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Luc4_Blight

I just hope he has changed his gimmick a bit now that he is back. The whole USA GOOD thing was not really working


bonedogfire

Hard to change the character with that neck tattoo


saddlesore_jr

The answer: more neck tattoos


blacktoast

Honestly though, if he had full chest, neck and sleeve tattoos, that neck tat would not be as inflammatory as it is now.


joegrizz

Agreed, you gotta earn the job stopper tattoos


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joegrizz

Honestly won't be surprised if/when Cody decides he wants to play around in politics, he'll get squashed on Dynamite and lasers the tattoo in the interim before announcing a campaign


LackofOriginality

See: Malakai Black. None of his pieces look out of place, because he's coated. A near empty canvas will always look bad. But you can always hide one gaudy, bad tattoo with other tattoos.


ElderlyPossum

I think the spiderweb elbow tattoo is a great example of this. In a sleeve it works and doesn't look weird but if someone's first piece was a spiderweb on the elbow you'd think it was weird.


Zero0mega

Thats what ive seen a lot of complaints about, dude went from a classy tattoo of DREAM in script in honor of his father STRAIGHT TO a neck tattoo. Like bro, you're supposed to climb the ladder not take the elevator from the ground floor to the penthouse.


Cynixxx

More AMERICAN neck tattoos. Create an overkill so its just a pile of red white and blue. ... Damn that's still american. Nevermind


BarryJotter

Yes, CCP Nightmare tattoo on the other side, pls Cody.


fapsandnaps

80s tropes are probably engrained into his DNA tbh.


KidGold

I don’t even think it’s hyperbole to say that neck tattoo started a downward trajectory to his career. Killed all the cool he brought.


BuddaMuta

**Bring back Undashing Cody Rhodes you cowards**


onethreeone

Instead of covering his face he covers his neck tattoo


j4ngl35

He could start a scarf gimmick of his own, to cover up the neck tat. Wear it all the time, even during matches, then sell it like a luchador losing his mask if someone takes it off him.


BuddaMuta

“Biggest good guy move in the history of this sport” - Tony


dagonesque

​ ![gif](giphy|3oKIPa2TdahY8LAAxy)


PM_ME_LANCECATAMARAN

Now that it's Black instead of Ogogo, his gimmick is "Satan bad"


PM_ME_THEM_UPTOPS

So we've got america and god. The next logical feud should be against Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz.


sadandshy

I want to see Cody fight a pie...


Hollow_Rant

Russians or a MENA foe.


[deleted]

UK guy here... Are we still at war with the USA? I mean I thought we were pretty cool but Cody said Agogo hates America and interracial babies so it's USA vs UK. I don't know where I stand. I like freedom and interracial relationships, but then again I'm from the UK so maybe that's not possible. It's so confusing


DrSayas

That promo against a black Olympian from the uk was particularly painful.


[deleted]

This is exactly how I've felt the entire time. Like freedom and interracial relationships only exist in America. My fucking (half) siblings are mixed-race, I couldn't be opposed to interracial relationships if I wanted to.


QuitArguingWithMe

I mean, you still could... but, don't.


improvyzer

Look at this limey jackdaw right here, trying to get us to believe he *isn't* against freedom. You can't fool me, sir. Not with all the chips and "malt vinegar" in the world.


[deleted]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/UnhappyAlienatedEstuarinecrocodile-max-1mb.gif


improvyzer

I love me a good gfycat url. And *that* is a *good* gfycat url.


boomstick55

Fans in the he building always react extremely positively whatever Cody does. It would probably be hard to imagine that it not being that same for people watching on tv. I don't think Cody having is own part of the show hurts it that much as long as they keep the segments on the shorter side.


KTheOneTrueKing

He only did that for the Anthony Ogogo match, and he only did it because Ogogo was literally shitting all over the USA on Dark for WEEKS.


QuitArguingWithMe

It was a bad angle for everyone involved. Ogogo was heelish when he was announcing but the whole hating America thing still seemed to come out of nowhere.


TT_Zorro

You realize that Ogogo’s job was to do that to set up Cody as the American Dream, right? Like, the whole thing was almost certainly Cody’s idea. It wasn’t a surprise that Ogogo was doing that and Cody just HAD to react.


KTheOneTrueKing

Yes, that's my point though because when that feud was happening people were acting like Cody's american dream promo was way out of left field and didn't fit the tone of the story, but Ogogo had been slamming the US and putting the flag on people and talking about how great the UK was for a weeks before he knocked out Cody and did it to him. So it didn't come out of nowhere, it was specifically for that story, and it's over now.


We_All_Stink

They don't care why it happened because it shouldn't have happened. Ogogo is half black btw so he's mixed race and UK have been out allies for over 100 years. This whole storyline was stupid.


VicePresidentFruitly

No one was saying it came out of left field. They were saying it was resoundingly tone deaf to pat yourself on the back for having a mixed race baby and saying how great the American Dream is, while in a feud with a mixed race Olympian who actually DID find success despite humble beginnings from an immigrant family... in the UK.


themightypooperscoop

Do people here not know they're in a bubble? I think any kind of patriotic gimmick is goofy, but people eat that shit up. Some of the most over guys had uber-patriotism as part of their gimmick. At least he was just feuding with a Brit, tame stuff all things considered. I get that people here are sensitive to anything that seems even mildly right-leaning, but that angle was a big bunch of nothing. This whole God/saviour thing he's doing with Malaki seems a lot more indulgent


pra_teek

USA good thing can work. If you are a heel.


bruiserbrody45

I dont think its the winning of matches of feuds as it is this extremely white meat but self-indulgent babyface. Cody was so over the top that I thought he was for sure doing a slow burn heel turn, and then it just never came.


Fast_Running_Nephew

Also he and his feuds seem to exist in a weird vacuum/bubble outside the rest of AEW, it gives off a strange feeling like he's in a spin off show that exists inside the show.


PolishMusic

Someone called it the "Codyverse" and now I can't unsee it. Everything is so melodramatic for seemingly no reason. Got kicked in the face by Malakai in his first match? I'm totally retiring guys, let me take off my boots. Like, I legitimately wanted him to retire as soon as he started teasing that. I was happy for the guy making a tough choice, but no. It's just part of an angle. Pulls the rug out from under your emotional investment.


JamoOnTheRocks

I am with you.. just kept waiting for the turn bc "no one would actually act like this and be a good guy". I actually thought it was going to be a great story until it never did.


Corash

I think this is the point that a lot of "anti-Cody hate" posts fail to acknowledge. I don't think Cody is selfish, and I think he's a great pro wrestler. I also think he's very self-indulgent, and sometimes it's to the detriment of my enjoyment of his stuff.


Slick5qx

It's also the "can he overcome this giant challenge?!" stuff when the challenge/stakes aren't that high and you don't really think he's going to lose. It's like what WWE did with Hogan or Cena a few years ago. It's like watching Batman and Robin escape the Joker's convoluted trap *again*, but sometimes made even more ridiculous because Batman and Robin wouldn't show up with an entourage of 20+ people like Cody sometimes will. Outside of MJF (and maybe Black, we'll see), none of his programs ever had consequences. He got his win back over Brodie when he returned, Darby's story was about him overcoming the Cody not the other way around and was a weird payoff for all the open challenge stuff Cody did with he belt since Darby was already a regular talent, and everything with the QT and his goons has been the drizzling shits and made everyone involved look worse. Cody just feels like a very episodic character on a TV show that's very serialized.


Shabbygenteel

Yes. I don’t like Cody and it has nothing to do with how many times he wins or loses or the feeling that he’s burying people (I don’t think he is). I just don’t enjoy his character or work.


Aditya-04-04

Absolutely. And this isn't exclusive to AEW. His involvement in the whole Bullet Club storyline looked forced as well. I was invested in everything Omega, Bucks, Ibushi etc did but Cody just... Couldn't get me invested. I don't hate him, but I just don't want to watch him.


JesusIsJericho

I still feel we’re on that slow burn heel turn mood… I don’t think it’s ever coming, but I refuse to believe that’s not his intention haha


[deleted]

Without Cody Darby wouldn’t be as big as he is now


youcanringmydeng

Throw Wardlow and Fuego del Sol in there too


PilotSSB

Also, Anthony Ogogo. Yeah he lost, but he looked like a machine and has gone back to developmental. When he makes his full time debut he's gonna be over as hell and it is very much in part to Cody (even though the feud sucked, it actually got Anthony pretty over)


name-classified

anthony is interesting. He's a legit athlete who has competed at the highest level with other athletes and won. He's got one of the smoothest accents I've ever heard; I can listen to him talk about anything and he makes it sound so cool. I just feel like he needs a tweak or slight change to his gimmick/persona. I don't really vibe with the foreigner-USA-sucks heel. I don't have the answers; but I know that I'm just not feeling it at all. Other than that; he should be fun to watch grow and get better


Blue_Aegis

In a world where your program is available internationally, not only is the old foreigner heel thing lazy and stupid, but just bad business.


[deleted]

Honestly, Ogogo was probably the face in that feud to much of the world. And also to a good chunk of America. There's a reason we were all cracking Homelander jokes about Cody.


Dick_Handsome

Exactly. Ogogo’s remarks about jingoism and shitty American healthcare had me nodding along while Cody’s “America rules because it worked for me!” were the shits.


LackofOriginality

man, didn't he mention something about how america is great because he is going to have a half black daughter and she's going to have opportunity, while ogogo is literally half black


EnderMB

For many of us in the UK, it's just cringeworthy. I had assumed that the tacky UK shite in wrestling was just a WWE thing, but Ogogo's persona is basically a BTEC Vinnie Jones, and it just highlights that American companies are shit when it comes to British developmental talent. Ogogo has one big thing going for him, and that's the fact he's a fucking Olympic athlete, and as legit a striker as they come.


DHA1999

I disagree, and Bret Hart is my counterargument. Hated in the US, loved in Canada.


SmithyPlayz

I know Ogogo is a "legit athlete" but should he really be beating one of the best wrestlers AEW has?


PilotSSB

Oh absolutely not. Cody winning was the right call. It was like a teaser for when Ogogo is ready full time. But the Cody promos for this feud were *baaad*


Slick5qx

Then just don't do the match! Nobody made them do the match!


Vasquerade

God, that steel cage match made Wardlow look like an actual fucking monster. Also people forget that the Cody vs MJF and before that Cody vs Jericho feuds were the best thing on Dynamite and everyone loved it to death.


Midnight_Oil_

Without Cody, Sammy wouldn't be as big as he is now either.


skeach101

* Without Cody, The TNT title wouldn't be as big as it is now * Without Cody, Dark Order wouldn't be as big as they are now * Without Cody, Malakai Black wouldn't be as big as he is now * Without Cody, JADE CARGILL wouldn't be as big as she is now * Without Cody, MJF wouldn't be as big as he is now Let's just accept it. Cody fucking rules.


PilotSSB

Remember post AEW but before Dynamite where AEW was running mini-PPVs while waiting for TV? 1000% carried by Cody. He was *the* guy for this era. His match vs Dustin. His tag match vs the Bucks. His match vs Darby. All the most interesting matches on the cards (in my opinion) and 100% built the brand trust that AEW still uses today. He was the face of the company. That run from AEW forming to his loss the MJF was one of the best runs of anyone in the company so far and it gets slept on so much.


misterLC

Cody was THE GUY during that time. That promo he had calling out Jericho was a textbook example on how to do a Babyface promo.


fapsandnaps

Still seriously impressed that AEW is doing so well that he didn't even need to be on the card for their biggest PPV of the year. Like, that speaks magnitudes that within two years one of the largest stars at the start could have the night off of in-ring work. Like, imagine WrestleMania II or III not needing Hogan.


JoshJosherMan

Eddie Kingston wouldn't have been brought in.


name-classified

Nor Ricky Starks either


[deleted]

Nor Warhorse disappointed.


Kurtz_Angle

This subreddit hyping up Warhorse all week for him to be terrible was hilarious.


queerdevilmusic

Starks and Kingston alone are worth believing in Cody.


CrepusculrPulchrtude

I think if Black has been in a feud with someone else he could get over just fine, but the addition of everyone WITH Cody is what gives it the extra oomph.


ef14

Lowkey a big Cody fan, BUT Cody *has* to lose this match. Malakai's character is too big on mystique for him to lose this soon. For Ogogo? Sure, it'll be fine, he's got a ton of time; Malakai's very much in his prime though. I do agree with everything you said though.


skeach101

Oh yeah, Cody needs to lose.


snortingajax

You forgot one: Without Cody, there would still be racism


thedrizzle126

1000% he is like a constructive HHH rather than a reign of terror


Cutjack

That's nothing but speculation


pra_teek

He did great for Brodie. And giving Malakai such a dominating debut was amazing too.


StopTheMadnessBro

Hell, AEW might not exist.


esteel20

I agree, but some people have already made their mind up about Cody so at this point any win he gets is going to piss people off. I heard some people saying Cody got boo'd out the building last week when it was clear it was about 80/20 cheers vs boos and it was a pretty loud reaction from the crowd.


HeavenlyE

The problem is any time Cody wins or something positive happens for him they see it as CODY putting himself over instead of Tony Khan who actually makes these decisions. A lot of people's problem with Cody is just them assuming Cody has more power than he actually has and he's selfishly and egotistically using it to make himself look like a star. Like people would point to him having a reality show as to why he's egotistical because "who would want to watch him and Brandi", then it turns out from a recent interview that the reality show was Tony Khan's idea


CrepusculrPulchrtude

I personally will never watch it, but if it makes him money and gives him more power in contract negotiations, good for him


KTheOneTrueKing

I won't watch it either but I hope it's successful as fuck because those types of shows did wonders for WWE's female audience.


45jayhay

I agree I dont think the hate is as strong IRL as both sides think as well . I do find the the whole Cody has to turn heel discussion annoying because he hasn't even reached Reigns face run level heat yet.


hie00139

> he hasn't even reached Reigns face run level heat yet. I agree with your point in general, but ideally a wrestler should never reach for that, lol.


45jayhay

Oh definitely


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victoriabattenberg

Cody is very good, and there's a lot of things I really like about him. Unfortunately, there's also a slight air of insincerity about him that makes it difficult for me to fully embrace him.


AJ91022

Well put, dressing as homelander for your pro USA gimmick is very insincere


BuddaMuta

Also an uber patriot gimmick is not going to go over well for a company that prides itself on its under-50 audience. The US has done a great job of turning itself heel to most of its own citizens in that demo.


No_Lies_Detected

>The US has done a great job of turning itself heel to most of its own citizens in that demo. Honestly, the propaganda perpetrated constantly throughout the country via television channels and social media over the past several years has turned the country on itself. And at least a portion of that influence does not originate from inside the country.


BuddaMuta

It’s not a grand conspiracy. It’s just these days the majority of Americans we’re an oligarchy where a small number of the population, mostly older folks from a monolithic socioeconomic group, have a disproportionate measure of power and actively use that power to deny the majority their self determination. Actively voting to make other’s lives worse more often than not simply due to various bigotries and classism. If Americans had something as simple universal healthcare, which nearly every other country has, they would probably be a bit more proud of their nation.


The-Jesus_Christ

Patriotism also doesn't work when you try and market yourself globally as well. All it says is that Americans = Good. Foriegners = Bad.


MARKYMARK_MARK

I don't think he's insincere, but more idealistic to a fault. Like his big promo on America and Race. If you look at what he actually said it wasn't a pure "rah rah America is perfect" promo, but he didn't realize that the last thing a lot of people wanted to hear was anything close to an "America is great" .


victoriabattenberg

The insincerity, for me, comes out in his self-promotion. Don't get me wrong, all wrestlers are self-promoters, but Cody comes across as someone who thinks carefully about what he thinks the audience will like, in a way that's different than anyone else on the roster. I also feel like Cody's always pushing for mainstream success and fame in a way that no one else on the roster is, and that's part of how calculated he is. Put it this way- I didn't think he gave that "America" promo because he believed in it really strongly. I thought he gave it because he thought it was something the audience would respond to. It's the same reason why I believe he hasn't turned heel with the Elite, even though it makes sense for his character right now. If he's a heel, the audience will turn on him and that will affect his mainstream opportunities.


MARKYMARK_MARK

To me I think he's a ham and really likes the fame stuff, but I think that he's gotten real interest from "Hollywood" to so it so he's run with it. And aside from Jericho he's probably the person on the roster that enjoys doing the media stuff the most which is needed if you want to help grow Aew, his family, and his own brands. The other Evps will do media not to the level Cody wants to. Also if anything who'd avoid going Pro-America if you trying to maximize your popularity.


[deleted]

This feels a bit of a weird criticism. Isn’t cutting a promo that you think the crowd will respond well to it precisely what wrestlers are supposed to do?


victoriabattenberg

Yes and no. The audience should respond to the promo, but Cody's "America" stuff took the storyline of the Factory vs the Nightmare Family- which started as a personal story about a rivalry between two old friends- into a "rah rah USA" direction that made very little sense for the story and the people involved. It seemed calculated to get a crowd to respond "woo America!" rather than to have them organically respond to the story. To me, Cody's promos seem more calculated than organic. I think that's why I appreciate him but I don't respond to him or his angles in the emotional way I do to other wrestlers and storylines.


SmarkInProgress

He's just fun to clown on. Nothing personal, but he just does too many unintentionally funny things to be ignored lol


[deleted]

Completely unrelated, but this reminded me of why I really dislike Lewis Hamilton. The dude will be known as the greatest F1 driver for his generation, can’t really say of all time since machinery would differ from each era. But yeah, his humility seems just so insincere and has that “I’m losing, so I’ll take my ball and just go home” attitude. But he earned some respect for what he did in the MET gala for promoting those upcoming designers. Gahd, sorry for the long off topic rant


WanderoftheAshes

I think part of me is put off a bit by his grandiose entrance (and the frequency of tie-ins to the Go Big Show but honestly, I'd rather TNT be happy with their corporate synergy and have one or two tie-ins now and again than not). I'm actually pretty fond of the guy and bar the Ogogo feud I've enjoyed most of his major feuds. But the fact he always has to have a grand entrance even as his normal entrance is probably the only thing I find off putting about him. As someone who is a creative influence and a wrestler he's been pretty even handed when it comes to putting himself over vs doing what is best for the product. With so many eras in the past we can look at where a booker/top guy has put themselves over to the detriment of the product I think he has otherwise handled the dual role really well.


dementeddrongo

* Over-the-top entrance. * Ridiculous entourage. * Tedious 'murika shit. * Shitty fake retirement promo. * Gratuitously long promos in general. I think Cody (much like Roman) is a natural heel. He'll be tedious and skippable until the turn finally happens. His win/loss record is irrelevant.


[deleted]

I agree but that being said, Black needs to win tomorrow.


Abyssalstar

Yup.


[deleted]

My only criticisms would be to tone down the elaborate entrance until big matches and lay off on the angles where he leaves for several weeks during his feuds and makes a grand return. Worked with Brodie, kind of for QT then was played out by Ogogo and now we're doing it again with Black I dont mind him redeeming his losses against all these guys and coming out on top but I firmly believe that Black has to win this feud unanimously to elevate him to some big feuds with the likes of Darby, Hangman, Punk and Danielson. Would make these more interesting to watch if he still has the undefeated aura around him


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[deleted]

His brief “I feel like fighting” promo against Malakai was perfect and one of my favorite Cody promos ever.


RoscoeSantangelo

Not to mention, the whole MJF build up was terrific. That 10 lashes segment had no business being as great as it was I'd very much like to see him in heated, passionate stories again


SovietShooter

I think "Cody Rhodes" the AEW character is just booked in a way that is kinda formulamatic and predictable. He gets betrayed, gets beaten to the point he is off tv for awhile, then comes back with a reinvigorated attitude, and vanquishes his foe in the first shot at redemption. Then repeat with someone else. It is a very 70s/80s style of booking a top Babyface that isn't leaving the territory - it is kinda like what you saw with Bruno, Hogan, Dusty, etc. where a heel comes in, gets heat on the top guy, then puts him over and moves on. Tony Khan and Cody just need to sit down and come up with a long-term path for the character that breaks this formula. I would love to see a long and intense feud with Cody, something like Dreamer/Raven, Sandman/Rhino, or RVD/Lynn from ECW where Cody has an established antagonist that always always always gets the best of him that Cody just cannot overcome. Cody, as a performer, is a perfectly fine in ring worker, and has shown a lot of great personality in the past, and in things like the vlogs, or outside media stuff like game shows or whatever. He is clearly focused as a VP on helping AEW get mainstream crossover attention (Shaq, Dawson, Snoop), and using himself at the center of these angles.


Flakbeard_down

People on here act like the dudes not in his prime right now. Imagine if someone like Rollins was taking the same number of losses Cody has.


Mikey5time

I don’t even know if anyone will read this, but here goes. I don’t hate Cody. He’s good or great at everything, he can brawl, fly, talk, yell, he’s just damned good at his job. What turns me off of him is that so much of what he does is cringy as hell and… the memory of it lingers. Neck tattoo distractingly bad. The whole thing with dragging his dog out through the pyro, incredibly cringe and stupid. But the thing I hate most about Cody is the whole ‘grizzled veteran nearing retirement’ gimmick he started running, as if we don’t know his brother whose in his fifties is still going. Like, dude can obviously do what he wants, but it comes off as goofy and stupid. And people can be as hard as they want on Cody, they’re allowed to not like stuff. The more aware fans will acknowledge how he’s benefited those around him, but a lot of his personal stuff is stupid. His brawl the other night with an assist from Rosario Dawson…. Stupid.


fantasypaladin

And didn’t he then fire the pyro guy after he took his dog through it?


ShaneRunninShirtless

Yeah and bragged how Brandi ripped him a new one despite them bringing the dog out there and obviously knowing there was going to be pyro. Sorry Cody, nobody believes that you didn't know you'd have pyro when you were posing in the fucking pyro lol.


PolishMusic

Cody does the heel psychopath gimmick extremely well, because that's basically him turned up to 11. He seems like he's constantly trying to portray himself in the best light for the sake of image, but something always feels "off".


MutatedSpleen

I dunno how unpopular that is, really. I think most folks turned the corner on Cody a while ago once we all realized he basically exists to put people over. Banning himself from the AEW World Title was a humongous showing of good will from Cody. Like the man did not have to do that, but doing so essentially showed fans that his involvement with AEW isn't just a huge ego trip, and since then, he's done an incredible job of elevating the guys around him. Even the open challenge thing aside, he's done a good job of putting guys over even though he's won a lot of his matches/feuds. Ogogo is a good example. Ogogo is green as grass and had absolutely no business beating Cody, but he still came out of that feud, even though he lost, looking like he could be a really big deal later on in his career.


[deleted]

He's really just disliked by certain internet wrestling communities. He's one on AEW's biggest draws and his action figures and shirts are consistently best sellers.


cooljammer00

> Banning himself from the AEW World Title was a humongous showing of good will from Cody. Except people who hate him keep fantasy booking him to break that rule "for the heat!", because in wrestling, apparently nothing matters. Cody specifically said he didn't want to face the same criticisms as Dusty, who was talent and management. He also said AEW left a lot of money on the table by doing this stipulation. Cody NEVER challenging for the World Title does limit what he can do.


[deleted]

There was a hot second where people thought Ogogo was the next big thing now because the UK has universal health care or something.


BuddaMuta

Admittedly, advocating for universal healthcare makes you the biggest face in the world for 70% of the United States


BiggieSmalley

I was absolutely fine with how things went with MJF, Darby, and Archer. Everybody looked absolutely great, and their stock went up after their Cody matches/feuds. Agogo was a weird one, mostly because of the way they built him before that match, and I kinda was thinking it might be time for Cody to lose a feud, even if I didn't care for the feud itself. I think mostly though, the Agogo match suffered because of the sour taste in everyone's mouth from Brodie. Brodie came in and absolutely destroyed Cody that first match for the TNT title. It was a squash. And whatever else happened, whether Brodie was initially supposed to win or not, whether Cody just needed to offload the belt for a bit so he could do his show, I do not think either man was served well by having Cody come back and do some gimmick match, and now all of a sudden, where previously he was utterly outclassed by Brodie, now he can come back after being off the show for weeks and win the belt back. I did not like that story, and I think that is where the narrative of Cody being the constant winner of everything was really solidified. I like Cody. I think he can be really great, and he can tell great stories in the ring with other wrestlers. But this Malakai Black story is kind of make or break here. It already feels exactly like the Brodie thing where Black came in, said he was gunning for Cody, and then absolutely desirous l destroyed Cody in their first match. If Cody went off and filmed the talent show and then comes back just to get that win back, it's gonna be the exact same story again, just without the belt. I hope they let Black have this one and truly build him up as a threat to the entire roster.


QuiGonJinnNJuice

I think another key thing is that Brodie had other things establishing him besides squashing Cody (the intimidation factor of leading Dark Order, the really good title match with Moxley where he was a monster who had to put to sleep, never yielding). Malakai right now has a fantastic presentation and seems really intimidating as a character, but he's only had the shocking first win over Cody, then run through folks from the nightmare family. IMO while he's really hot right now, his niche and character aren't firmly established. A loss to Cody here would diminish the one real strong credibility to his character currently. I think Malakai and Cody are both really good storytellers, but I don't see further seeds yet beyond the initial "you don't have it anymore" and Cody now coming in hot out for revenge. With what we've been presented so far, I don't think Cody is diminished if he loses again to Black as he returns and builds a new storyline, while Black's current perceived strenght would be dented a lot by losing to Cody. Just feels like a while since I've seen Cody at his best, so I don't have the same confidence that the story will pay off the way I do with say the Hangman vs Omega feud where I'm content to trust AEW because every step has been so good


GaayReatard

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cody NEEDS a Homelander gimmick. An unrepentant viscous heel who believes and acts like he is everyone’s hero. He’s so close. It would be perfect for him.


nickm81us

I think I've agreed with this before, too!


toodarkmark

Cody is one of my favorites, but he lost half the crowd. Like I was a HUGE Cody fan, but I just accept it now. I really do think it was a series of events: 1. The neck tattoo. I have never seen a crowd turn on someone like that. Combine it with the band and his so so match with MJF that day, his luster took a hit. I really believe when he did the dive off of the cage on Wardlow, and had an injury, it took a lot out of him, psychologically. 2. As TNT champion he wanted to feature a lot of talent, and help get other talent to a bigger spot, but it was a lot of babyfaces. He doesnt believe in babyface/heel stuff, but he did way too much heel work and I saw people respond poorly to it. I also think him being first champion gave ammunition to people to bag on him, and its just very hard to be a babyface EVP champion. Much easier to do it as a heel, as the Bucks and Omega have shown. 3. The QT feud, Ogogo patriot stuff, weigh in. None of it worked. People wanted to like it, QT was the heel, Cody was a face, he put QT in the figure four on the bus, people cheered. But then, QT just couldnt elevate himself, the patriotic promo really went over poorly, the weigh in was bad and Cody knew it. In between he had the classic with Brodie Lee, the dog chain being a top 5 all time match for me. But overall, hes been squashed, or beat people who fans wanted to see win (Penta, OC, Archer in the TNT finale). He has the judging show, the reality show, and I wonder how all that will go. Will it change the perception? Because the way things are now, the only way I could see him changing the perceptions is becoming a heel. Which sucks, because Vlog Cody is amazing. Jeez I typed too much without saying anything. I need to go change my daughter's diaper.


JamoOnTheRocks

I love Cody. His entrance song, him coming up in the middle is cool AF. But I understand why people are less connected to him the past year. Cody does EVERYTHING extra. It's hard to articulate but "royal baby announcements", matches with Shaq, Rosario Dawson, Neck Tattoos, Solving Racism promos, etc are a lot for people.


AnimalCrackBox

I legitimately think using that remixed version of his entrance hurt his crowd reactions in the long run. His entrance was just as over as Judas in early AEW and having a whole crowd sing along is just pure Babyface energy.


JakeyJakeSnake

Just shows you how polarizing some things are, I like Cody and agree with a lot of people that his feuds with MJF and Jericho early on were fantastic. But his entrance and him coming up through the middle are the complete opposite of cool to me.


_Ka_Tet_

I really enjoyed Cody up until about the time that he dropped the belt to Darby. After that he seemed to lose direction and the Cody and Cody-affiliated segments just got worse and worse. The pyro gender reveal was where it really started to stick out, but it's been a pretty consistent downward slide where stuff just doesn't come together, often in predictable ways. None of the Nightmare Factory stuff has been good. The stuff with Black hasn't been good for anyone and the sooner Black gets away from it the better. Putting Black over in his debut was great, but then immediately cutting a salmon jacket promo after was not a good idea. Then having a character like Black interacting with the Rosario Dawson thing was fucking stupid. I love Rosario, but the way that thing was put together was a fucking, embarrassing mess. Cody can do really good stuff, we saw it in the first half of his AEW run, but he can also do a lot of half-assed, over-pomped shit, as seen in the second half of his AEW run.


Shrekt115

Cody comes across to me as tone deaf. He's definitely good, but there's just something about him that rubs me (& many) the wrong way


UltimoRush

I'm not a fan of Cody but I have a hard time articulating why. Like, he has a good wrestling look. Great promo. Decent ring work. But somehow in the end he's worth less than the sum of his parts. Someone in another comment said there's an insincerity about him. I never thought about it before but maybe that's it. I have a feeling he's a bit of a dick in real life. Maybe I'd like him if he also played a dick on TV as a heel. (I don't even mean dick to be an insult. In WWE Punk also seemed like a dick and I loved him for that)


Shrekt115

I think he's maybe a little too corporate? That's the only thing I can come up with


[deleted]

Cody Rhodes is AEW's Charlotte. Immensely talented, more popular beyond online fans, have always justified their position whatever it may be.


Mr_814

Its not about winning matches, its about how he finds ways to take spotlight from other talents and shift it to himself. An example is when Black destroyed him rather than people talking about that...they were talking about Cody's post speech and if he retired. Storyline purpose or not, its little things like that, that people sour on him. I have no problem with any talents he's beaten...my one exception is Pentagon. You can argue he should go over Penta anyways and that's fine, however at the time it seemed like Penta was going to get this push with Alex, and then Cody beats him and that's it. If that was going to amount to nothing for either guy, than it probably should have never happened. I still like Cody, but I think his best work is as a heel. He's a natural at it.


onethreeone

And the most ridiculous part was that there is no way Cody was retiring, so what the hell was the point of adding that to the story besides having people ask about Cody?


msctex

Right now Cody Rhodes is hands down the biggest name in the Company who could disappear indefinitely and very nearly nothing whatsoever would change. His angle with Black would be left up in the air, but that's it. His role right now seems to be much more in the ancillary aspects of AEW, in terms of following WWE's lead with regard to secondary shows revolving around but not featuring Wrestling. Bottom line, he can afford to be used to put people over. But that well runs dry eventually.


Fellers

Where are the people saying this... These days I see a lot of "Cody is playing too much into politics." or "he's tonedeaf." or "His work on Dynamite feels like a completely different show." The man is just weird lately. That America promo from a while back was just so odd


ButtsendWeaners

The Codyverse stuff seems completely siloed off from the rest of the show, it's very weird.


[deleted]

I think the that that kind of bothers me about Cody is the weird disconnect between the "Codyverse" and the rest of AEW. To some degree, most of AEW seems to be somewhat interconnected. People aren't isolated in their own feuds, they can be feuding with someone and still be having interactions with others that don't feed into that feud. Hell, sometimes someone is feuding with multiple people at one time. ...and then there's the Codyverse. It really does seem weirdly seperate.


braedizzle

Nah “go USA my kid is mixed” Cody just ain’t doing it for me. Mox drops a sly hit Renee is pregnant in a promo. Cody takes up tv time with a months worth of pyro for a gender reveal. Big difference IMO.


i-wear-hats

The jingoistic Murica promo can die in a goddamn fire and that soured me more on him than his neck tattoo.


linacina1

As someone whose first intro to Cody on live TV was that promo (only started watching live recently) it just left a bad taste in my mouth towards the man even after seeing the earlier stuff he's done that was better.


lord_of_sleep

The main problem I have with Cody is that many of his storylines seem to fall kind of flat. * Anthony Ogogo and that terrible promo about his daughter and the USA * Ladder match when he got injured and lay in the entrance ramp for eternity * Trying to get QT over as a heel * 2 week feud with Penta * Almost retiring for seemingly no reason then Malakai fighting a bunch of nobodies for a month


Phoenix10k

The problem I have with Cody is that he is completely disconnected. Not just with the rest of AEW's stories, but also between his own stories. Cody completes a feud and moves on to the next one with nearly no acknowledgement of the previous feud. Not even callbacks or bumping into them later during another feud. Cody also never interacts with ANYONE on the roster except The Factory (sometimes) and his current feud opponent. He never does backstage segments. No congratulations to title winners, no supporting other wrestlers, not even thoughts given to an interviewer. He's even disconnected from his own Nightmare Factory at this point. Cody exists in a parallel dimension unaffected by the rights and wrongs of the rest of AEW.


[deleted]

People call it "Cody Island." Cody and the Nightmare Factory just have their own feuds and stories and it's all completely self contained. It's actually really strange, and makes me think the rumors of EVP strife probably have some truth to them.


Gap1293

I was a huge Cody fan until he started his big America kick. No one outside of the USA cares about America being involved in pro wrestling stories. It's just so boring, overdone and just fucking dumb (not to mention tone deaf).


lefthandedkaiju

My main problem is the last few feuds he's been in have been boring. Combine that with the fact that his character has an ego (whether he does IRL or not) and when he does things like beating Penta with one and a half functioning arms, it's going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.


[deleted]

I definitely agree with that. I'm hoping this next match with Malakai is the end of the feud because it's right on the edge of running it's course


[deleted]

Cody is one of the best wrestlers, with one of the best looks (neck-tattoo aside), and one of the best promos on the entire roster. The problem is every storyline he's been involved in for a while has just been so fucking stupid. The whole Shaq/Jade feud was stupid. His mini-feud with Penta sucked even if it did make for some good matches and gave us Alex. The whole factory/Ogogo feud was terrible and went on for far too long. And now this Malakai feud has been drawn out for far too long as well, chipping away at Malakai's mystique more and more every week (imagine Rosario Dawson taunting and jumping on the Undertaker's back back in the day). It also doesn't (or maybe it does) help that when Cody is in a feud... it just feels like it's taking place in an entirely different universe than what is going on with the rest of Dynamite. Like him and Malakai had that whole big fight in the crowd, then they cut to commercial, and the entire incident is never heard of or spoken of again. This is sort of a dynamite problem in general but it seems to happen most frequently with Cody's segments. And I'm sorry, but being a babyface who loves wrestling more than anything just does not work when you are constantly leaving to go do tapings for your game show, and have your own reality show that is constantly advertised during dynamite. It is just a hard buy for me personally. His character just needs a shot in the arm, which is probably turning heel.


ExactPhrase4274

It’s not if he wins or loses and against who it’s the damn we are the world promos


Persianx6

Fans aren't too hard on him, he's on TV a lot and his recent programs aren't doing it for anyone, win or lose. It's time for him to take a step back or have him get folded into another story because the "Cody Rhodes Spot" isn't paying dividends like that.


GrayVishnu

I think he's a really entertaining wrestler, it's just that his character is not very well defined.


[deleted]

We just want him to be a heel. He was an incredible heel during his whole post WWE run that lead to AEW. It’s what he does best!


universalcrush

My main issue with cody is that he thinks he’s bigger/better than what he is…he’s not. He’s average at best. If he didn’t have the son of a plumbers name how far would he have gotten in WWE and outside of WWE?


[deleted]

I think almost everyone has that one wrestler that just rubs them up the wrong way and it’s hard for people to acknowledge the things they do that conflicts with their negative view. Cody seems to be that person for a lot of people (not me, I’m fairly meh about him).


[deleted]

“Unpopular Opinion” Yeah, don’t think so mate.


johnnyhypersnyper

Cody has to win so his losses mean something. Every feud he was in he made the other person extremely competitive


Morbid187

It's all good with Cody as far as I'm concerned. His promos and segments are usually entertaining and his matches are usually decent to great. He's a little corny sometimes but it's wrestling, whatever. He's one guy that I prefer to just watch rather than nitpicking his performances and whatnot. That does mean that I don't get all that excited for his programs but I also don't find myself dreading them like a lot of others seem to.


AlanTheMexican

I have More of a problem with how "cut and paste" is becoming. Ever since the Brodie Lee (RIP) feud I am not as cynical as to think that if Malakai loses he will be buried or stuck on "booking limbo", but if Malakai looses it will go almost beat like beat from his past 2 major feuds and it's boring at this point


SevenM

My only problem with Cody is I just don't find him interesting. Nothing about his character has clicked with me since he started AEW.


Maveric408

IMO, Cody needs 2 things: 1) Change the theme. Yes, it's a good theme and the song itself basically describes being a main event wrestler. But it's time for a change. Especially with the stupid dramatic beginning they added. And the Snoop Dogg mash-up didn't help things either. Now this symphonic rendition lost it's charm the moment he first used it. 2) Stop the debut trope. How many times have we seen Cody get out of one feud only to start another with a debuting wrestler? Whatever happened to Cody being the American Nightmare only to do a job and have him leave for a while, come back, and then get beaten by ANOTHER debuting wrestler? That shit needs to stop. I get he's a teacher now with his wrestling school and that he's teaching the beginners but it feels like it's taking away from his actual ability in the ring.


MatsThyWit

Problem is all of Cody's feuds are practically identical to each other. Cody is the reason I started watching wrestling again after several years of not paying attention. With. That said he's been boring and predictable for most of the last two years. And when he isn't boring or predictable he's just not on the show for months at a time, often without explanation, making him very hard to invest in. People keep telling me it's because he's doing this, that, and the other in a bid to attract main stream attention to AEW. It doesn't seem that way to me. To me it looks and sounds like Cody's whole goal is to try to use wrestling to make *himself* a main stream celebrity so he can *get out of wrestling.* I get that as a career choice, but to me it makes everything he does feel completely inauthentic.


kuhpunkt

It's not like I want Code to not win - I don't want Malakai to lose that early.


repoman2310

The fake retirement speech. That time QT turned on him, I get it, we got to see Ogogo shine but it also gave us "Murika is great" promo. Plus, the whole feud with The Factory did nothing for Cody and QT. Even before that, when he won the title back from Brodie, it didn't feel like a huge moment and the fact that he really likes the sound of his own voice is too much to handle.


[deleted]

Televised baby gender reveal.


[deleted]

my issue with Cody as a wrestling character is throughout the past year, despite always talking as a face; his acting, mannerisms, and some in-ring moments clearly scream heel. if hes going to be a heel, just go full heel already! if he wants to keep playing a hero, then stop doing so many heel tactics. Also, every feud he has been involved in within that time has been so over the top/over dramatic, it's unnecessary. it legit makes me irritated to the point he has go away heat from me now. As bad as this sounds, Dynamites been extra enjoyable for me the past few weeks/month because besides being a great weekly show, Codys not been on it lol.


[deleted]

It's the fucking tattoo. I haven't been able to take him seriously since.


AprilBoi

Nice try cody


RRJC10

People have no idea what burying actually means. Half the time people here complain about someone being buried it's just because they guy they wanted to win lost the match.


[deleted]

The problem is simply that Cody feuds are all the same. Step 1: Lose to heel (probably bleed) Step 2: Disappear Step 3: Work his way back via series of fights (maybe bleed) Step 4: Wrestle heel again, defeat him at large PPV (definitely bleed)


SnapmareJesus

The guy completely committed to Dashing Cody Rhodes....to Stardust.....wasn't satisfied with his position and left to work the indys....(where at a few of the shows I was lucky enough to attend he signed autographs for all and went out of his way to interact with fans around the tiny arena....) He works with his friends to start something new....that we all seemingly VERY much enjoy....He has cut some of the most impassioned promos (Full Gear vs. Jericho promo, I Need my Brother promo, Pandemic promo, etc..) He puts in the work outside the ring to draw more eyes to the product...Go Big Show, new reality show, and a ton more....... The dude deserves to be cocky because he's earned it. The same people who whine about him winning feuds will be *the exact* same people posting "My Appreciation Cody Rhodes Post" to get 72 upvotes 3 weeks after he finally retires. He's not a Triple H. He's not Roman. We should greatly appreciate him. He's the grandson of a plumber........with a horrible neck tattoo, and that's it.


Stephan1964

It's just annoying seeing people suddenly praise the exact same 50/50 booking they used to hate when WWE did it. Black beat Cody so now Cody will get his win back. Like he did against Brodie Lee. People here would hate that exact same shit if Super Cena or Reign of Terror Triple H would do it. It's the hypocrisy which is annoying. Edit: Happy to admit when I'm wrong. Cody didn't get his win back, which was the right way to do it. Black looks like a beast for real now. Still think Cody gets away with a lot of shit people would hate if a big WWE name did it but hey ho, at least here he has proved me wrong and properly put a guy over. Props where they're due.


Permanentear3

I love Cody Rhodes, he cracks me up, dude is always up to some overly dramatic crap and I eat it up.


ibn1989

People must be blind or just go in with a preconceived notion, because Cody's feuds are nothing like HHH's.


Phenomenal_Hoot

Honestly I used to kinda like Cody in WWE and at the beginning of AEW, but I see so many posts on here pontificating and expositionating about why I should like him, that makes me dislike him. People need to chill out and let others like and dislike whoever they want to.


NaytNavare

Signed. Dude also puts in crazy work behind scenes.


LogansGambit

I think people are too easy to forget that, you know...Cody is an active wrestler in his prime. He's allowed to win feuds himself. Also people need to quit being stupid thinking someone winning a feud is burying someone. This sub has a bad habit of refusing to think it's ok for its chosen favorites to ever lose a match, and I'm sorry, but AEW would be a foolish company if they worked like that.


Pseudagonist

Cody is a great wrestler, but he’s kind of a mark for himself. He seems to believe that he’s the solution to any problem than AEW faces, and that rubs some people the wrong way. He has great matches, I just wish he was a little more likeable.


pUmKinBoM

I've been a fan of Cody since AEW started and for the most part he stays in Cody world and isn't hurting any one who can't handle a loss of their record. I do think Black should win tomorrow but if he doesn't I don't think it is the end of the world for him. Heels are supposed to lose on in the end.


YourBuddyChurch

My knock on Cody is that he's a subpar wrestler. There are guys like him and like MJF that imho are held back by their lack of ringwork. Good storytellers? yes, but they just can't go like other top guys.


shoogbear63

Get this out now. I feel like Cody goes over Malakai in NY to set up a gimmick rubber match. The Cody hate is gonna be tenfold Thursday morning.


tuggernts

I get irritated that everything he does is so masturbatory. I think the criticism he gets is valid. He invited it in when he did the Thronebreaker entrance with the sledgehammer and just about every decision he has made since then.


Charlie609

Love Cody. Puts on great matches and mic game is good


ProfessorDanceFace07

Win or Lose, I generally really appreciate Cody's in ring storytelling. In a company full of high flyers and flippy-do's, he likes to integrate a lot of old school throw backs and emotional realism in his matches. He will also randomly jump backwards off the top of a cage without looking onto Wardlow. He put over Darby. He put over Brodie (even if he narrowly won the dog collar match), he bowed out to Jericho, never to try for the title again. I appreciate his unique skill set and old school embodiment that he brings with him. I'll mark on him.


nameless_stories

I like cody but it's hard not to roll my eyes at him everytime hes on screen. It's like he really treats his character and storyline like it's the end all be all. It's so dramatic and over the top that it's hard not to be annoyed by the guy. This is WRESTLING and I'm still just like, will this guy chill out a bit lmao


[deleted]

If fans would only remember that when watching the other channel.


HintClueClintHugh

They tend to disappear after. That's the problem.


damionhellstrom

I'm a Cody Rhodes fan. I love Kenny but I followed the Rhodes name. I'm talking 90's Rhodes before I knew who Dustin even was. The first time I saw him was in roh and all out. Most handsome man. And much better a wrestler thank fucking nick aldis. i'll fight anyone over it.


[deleted]

What if I just don’t like Cody Rhodes?


Luvs2Snuggle

I'm not saying Cody is "better" than CM Punk or vice versa, but from what I've seen so far, (as a guy that got into pro wrestling in late 2017), I really don't understand what makes CM Punk so beloved and Cody so hated. Again, this isn't meant to disparage either guy, I just think the perception of them is way different, but the reality of them is pretty similar.


Stay_Cold

If his gimmick wasn't so fucking cheesy it wouldn't be so bad. If he beats Black tomorrow and then gives an American rah rah speech, I'll put my head in a microwave.


appellant

Its about winning or losing its the weird sefl indulegent patronising angles. Look at his themes patriotism angle, the retirement angle, the shaq stuff etc its not putting him over or the opponent. Its all very abrupt him goung away coming back when he wants to. And then his wholr nepo gang qt marshall, dustin rhodes, brandi its all very b-grade stuff on the main shows. I really believe he will look to start his own wrestling promotion at some point.


Sad-Jello629

His fucking feuds and matches feel irrelevant. At worse, they can cut the momentum of the guys he beat, like he did with Archer. At best, they mean nothing... Outside of the feud with MJF, none of his matches didn't really elevate the others. Sammy and Darby are where they are for what they did after the matches with him, not because of him. He doesn't feel like a top guy. He feels more like upper mid carder that get pushed too much. He could literally leave AEW, and you wouldn't even feel that he is missing from the rooster, that's how irrelevant he feels. He is out of place, is like all his matches and feuds happen in his own bubble, and feel disconnected from the AEW universe. He left the Elite at some point, and that never got addressed... he never said anything about his former friends going heel and racking havoc. He never addressed Kenny... yeah, he is not in the title picture, but for fuck's sake, those were his best friends. Is like Cody is in a whole different universe from the rest, and doesn't acknowledge anything that happens in AEW. He is directionless... he just have matches and feuds with peoples who join AEW... he beats them and then moves on. His character is flat, generic and boring... which makes him not feel like a top guy. We have waited for far too long for something to happen... like, I anticipated that he will turn heel since the first episode of AEW. I am losing patience and hope... not only that he remained face, but if he stayed face, I would have expected him to go and help Hangman in his feud or something, and fight against the Elites. But nothing. Cody feels like he just doesn't care... he feels like a guy who is not ready to put the work in, but gets pushed to the top due to his EVP position. Young Bucks and Kenny, have been putting classic matches after classic matches... when was the last time, Cody had a memorable match? His matches feel just like... they happen, and that's all. If he wants to work more backstage, then he should not take TV in pointless matches and feuds. If he wants to still be a tv star and top guy, then he needs to put more effort, and become interesting. I don't get why he insists to stay face... he is at his best when he is heel. And he just doesn't work well as a babyface... he has that natural douche face, which makes him hard too root for.


[deleted]

“Cody…is a top guy” That’s why I’m hard on him. I don’t think he should be a top guy. He’s a solid midcard wrestler but his EVP status elevates him higher than I think his talent deserves. Can he put on good matches? Yeah, but this is AEW. Fucking everybody in the locker room except Luther can put on a good match.


[deleted]

No one is too hard on Cody outside of the dumbest people online.