American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes

The road to WrestleMania is almost finished and, perhaps, so is the story for Cody Rhodes. As we prepare on this blog to celebrate Cody’s championship win or send Scott 80 emails saying he should go back to AEW, depending on what happens Sunday, there is no better time to review this.

“American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” debuted as a Peacock exclusive on July 31, 2023. It is still exclusively there, so sorry if you’re in a world without Peacock. It is narrated by Stephen Amell.

So-Fi Stadium. Cody tells us that WrestleMania 39 is the biggest thing he’s ever done. Bruce Pritchard tells us that it is impossible to fill the shoes of someone as big as Dusty Rhodes, while Undertaker tells us that you’re already behind the eight-ball because of your last name. Cody says you have to do everything to get the attention off your famous father and onto you. Dusty himself, in archival footage, wonders what the company isn’t seeing in Cody. Cody tells us he has to get out. Triple H says Cody had to go explore. We see the pec tear. DDP says believing in himself is his superpower. And we smash cut to the title screen, now that we’ve smushed a preview of everything in this documentary into the opening scene.

Marietta, Georgia. Michelle Rubio – Cody’s Mother remembers looking at him and wondering what to name him, and Dusty said “Cody.” Michelle says Cody was a delight and shy, unlike his sister. We meet said sister, Teil Gergel – Cody’s Sister, who says Cody wanted to be like Dusty.

Dusty Rhodes – Cody’s Father / WWE Hall of Famer tells us he was a common man and that’s why it worked. Diamond Dallas Page – WWE Hall of Famer says that Dusty was like John Wayne meeting Elvis. Bruce Prichard – WWE Executive Director tells us Dusty could relate to the richest man and to the man digging ditches. Cody says his first memory of his dad (and in general) was Dusty putting Cody on the mat at WrestleMania and seeing the gold and blue turnbuckle pad. Cody says even at a young age, he was so proud that Dusty was his dad. Narrator Stephen tells us that Dusty won almost every title in his career except one, the WWE Championship.

We flash back to Madison Square Garden on September 26, 1977. Dusty gets his title shot against Superstar Billy Graham and wins the match by count out. Dusty celebrates with the belt, which of course is not how the title changes hands. Dave LeGreca, SiriusXM, Busted Open says the title didn’t change hands because of this and it was the one title that eluded Dusty throughout his career. Dusty would never get that close again.

Cody says he asked Dusty as a kid if he was ever champion like Hulk Hogan, which probably upset his dad. Dusty explain the champ can’t lose the title by count out and Cody says his first goal was to win the championship and bring it to Dusty. And a story was born.

WCW Hall of Fame Ceremony, May 21, 1995. We see young Cody, in all his cowboy shirt glory, standing nearby as Dusty goes into the WCW Hall, marking the end of his in-ring career according to the narration. We see footage of Dusty at home watching “A Christmas Story” as we’re told how close Dusty was to Cody. Cody says he was the perfect dad. One of Cody’s school football coaches said they should really get him into wrestling, and we see nine-year-old Cody start wrestling. Cody says a lot of the other parents would spotlight Cody because of Dusty, which was unfair.

He was terrible at wrestling at first. Dusty built a gym in their garage and Cody says that’s when he started to put on strength. In 2001, at Lassiter High School, Cody was in all the sports. Steve Day, High School Wrestling Coach, remembers how Cody as a freshman unseated the top seed and everyone knew he was going to be a force. He had one move, a double leg takedown, and it was all he needed. DDP remembers Cody telling him that he was going to win the state competition. Xavier Woods, WWE Superstar, tells us about being at a rival high school of Cody. Woods says his goal was to beat Cody in front of Dusty so that Dusty would want to train Woods. Cody was state champ as a junior and a senior. Dusty tells us that, for his final match, Cody gave the announcer a sheet of paper and had them announce him as the winner “Cody Rhodes.”

Cody graduated and, unfortunately to his mom’s wishes, he skips college. In 2004, Cody and Teil want to act in Hollywood. Meanwhile, Dusty is struggling to pay his bills. They were basically broke. The power went out and they knew he hadn’t paid the bill. Cody says Dusty gave them each $10,000 and Cody would later find out he pawned his Rolex.

They wanted to go to the Howard Fine Acting Studio as we meet Howard Fine, Owner, Howard Fine Acting Studio. He tells us Cody came in 2004 and worked up through classes and took a class called “Emotional Range,” which teaches people to use their own life as a source. Cody says it was cathartic and therapeutic but it was only a few days a week. He says being 19 in Hollywood with no prospects was depressing, but without it he wouldn’t know what he was missing. He knew what he needed to be doing: wrestling.

He drove home in a 48-hour stretch. He met with Dusty and told him his dream. Dusty said okay, but do it to be the best. We see Dustin Runnels, Cody’s Brother / Former WWE Superstar and Cody says it is like an alumni network. At 20, Cody joined Ohio Valley Wrestling. The Miz – WWE Wrestler recounts Cody saying he’s never wrestled before, then getting in the ring and hitting crazy moves. Cody says his time at OVW was the greatest and like college for him as we see archival footage.

In 2007, Dusty was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his sons. Cody says he had to make sure his induction was as good as Dusty’s speech would be. It was Cody’s first time speaking publicly. Undertaker – WWE Hall of Famer says you could feel the love and respect Cody had for his father. Dusty says Cody was impressive and Bruce tells us Cody has “it.” Afterwards, Bruce tells Cody that the chairman wanted to speak with him. Disgraced Chairman tells Cody how impressed he was, while Dusty tells us that Bruce told him the kid was going to be huge. Cody said he knew he was screwed because the call up was coming and he wasn’t ready.

We move to his first night on Raw. Bruce tells us filling Dusty’s shoes is impossible as Cody faces Randy Orton in his first WWE match. Randy Orton – WWE Superstar says Cody was green through and through but there was heart as we watch Cody lose. Cody was thankful he was presented as a rookie. Michael Cole, WWE VP, On-Air Announce Talent tells us there is “a shitload of pressure” coming up as Dusty’s son. Charlotte Flair, WWE Superstar says you just want to make your father proud and show him you can do it but have so much to prove. Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Chief Content Officer says it’s incredibly difficult to carve your own path and you’re just Dusty’s kid to fans.

Cody says at the time he didn’t want to only be seen as Cody’s son. Dusty tells us that Cody said he’s doing it himself. We go to 2008 and The Legacy as Cody says it was a lot different being a bad guy. Randy says it was what he needed to step out and Cody tells us Randy was a great mentor at the time. We see behind the scenes footage of the Dashing Cody vignettes as Cody tells us he was beyond excited to be this character. He said he was going all-in with it while Miz says those vignettes made you want to punch him in the face. Kevin Owens – WWE Superstar says he was a dick. We see the 619 to the face and the transformation to Undashing Cody. Cody tells us about getting the mask and “American Psycho” giving him the motivation to transform the character. Miz tells us about the audience putting paper bags on themselves and how genius it was.

Three months later, Cody was on the grand stage of WrestleMania in his first singles match on pay-per-view. Rey Mysterio, WWE Hall of Famer (and deadbeat dad) says they connected immediately and it was a fun match as we watch Cody get the win. Cody remembers catching Dusty taking a picture of him with his Blackberry and it felt good because his dad was his fan for the night.

Cody brings back the classic Intercontinental Title and is thriving in the singles world. Despite that, something was still missing. Cody tells us his dad was working in FCW and mentioned a girl he had just met with beautiful eyes. Brandi Rhodes – Cody’s Wife remembers seeing her backstage getting her hair done, and the hairdressers giving her “big Texas hair.” Cody told her to take a look at her hair. Brandi remembers Beth Phoenix asking her why she wasn’t out there, and Brandi said she had to fix her hair. Beth asked who said there was something wrong with it. When Brandi said Cody, Beth said the hair was fine and Cody was flirting. They started dating immediately.

Brandi remembers Cody showing him the picture of Dusty with the title and he said he was going to win it for them. After two years, Cody and Brandi get married and Cody says he is incredibly lucky the hairdresser messed up her hair.

A few months later, the Rhodes would all be together again in the ring as Cody, Goldust and Dusty would join forces. We flash back to Battleground as Dusty backs up the sons against the Shield and we get the big tag title celebration. Dusty says it was very real and amazing.

Cody’s momentum as a singles star had stalled. WWE wanted to create a new over-the-top character for him as we see various sketches of what Stardust could be. In the end, it’s none of that and instead a “mini Goldust.” Seth Rollins – WWE Superstar says it’s all character and Matt Cardona – Former WWE Superstar says Cody sank his teeth so deep into the character, even going to Six Flags as Stardust. KO says Cody never phoned it in. Cole says he never saw anyone take a character as seriously as Cody as our narrator breaks the wall and says it caught his eye. We look at Amell acting in “Arrow” as Cody crosses over into the show.

After a year, Cody began showing frustration with Stardust, LaGreca says he hated Stardust because you never saw him as a credible world champion. Miz says he’s fun but will never main event Mania. Cody says he became bitter and mortified to be that character. Brandi felt pain for him because she knew he was trying. Cody says it was rock bottom as HHH says it was down a road he didn’t want to be. Dusty wonders what they don’t see in Cody. Dusty told Cody that if he’s that frustrated, he should quit.

Cody says he didn’t quit because that’s how he was raised. Meanwhile, Dusty had been working at NXT as we see him leading a promo class. Sami Zayn – WWE Superstar remembers how hot it was to be “Dusty’s kids” and Cody tells us he was always mad that he wasn’t part of it. Corey Graves – WWE Announcer mentions Dusty always had time for everyone and really did treat them like his kids. Seth says Dusty was a big supporter of him and was responsible for almost everyone. Cody was upset because Dusty was saying he should quit while also grooming a Seth, a Roman, a Sami and it was maddening. It was like Dusty having his own little league team and he couldn’t play on it and it made him resent him.

HHH tells us Dusty spoke so highly of Cody, and Corey tells us he called him “The Prince.” Cody said it sucked that Dusty didn’t get to see his next decision. June 10, 2015 Dusty collapsed and had an infection. Cody remembers every cost of paint on the hospital wall because it’s the last memories he had of Dusty. Septic shock had a bad return rate and Cody went from praying he would live to praying to pass as Dusty’s quality of life was dropping. It was two days of sitting there and watching his hero die.

On June 11, Dusty passed at the age of 69. Teil says there was no good time to lose a parent, but it was hard to sort through. Cody says he was the perfect father and it’s almost selfish to want him for any longer than he had him. Dusty’s passing was felt by the entire industry, with his memorial service a glowing tribute. We see footage of Cody speaking at the service and Undertaker says it is tough to deliver your dad’s eulogy in front of all your peers. Ric Flair – WWE Hall of Famer says every father in the world would love to have someone speak about them the way Cody spoke about Dusty.

Cody says that no, he wasn’t ready to just come back as Cody Rhodes so he had Stardust to dive back into. We see archival footage of Cody crying as he remembers Dusty not wanting to be mentioned on TV in the afterlife as a character clutch immediately after his death. Cody and Amell have their tag match at SummerSlam and Cody felt like that was it for the character.

He says he was ready to tell the story of becoming Cody again and the company wasn’t ready for it. He wrote so many emails asking to be “reset” and he said the writers ignored him. HHH told him to “rattle cages” if you really want to make some noise. Cody would continue as Stardust and the resentment grew. Cardona tells us he was burned out trying to tell people he was a Rhodes. Cody tells us he had a tumbler of whiskey and he was drinking at the live events because he was checked out. He told HHH and Redacted that he wasn’t putting the suit back on until it was the story of getting out of it. In May 2016, Cody was granted his release. He says he walked away from a lot of money and security. Brandi says “thank GOD” and leave it as a good memory, so they did. HHH says it was bold and brave.

Cody says the next step has to matter, and we see “the list.” Sami says nobody had really done that before and it was a clever way to take the fans along with you on the journey. We see his first match away from WWE with EVOLVE. Mike Lombardi, Owner, Northeast Wrestling says everybody wanted to see him. Kurt Angle, WWE Hall of Famer says he wrestled him a few times and Cody had something to prove. Cody wanted to prove he was worth the main event. Cardona tells us he worked 3-4 times a week to get noticed. Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer says Cody made good choices to skyrocket his worth and HHH says not a lot of people could’ve done it. Brandi says fans saw a lot of themselves in Cody following his heart.

Cody tells us a lot of stuff came up from it and it was cathartic. Brandi says it let him honor his father while being himself. Randy says it motivated Cody to do better. Cody was having fans show him pictures with his dad and that’s what helped him cope.

It was across the globe, however, where he found a new identity. He went to New Japan, where they asked him to come in as the American Nightmare. Cody says the first Tokyo Dome show was where he found himself and the name worked because the character was a little of each previous character. LaGreca says Cody carved his own path. Cody mentions the “forbidden door” and he leveraged being able to go anywhere he wanted and take the Nightmare anywhere. Miz mentions what a buzz Cody created while (insert Samantha Irvin introduction) Chelsea Green, WWE Superstar says Cody went from being a WWE star to being THE star of every other promotion out there.

We see videos of Cody with the Young Bucks as Cody says he dyed his hair because he earned it – he finally has the right to rely on the Rhodes hair. Cody knew we – he and the Jacksons – could run a bigger show. We see “Being the Elite” as they announce All In. Teil came up with the name as Cody tells us they were self-financing. He runs through getting the building, a billboard, and figuring out ticket prices. We see the website having heavy traffic and then, under an hour the tickets are sold out.

We get Being The Elite video of All In with 11,000 fans in Chicago. Rey tells us it felt like something special and we see more behind the scenes video. Brandi said if you build it, they will come. Rey never knew it would lead into something bigger, as we see the contract signings for the birth of AEW.

Brandi tells about how they would do whatever they needed to do to promote AEW. Undertaker says it’s impressive he helped out the company together. For over three years, Cody helped lead the company. He also became a father and he says she immediately became the important thing. He says wrestling has always been about politics, but having her is what made him realize he’s in it for her. Following Dusty’s act as a father was far harder than as a wrestler.

Rumors of Cody working without a contract in AEW pop up. Brandi says yeah, it was true. Contracts were not being renewed on time and she says it was odd fire to play with in a competitive industry. Bruce says he reached out through friends and if it was true for Cody to call him. Cody called within five minutes and the next day he and Redacted were meeting with Cody in Atlanta.

Cody says he felt like the meeting was closure. He wants to apologize for his exit but stand on what he did after. Bruce says it wasn’t as much of a business meeting but more of a “here’s what we can do together.” Redacted said they aren’t changing a thing about him if he comes back and Bruce says he had no doubt he was coming back.

The news gets out that Cody and Brandi are leaving AEW. Cody says to not edit the next answer of this documentary. “I can’t tell you why I left AEW. I can’t and I won’t. But I’ll tell you the reasons that were said that didn’t actually matter. I didn’t leave AEW because of money and I didn’t leave AEW because of other talents. I left AEW because of a personal issue. That’s it. But the byproduct of leaving AEW is the opportunity to go for the biggest dream I ever had and the first dream I ever had in my life.” HHH says Cody didn’t grow up wanting to be the face of a secondary promotion, he wanted to be WWE Champion.

WrestleMania had nothing planned for Seth Rollins, but suddenly there’s a new returning superstar. Seth says the match wasn’t finalized until two weeks before the match. Cody notes that Seth is one of the best and getting to wrestle one of Dusty’s kids – hell yes. Bruce says the element of surprise is one of the best storytelling elements while Corey said he was flying blind with no idea. KO says he knew Cody was coming back, but getting Cody to admit it was hard.

We see Cody getting ready on the bus. Brandi was the only family member who was able to make it as we see him call his mom, who was out of town for her granddaughter’s wedding day. We watch Cody in his black hoodie sneaking to Gorilla as he wonders if he will get a reaction. Cody told Brandi if the fans turn on him, get out of Gorilla.

Cody takes the Codyvater up and the fans freak out in one of the coolest Mania moments of all time, complete with “Kingdom.” We see Brandi so happy backstage as Cody revels in the applause. Lots of match highlights as Cody gets the win. Cody tells us there is no high like what he got to feel at Mania. Corey tells us the son of the plumber was grinning ear-to-ear. Miz says he was so proud of what Cody did. Cole says the Cody that came back was different – a man with a newfound respect for WWE and the business.

Cody says for WWE to be home, it’s special. He had never referred to the place as home because he felt like a hypocrite, but without a doubt it is his home. He says he couldn’t ask for a better home. The fans wanted to love Cody and know his story. Brandi says the fans feel like he is one of their own. Taker says it feels like he’s on that rocket going up.

Producer: “Then what happened?” Cody: “*BLEEP*”

Cody is at home training for his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins. We get a look at some of the Cell’s past gruesomeness. Three days before the event, Cody feels a monumental injury tearing his pec. He says it is an embarrassing injury. Bruce wonders how they can substitute the match. HHH says he has had that injury and he knows the pain. Cody says the option to not wrestle was there for everyone but him and Cody plays us the voicemails of him begging for the match to not be canceled. Bruce says their experts checked him too and he can still do everything, but it looked gruesome. It did – I still have trouble watching it. I couldn’t watch it live.!!

Cody says you’d have to kill him for him to not wrestle the match. The announcers say Cody would not back out, though none of us had actually seen the injury yet. Seth didn’t know what the audience would think when they saw his arm. The collective gasp is still something. Corey tells us he hadn’t seen it until then and the collective gasp sucked the air out of the building. He says it felt like we were watching something we shouldn’t be seeing and it felt like it could’ve gone so wrong. Hulk says it added to the storyline, brother. Taker calls it old school (of course). His mom says it was brutal to watch. HHH says Cody showed him what he had inside. Brandi says it was tough to watch and just because you can’t hurt it worse doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Cody: “Should this be happening? I don’t know.” We see Cody win as Corey calls it a Herculean effort. Bruce says it showed people how tough he was while Redacted tells Cody it was exactly what he wanted.

Cody tells us he lied through his teeth through this whole process and it is the worst feeling. Cody says he isn’t proud about the pec, but he loves that it endeared him to the side of the audience that hadn’t come around to him yet. “It’s a pec well spent.” Days later, we see Cody having the surgical repair in Birmingham. Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon tells us that Cody had a complete rupture of his pec and he couldn’t believe he did the match. Cody says he thought he was bulletproof and this is what taught him he wasn’t.

Four months later, Cody is at the Nightmare Factory welcoming a new crew of students to his school. We watch Cody train and workout, making sure he’s being careful. Kurt Angle tells us the first concern after injury is if you’re going to be able to come back and that stays in your mind during your rehab process. Cody says he’s got to learn to be what he was while adapting to the recovery and the biggest thing is the mental fight. Undertaker tells us you’re watching helplessly at home while you watch the storylines continue without you. Seth says it can lead to depression and anxiety. Cody says he is glad that today we can talk about the mental health aspects of it and being around his wife and daughter saved him.

December 2022: Cody steps in the ring again to train. Cody says it’s a whole new layer of hard work. He got as lean as he’s ever been but as healthy as well. Tara Halaby, WWE Medical runs him through his tests to see if he can get cleared as Carmelo Hayes – NXT Superstar is there to work with him. Melo says Cody feels like Melo is there to help him, but really he feels like Cody helped him. Cody is given the green light from Tara. Cody says the Royal Rumble is the obvious destination and the next step is pulling the bus into the Alamodome.

One month later, he steps off that bus for the Rumble match. He says he’s been visualizing it for seven months and he’s ready. Cody enters at 30 to his usual heroic reception. It gets down to Cody and Gunther and Cody says that first chop was like coming alive again. Cody eliminates Gunther and he is headed to Mania. He says he felt damn good as we watch him point to the sign.

Cody has the opportunity to fulfill his dream and do what his father never did, win the WWE Championship. His opponent, of course, is Roman Reigns 2.5 years into his reign. Seth says he’s in there with the biggest main center in Mania history. Woods says it is a mountain that so many couldn’t conquer as we go down the list of names that couldn’t topple Roman. Cody, in promo, says the goalposts continue to move for him and if one person can do it, it’s him.

We head to WrestleMania week and we know how this goes. Cody goes to various media stops, including The Rich Eisen Show and NBC. We watch Cody, Brandi and Liberty in the arena as Cody says things have changed. He can’t win the title and give it to his dad now. It’s for his family. One day she’s going to tell people her father is Cody Rhodes.

Cody says he feels like Dusty was with him when he made his entrance. He says his family can always share that he went on last and he is so lucky to be there. He is living his first dream.

We all know how the match went, because Scott has posted 872 emails about it in the last year on this blog and it’s the centerpiece of a video game advertisement. Solo spikes Cody and we get the announcement of Samantha announcing Roman with “and still” and looks of sadness from Brandi and the fans.

HHH says it doesn’t get bigger than that moment, and it was a moment his dad never had. HHH tells Cody backstage how important the moment was. Cody tells us via promo he’s not done, the story is not finished and a lot of good stories have a lot of pages. Cody says he is Dusty’s son and that means a lot because of what he was able to do as we see clips of his career. Brandi said he was told “not you” and Cody made them change their mind. From undesirable to undeniable, Corey announces. Hulk says he has gone from wrestler to star to attraction (and he’s not wrong). Taker says it’s no longer “Cody Rhodes, Dusty’s boy” but “Cody Rhodes.” Randy tells us he looks up to Cody in and out of the ring. Cody says he’s proud of himself as a husband, a father but he can’t say it for being a performer yet because he isn’t finished.

“When people talk about me or think about me, I’d want them to say ‘I wouldn’t bet against that guy.’ I will carry this dream on my shoulders until it becomes reality.”