“Beat Dusty”: Being Dusty Rhodes’ Son Surprisingly Made High School Uncomfortable for Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is a daddy’s boy in every sense. Despite surpassing the late Dusty Rhodes in terms of his professional feats, The American Nightmare never let his father’s fingerprints fade away from his career and life as well. But the 38-year-old once didn’t want to be known as the son of Dusty Rhodes.

Be it chasing a WWE World’s Championship title to make the departed soul content, or reminiscing about an endearing father-son bond, Cody Rhodes has always been proud of his father’s last name. That said, one bizarre incident from his childhood tells about a time when a young Rhodes felt dejected about being Dusty Rhodes’ son.

People often referred to Cody Rhodes by his father’s name 

To the fans’ pleasure, the much-awaited ”The American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” documentary is finally streaming. It brought a mountain of untold stories about the eventful life of the former ‘Stardust’.

One such story has to do with Cody Rhodes’ high school wrestling days, during which he experienced a bizarre incident that had him sick over his father’s strong influence in the wrestling business.

Coming from a wrestling family, Cody Rhodes first laced a pair of boots when he was a school-going kid. The second-generation pro wrestler attained excellence in amateur wrestling before making wrestling his career. He even secured the Georgia State Championship. That said, his father Dusty Rhodes, who was a top name in the industry back then, unintentionally marred his credibility and individuality as a wrestler.

In his documentary, Rhodes recalled, ”There was a lot of times when I would wrestle in these tournaments a lot of the parents would kind of spotlight me and focus on me because of Dusty..and that was uncomfortable for him probably far more for me.”

Detailing a time when it has gone extreme, The American Nightmare continued, ”I remember. I wrestle this kid from a place called Kula, and his dad was screaming, beat Dusty, beat Dusty, and even at nine, I wanted to like, get up off the mat and be like my name is not Dusty like that’s Dusty. I’m a child, sir.”

Read more: Cody Rhodes Makes Major Revelation About His Father’s Pawning a Prized Possession to Support His Family’s Aspirations-“That’s a Big Decision”

However, Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes’ didn’t get to escape the hazards and roadblocks that stand on the other side of name, fame, and prestige.

Insults thrown at Dusty Rhodes used to hurt his child deeply

Almost every wrestler had their fair share of deep lows in their journey that litters their career in the long run, something that little Cody Rhodes wasn’t aware of. Hence, when he used to see people throwing dirt at his beloved dad, it tore him apart from within. It was far more intense than the irritation he felt when people called him by his dad’s name.

From the very childhood, Cody Rhodes was very close to his father emotionally, something that made him excessively prone to absorb all the negativity his father received. Dusty Rhodes, as a seasoned franchise player, didn’t sweat that. But, as a kid, Cody took it to his heart and developed a feeling of animosity for all those people that spoke and wrote offensive things about his dad.

Rhodes, 38, got those haters back with his in the ring. Now, we are waiting to see his career come full circle with a WWE World Championship honor under his belt, the last dream of the late ‘American Dream’.

What’s your take on Cody Rhodes’ being uncomfortable with his father’s popularity once in his life? Let us know in the comments.

Watch this story: Paul Heyman Calls Cody Rhodes The Fourth Best Wrestler In His Family