“Lot of Friction”: Cody Rhodes Teases Real Life Dissension With Brother Goldust as Reason For His WWE Absence

Despite what Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will have you believe, there are a ton of legendary wrestling families in the business. He feuded with one at WrestleMania XL. In the Rhodes family, albeit not as long as others, each member has left a mark on the industry. Cody Rhodes and his brother Dustin did it in the WWE and AEW. Today, fans are hoping the two will reunite and revitalize their brotherly bond.

However, there used to be real tension between the two. The WWE Undisputed Universal Champion reveals why.

Cody Rhodes cites personal growth as the reason for their tag team not working

Cody Rhodes was recently part of the Culture, Connection & Creative: WWE call on X. Hosting the call was Brett Weitz, and along with Rhodes was Triple H. While most of the conversation was related to the new direction the WWE is headed in, one part stood out. Weitz asked the former AEW star if he and his brother would ever work again in the WWE. While The American Nightmare is currently the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion, Dustin plies his trade for AEW. Rhodes answered, “Me and chicken? Me and Dustin? Man, I’m sure we’ll probably…”

He continued, “I know that we were always better for each other when we weren’t working directly, you know. When we were tagging together, there was a lot of friction there.” In the WWE between 2013 and 2014, the brothers formed The Brotherhood as a tag team, which resulted in a memorable feud with Randy Orton. However, The American Nightmare added, “A lot of that friction was based on I just wanted more, and I wanted to grow, and I probably should have appreciated that time with Dustin.” 

2014-2015 would result in the formation of the Goldust and Stardust team, which Rhodes hated. This would lead to The American Nightmare leaving the WWE and forming AEW. But the impact Dustin had on Cody was undeniable.

Dustin was Cody Rhodes’ first favorite

Cody Rhodes also stressed on the fact that he harbored no ill will towards his brother currently. In fact, he reiterated the adulation he has for the AEW star. Rhodes said, “He is so important to me. From my perspective of my fandom, he’s one of my first favorites.” Whether in the WWE or AEW, when both Rhodes feuded, they brought the passion. Among the fan’s favorite feuds of Cody, they loved the one against his own brother. This carried on to AEW, where the two fought at Double or Nothing 2019 before teaming up against The Young Bucks.

The AEW star has also shown a penchant for standing up for his brother. This was evident especially during WrestleMania season as Dustin backed his brother’s endeavors. Despite their tag team equation not being the best, the duo would be content of their career’s trajectories. More importantly, they would be delighted for each other with their respective achievements. What did you think of Cody’s comments about his bother? Only time will tell if Dustin makes the jump back to the WWE. Could he return once The Rock does? Tell us your thoughts below.