The One Thing Cody Rhodes DOESN'T Want For His WWE Return

Cody Rhodes has absolutely no interest in reprising his Stardust character now that he is back in WWE.

Interviewed by combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, the WrestleMania 38 comeback king stated that while nothing had been promised, he had made it clear that he never wanted to see his old character again, doing so while negotiating his WWE contract (h/t Wrestling Headlines):-

“There wasn’t any true guarantees. There was a request. I said I never want to ever see Stardust ever again, and I never want to hear it and talk about it. I never want to see it, and it was a handshake and that was all I needed. And the first thing I did in the match last night was a random Stardust reference. I thought, ‘What are you doing?’ You’re going back on your own strange requests. But other than that, it’s complex to get this all together, maybe one of wrestling’s biggest contracts, which I’m so flattered about. I’m like, ‘Gosh, I’m happy,’ and I have a child, so yeah."

'Mania 38 saw Rhodes defeat Seth Rollins in his first WWE match since requesting (and being granted) his release from the market leaders in 2016. He made reference to Stardust early in the match, performing the gimmick's signature cartwheel and hand gesture, though this was framed as a "goodbye" to the gimmick.

WWE's refusal to move away from Stardust despite multiple requests contributed to Cody leaving the company six years ago. Created in June 2014 as a space-themed equivalent of his brother Dustin's famous Goldust character, the persona eventually became an anchor for the younger Rhodes sibling.

Although WWE is yet to make Cody's next move clear, last night's Raw saw him cut an emotional promo vowing to become a world champion in his father's name.