The Cody Rhodes Conundrum: What’s Next for Stardust?

PWP’s Matthew Burgess explores the possibilities on what’s next for “The Prince of Dark Matter,” Stardust.

The Stardust character has garnered a lot of attention since his debut in 2014, some good and some bad. Recently, people have been calling for “The Prince of Dark Matter” to ditch his insane alter ego and return to being Cody Rhodes. Unfortunately, after the untimely passing of his father “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, and the return of his brother Goldust at Survivor Series, these calls have been getting louder and louder.

So much so, Cody Rhodes had to send out the following tweet to show his disgust at the idea of capitalizing off his father’s passing:

“Troubled seeing some people think I’d allow or be comfortable w/the worst thing that’s ever happened to me be exploited on TV for a ‘return.’”

However, what these people do not realize is the massive potential Stardust has in today’s WWE.

Stardust, a character that began simply as an offshoot of his brother’s Goldust gimmick, has revolutionized  the very idea of a gimmick. When Stardust debuted, he did not abandon his Cody Rhodes persona, unlike many other repackaged superstars. In fact, it is the very basis of his character. Cody was driven to insanity and has since morphed into a hissing freak who is unwilling to accept that he is playing a gimmick. But what is unique about Stardust is the fact that the announcers openly acknowledge his change of character, and are perplexed by it.

Something that was highlighted in an interview with Stardust on WWE.com, which was titled Is Stardust Living the Gimmick?

This acknowledgement is something that could only happen in today’s WWE and opens up a wealth of opportunities and potential storylines. But before this can happen, WWE must tell the entire story of Stardust, much like they did with Mankind in the Attitude Era. Quite frankly, in an industry that is based around storytelling, why a story such as this has gone untold is bewildering. But that is not going to stop me from trying, here is what I think should be the next step in the evolution of Stardust.  

The son of one of the greatest and most iconic wrestlers of all time in Dusty Rhodes, and the brother of a future hall of famer in Goldust; Cody was unable to deal with the unrelenting pressure of living up to his family name. Incapable of escaping their shadows, Cody was driven to insanity and was consumed by the very shadow he was trying to escape. Combining aspects of both his father and brother; a hissing, cackling and deranged cosmic being was born set out to destroy the family name that sent him to lunacy.

In the months remaining before Wrestlemania 31, through a series of interviews, vignettes, and increased television time, WWE delves into the life of Cody Rhodes, allowing a much darker and destructive Stardust to prevail. A Stardust who is on a mission to end the career of his brother.

Ultimately, after months of tormenting Goldust, the feud culminates in a brutal Wrestlemania match, similar to those of Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels in their legendary feud in 2008, where the referee is forced to pull Stardust off the unconscious body of his brother.

The beauty of the Stardust gimmick, is there are an abundance of angles and opportunities available that no other storyline can have. Storylines with Cody’s wife Eden Stiles, friends and other family members trying to reach through to him are all plausible, and thanks to the depth of his character, and Cody’s supreme acting ability, the possibilities are endless.

Regardless of what happens next for Stardust, the fact he is one of the most proficient technical wrestlers in the world is not debatable. At the moment, he is being underutilized on the WWE roster, but the potential is there for a great run, hopefully we see it.

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