There are many things that have to come together in order for a wrestler to become a top star. After years of grinding in the industry, it finally clicked for Cody Rhodes. Not only the audience, the backstage heads, his gimmick but also his intention is in place. But that was not always the case. In 2016, Rhodes went through one of his most difficult times when he was playing the Stardust gimmick.

The gimmick that was taken from his brother’s gimmick, Goldust, was a success in terms of money-making ability. But Rhodes was not happy doing it. So, he twisted his father’s gimmick, The American Dream, and made his own identity, The American Nightmare. Not only did he conquer NJPW and AEW with it, but he is also on his way to becoming the WWE Universal Champion.

Cody Rhodes talks about his wife, Brandi watching him as Stardust

Rhodes appeared on WWE Raw’s commentator, Corey Graves’ podcast, to talk about his monumental victory. On the show, he talked about a lot of things, including his depressing time as Stardust. He also talked about his feelings, seeing his wife watching him as Stardust. He said, “You never wanna lower yourself in front of your beloved, in front of your wife. That was one of the hardest things for me.”

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He went on to say, “Being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling with Orton every night. Next thing you know, I’m running around in a space outfit and trying to make the best of it. But I was very dead inside.”

While Stardust was commercially successful for WWE, it wasn’t something that Rhodes worked hard with. He talked about his hardships acting as Stardust in an interview with Logan Paul on his podcast show, Impaulsive.

So, we are glad that in his current gimmick, The American Nightmare, Rhodes is finally happy doing what he loves, in front of the people that he loves. It’ll be interesting to see if Stardust could come back in any of his feuds during the WWE title chase.

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Let us know what you think about Cody Rhodes and Stardust in the comments below.