10 Wrestling Matches We Didn’t Know Changed EVERYTHING

1. Goldust Vs. Stardust - WWE Fastlane 2015

starrdust goldust
WWE.com

Cody, in a bid to preserve his standing as the Lightbringer, has placed on record his thanks to WWE. The company paid him a handsome salary, developed his talent, and he would not be where he is without it, etc..

It feels very political.

The events of Double Or Nothing weekend cast Cody as a man with an ax to grind, or a throne to break, more accurately. He was not happy in WWE, or at least wasn't fulfilled. This is why he left. Dustin Rhodes was more outspoken than his brother about their now infamous Fastlane match at 2015 - he deemed it "sh*t" in an interview with WrestlingInc - but also revealed that "Cody wasn't happy with it".

Not coincidentally, perhaps, he left WWE just over a year later.

The match clarified Cody's lot. It was a shared dream between two brothers to wrestle on the Grandest Stage, but the WWE committee mangled the pitch and rushed it, apathetically, on the Fastlane pay-per-view. The story was bizarre, too: the...inter-dimensional (?) Cody acted tormented at failing to capture or live up to his brother's alter-ego. WWE in effect took real, hefty human drama and somehow made weird, space-age B-movie farce.

The Double Or Nothing masterpiece was its tonal opposite. It may not have happened - and AEW may not have happened - had Cody not realised what happens to lifelong creative aspirations in an oppressive environment.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!