You’ll be hard-pressed to discover a extra beloved skilled wrestler than “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. His everyman persona made him a hero to followers and his love for the business influenced numerous future stars. It is exhausting to think about anybody bearing the identify “Rhodes” may eclipse Dusty’s legend, however Paul Heyman says Cody Rhodes has managed to take action.
Dusty challenged for the WWWF world championship 4 occasions however got here up empty-handed in every try. When Cody defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to grow to be undisputed WWE champion, he achieved a multi-generational dream. It was a touching second that solidified Cody because the promotion’s main man, a wonderful accomplishment after leaving the corporate in 2016 to forge a brand new identification on the impartial scene. It surprises Heyman, a WWE Corridor of Famer with practically 4 many years of expertise in professional wrestling, to confess that Cody has eclipsed his father’s legacy.
“When Cody Rhodes first got here again right here, all of us had the identical sentence we gave within the press conferences. ‘How will you take a look at Cody and never consider Dusty?'” Heyman informed CBS Sports activities. “To Cody’s indescribably large credit score, I believe now’s the purpose in historical past that we’re realizing that Dusty Rhodes is Cody Rhodes’ father.
“Cody Rhodes is the bearer of the household identify that drives essentially the most curiosity and is now essentially the most well-known. In the event you would have informed somebody that three years in the past, they might have thought you have been nuts.”
Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022 to “end the story” and add a WWE championship to his household heirlooms. He returned not because the gold face-painted cosmic villain Stardust — the gimmick that drove him from WWE — however as “The American Nightmare,” his self-made persona. Rhodes was victorious in opposition to Seth Rollins in his much-anticipated WrestleMania 38 return. WWE’s dedication to Rhodes was a promising signal, however Heyman credit Rhodes’ continued dedication to excellence for making him simple.
“That man has labored so exhausting, so tirelessly and so magnificently and has hit it out of the park constantly 52 weeks of the yr and has by no means struck out,” Heyman stated. “Not as soon as have I seen a nasty efficiency from Cody Rhodes. Not as soon as have I seen him lackluster. Not as soon as have I seen him relaxation on his laurels.
“If you cannot give that man his flowers proper now, you are not paying consideration.”
Rhodes has even confronted challenges as a marquee member of the WWE roster. After developing in need of ending the story at WrestleMania 39 in opposition to Reigns, all indicators pointed to Rhodes getting his rematch at WrestleMania 40. However then The Rock, who joined the board of WWE’s guardian firm TKO Group Holdings, made a surprising return and Rhodes appeared to step apart so The Rock may face his cousin, Reigns.
Whereas nothing was made official throughout that look, fan outrage on-line appeared to encourage a pivot from WWE inventive and a brand new plan was born that started with a press convention in Las Vegas the place The Rock slapped Rhodes and arrange the two-night battle that concerned your entire Bloodline, Rollins, John Cena and a shock return by the Undertaker.
“Have your finger on the heartbeat of the viewers always. Some individuals do not and a few individuals do,” Heyman stated when requested what the educational lesson from that state of affairs was. “That story ended up precisely the place that story ought to’ve ended up. That story ended up with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes in the primary occasion of WrestleMania 40.
“That was the rightful essential occasion of WrestleMania 40 as a result of the viewers had a two-year funding in that story and lived it… They lived it not solely by witnessing and experiencing it, however they lived it many occasions by means of the eyes of the protagonist and the struggles he needed to endure and survive and thrive by means of all together with his chin up and a progressive transfer ahead angle.”
Try the complete interview with Paul Heyman under.
Whether or not Cody or Dusty’s legacy holds extra weight will be debated, however their bond is simple. Dusty’s affect permeates by means of every thing his son does. It is tangibly true of their “American” monikers and parts of their move-sets. It is equally true of their intangibles: their capacity to attach with an viewers and success regardless of highly effective forces working in opposition to them.
Subsequent, Cody will headline WWE Saturday Evening’s Fundamental Occasion in opposition to Kevin Owens. It is applicable that he ushers in a brand new period of this system — an occasion his father carried out on 4 occasions — after a 16-year absence.