10 Wrestlers With 1 Great And 1 Terrible Gimmick
2. Cody Rhodes
It was in ROH and New Japan that Cody Rhodes’ real journey to the top of the pro wrestling mountain began, debuting with the moniker ‘The American Nightmare’ as an ode to his Father and his Brother who had used it earlier in his career.
Always dressed to impress, Cody’s new persona was about reclaiming the Rhodes' rightful place in the wrestling world as one of the industry’s “royal families”. Whilst some of his commitment was a bit extreme (cringe neck tattoo), Cody’s desire to effect change brought many companies outside of WWE much closer together.
Cody’s American Nightmare character is finally in WWE, untampered with by Vince McMahon’s hands, because of how powerful it was. It’s a far cry from his last appearances in the company back in 2016.
Stardust was really nothing more than just a “mini Goldust” for Cody to play alongside his brother. The son of a son of a plumber could’ve been forgiven for phoning such a half assed idea in. Instead, as stupid as the character was, Cody made it work. Stardust was entertaining. For two years, Cody put his all into what was the most obvious, reductive idea for a character and turned it into something worthwhile. The gimmick was terrible, the portrayal was not.