8 Times WWE Stars Couldn't Hide Their Boo-Boo Face

6. Cody Rhodes

Stephanie’s Places Cody Rhodes Stephanie McMahon WWE WrestleMania 39 Dusty
WWE/ESPN

Cody Rhodes "finished the story" at WrestleMania XL in a moment so utterly euphoric and gratifying that it obscured how the show and the moment was closer to the end of the boom rather than the beginning. 2024 was a joyous time to be a WWE fan, not least because the 'Show Of Shows' had played host to a payoff that proved the company once again knew how to deliver the happiest of happy endings instead of the full troll route perpetuated by Vince McMahon.

That level of faith wasn't quite in place a year earlier, and for a 48 hour-or-so period around Rhodes falling short against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, a lot of hope felt lost.

As the man set to look at the lights, Cody was unfortunately the first to know. It was written across the face of 'The American Nightmare' as he entered for his bout against 'The Tribal Chief', until about half way down the aisle when he tried to snap out of it and lock back in to being the man who - for the entire first year in the company - looked as though he was a dead cert to live his new dream on WWE's 'Grandest Stage'. 

Many recall Rhodes unable to mask his devastation when he briefly handed his WrestleMania spot over to The Rock in January 2024 before an all-time pivot course corrected. Those that had watched things fall apart in Los Angeles a year earlier knew they'd seen the expression before. "We Want Cody" was turbo-charged by a refusal to see him stumble once again. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 70,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.