For almost ten years, Cody Rhodes has been a capable, if not particularly thrilling, in-ring competitor for WWE. The problem is that, despite no shortage of attempts, the company has been unable to create sustained interest in the former Intercontinental Champion. In 2014, Cody debuted the "Stardust" character, a knockoff of his brother's longtime alter-ego, Goldust. The two teamed together, but their performance - as well as frequent "We want Goldust" chants when Stardust was in the ring - hammered home that the younger Rhodes wasn't seen as a star on the level of his brother. Early in 2015, the pair split, with Stardust turning heel and slowly taking on the persona of a comic book villain. Everything's been working on paper, but Stardust still hasn't captivated the WWE Universe. A long-running feud with Neville did nothing for either man, and once again, Cody Rhodes is in dire need of a character shift.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013