Cody Rhodes’ journey to “finish the story” and win the Undisputed WWE Championship was a deeply personal one, rooted in his relationship with his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes. In a recent emotional interview, Rhodes revealed the “immense shame” he felt over his Stardust character, largely because his father passed away during that period, before Cody could achieve the success he had always dreamed of.
Becoming A “Bad Apple”
Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, the champion reflected on the end of his first WWE run. He admitted that his frustration with the Stardust gimmick and his poor booking led to him becoming a “bad apple” backstage.
Rhodes explained that the greatest source of his shame was that his father never got to see him reach the top of the mountain, a goal that became the central motivation for his return to WWE.
“Immense Shame”
“I was losing my relationship with people who I had worked with years prior… I was really just kind of developing into a bad apple… But I think the thing that bummed me out the most was I talked to my dad every day, yeah, and I told you, he babied me and thought I was just so good… and that was the thing I was most ashamed of, was that that happened and then he died. So my dad didn’t get to do any of the good stuff for his dad… That’s the thing that bummed me out the most is I wanted to give my dad the WWE Championship. There’s nothing fake about that story in that quest, I yeah, this was the thing you didn’t get. I’m gonna be the one to get it for you, and we can have it. And I, to this day, I still feel like immense shame over he just missed everything, like I couldn’t get out of that spot. I felt trapped. I was trapping myself. God bless Brandi for putting up with me during that period of time, and I needed to get out.”
Cody Rhodes ultimately fulfilled his quest at WrestleMania 40, defeating Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Championship in a moment that was widely seen as a tribute to his late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Bill Simmons Podcast with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
