10 Top Secret Wrestling Gimmicks That Will Blow Your Mind

1. Cody Rhodes And “Rhodes Industries”

Cody Brandi Rhodes Industries
WWE

Cody Rhodes almost became WWE's Tony Stark.

The miserable Stardust gimmick was sucking wind and depressing the utter f*ck out of Cody, so he filmed a pilot promo for "Rhodes Industries" alongside Brandi (she was known as ring announcer Eden Stiles at the time). Apparently, WWE didn't like it more than Stardust's hissing, cartoonish style.

Perhaps WWE's unwillingness to let Rhodes tap into his obvious creativity was one of the reasons why he felt like he needed to leave and do his own thing. Stardust wasn't working for anybody, and it's clear from watching this pilot now that Cody was desperate to leave it behind for something new.

Turning into WWE's very own Iron Man sounded like a plan then. Sadly, either Vince McMahon didn't care for it or his writers didn't even bother to bring it to the table during meetings. Cody's dreams were dashed (ahem), and he'd temporarily throw the towel in on WWE as a whole.

For more pro wrestling content, check out WWE 2K23: 15 Best WCW CAWs You Need To Download and 10 Dream WWE Returns That IMMEDIATELY Became Nightmares!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.