Cody Rhodes has described his time portraying Stardust as the worst period of his life, telling Ringside News that he now believes he shares some of the blame for how that chapter of his WWE career unfolded. Rhodes admitted he was afraid to speak up at the time, a candid acknowledgment from a performer who has since become WWE Champion and one of the promotion’s top stars.
The Stardust gimmick, which saw Rhodes abandon his own name and persona for a face-painted alter ego, is widely remembered as a creative low point in his career. His comments to Ringside News mark a rare moment of Rhodes directly addressing not just the frustration of the character, but his own reluctance at the time to push back against it.
WrestleMania 40 and “Modern WWE”
In a separate interview reported by Wrestling News, Rhodes discussed the lasting significance of his WrestleMania 40 victory over Roman Reigns, saying that match remains a touchstone because, in his words, “all of modern WWE stems out of it.” Rhodes finally dethroned Reigns at that event, ending the Bloodline leader’s lengthy reign and completing a storyline built around finishing what his late father, Dusty Rhodes, never did. Rhodes framed the win as a foundational moment that continues to shape storylines and the direction of the company.
The Rey Mysterio Connection
Rhodes also credited Rey Mysterio and WrestleMania 27 as a turning point that changed the trajectory of his career, according to Wrestling Inc. Rhodes said he does not believe he would have the career he has today without that match and his history alongside Mysterio, pointing to it as a formative experience early in his WWE run that helped set him on the path toward the success he has found since.
Taken together, the three interviews paint a picture of a wrestler willing to reflect candidly on both the low points and the pivotal moments of his career. Rhodes has gone from a performer who says he was once afraid to advocate for himself during the Stardust era to a WWE Champion whose WrestleMania 40 win over Roman Reigns he now describes as reshaping the modern product. His reflections on Rey Mysterio add further context to how a match more than a decade ago at WrestleMania 27 helped lay the groundwork for the career he has built since.
None of the three reports indicate that Rhodes provided specific dates, contract details, or further elaboration beyond what was summarized in each interview, and no additional context on potential future angles tied to these comments has been confirmed.
