WWE Gimmicks That FAILED The HARDEST Every Year (1985-2025)
12. Stardust (2014)
Here it is, the gimmick that pushed Cody Rhodes out of WWE by 2016 and set wheels in motion for the top star he is today via independent success and AEW revolution. At first, playing the offshoot Stardust gimmick alongside his brother Goldust probably tickled Cody. It was something different for him, and the more uniform look the brothers had helped their cause as a tag-team.
Then, WWE rot set in and they couldn't see beyond the Stardust guise. Whenever creative pictured Cody, they saw Stardust, and he hated that. Rhodes requested his release from contract, and the rest is history. Stardust's initial burst played before positive reactions, but it was always going to be a shortlived obsession amongst fans.
Cody knew that, which is why he was so utterly frustrated when he was still playing the clownish gimmick approx 2 years on. Various outfit changes, colour palette swaps and nonsensical, rambling promos showed just how erratic WWE's approach to the character was. Looking back, it's easy to see why Cody was at his wits end by the time he asked to be cut loose - playing Stardust was getting him nowhere.
Was this guy ever going to be WWE Champion or headline WrestleMania? Hardly.
People had their fill of Stardust quickly, and he began to stink up the place whilst still reigning tag champs with Goldust. A heel turn and split from his bro felt like the kind of story mapped out on a catering napkin, which didn't escape Cody's attention either. He wanted the tailspin to stop, but it'd only get worse.