
