10 Legit Wrestling Injuries That Were Made Into A Storyline
9. Rey Mysterio Breaks Cody Rhodes' Nose
After moving to the SmackDown brand in the 2010 supplemental draft, Cody Rhodes quickly made the most of the change by freshening up his character with a new gimmick. That gimmick was his 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes persona - a narcissistic egotist, obsessed with his own looks.
As an arrogant "pretty boy", Rhodes was presented as being protective of his facial features during matches. While this was originally done as a means of getting him over as a prima donna heel, it served as the perfect precursor to the events that would follow.
Rhodes faced off with Rey Mysterio on the 21 January 2011 episode of SmackDown. During the bout, Rey's knee brace hit 'The Dashing One' in the face, genuinely breaking his nose in the process. As far as unfortunate injuries go, this was a bizarre paradox whereby a gruesome injury was deemed a perfect storyline development.
In terms of his character, Rhodes couldn't have asked for a better injury, disfiguring the looks that his new persona coveted so much. As a result, Rhodes would return wearing a protective mask, having supposedly undergone facial reconstructive surgery to restore his 'Dashing' looks. Rhodes adopted a more bitter, sinister persona as a result and would also regularly use the mask as a weapon during his matches.