"They can't be laughing at you" - Cody Rhodes reveals WWE idea he turned down

Cody Rhodes recently revealed an idea from WWE that he had to turn down.

The American Nightmare made his triumphant return to WWE as Vince McMahon's handpicked opponent for Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes defeated Rollins three times in a row last year, with the third time coming at Hell in a Cell 2022. Cody Rhodes entered the match with a torn pectoral muscle but somehow managed to win the contest anyway.

In an interview with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Rhodes spoke about his time portraying the character Stardust in WWE. The 38-year-old shared that the company almost had him wear a mask that resembled a condom.

“At one point, I had the paint, but there was an actual mask that was pitched. This was an area where I spoke up. I put it on and it’s like a classic condom blowing up. It looked so bad. I get there is an element of humor to what I’m going to do, but they have to be laughing with you, they can’t be laughing at you. It looked like a condom meets Electro from the Spider-Man comics," he said.

Rhodes noted that he told Vince McMahon that he didn't want to wear the mask because of how terrible it looked. He added that he tried to make the Stardust character work, but it was never going to lead to anything.

"I told Vince [Vince McMahon], ‘I can’t do the mask it looks so bad.’ I went and shaved my head like Dustin. I’m glad the mask never saw the light of day. Stardust had some milestones, and I did go into it committed to try and change it, but it wasn’t going to get me anywhere," he added. [H/T: BodySlam]

Cody Rhodes opens up about his current WWE run

Cody Rhodes is more popular than ever after his return to the company at WrestleMania 38.

He won the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble in January and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 39. However, Solo Sikoa interfered, and Roman Reigns was able to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the biggest event of the year.

Speaking on The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Cody Rhodes claimed that his current run in the company has exceeded his expectations so far.

"I feel this run (in WWE) has exceeded my expectations in every way, just because I’m experiencing things that only my heroes ever got to experience. I’m in on the high level discussions, I’m hearing things that I can’t – I always wanted to be," he said. [POST Wrestling]

Cody Rhodes helped launch All Elite Wrestling but departed the company to return to WWE last year. It will be fascinating to see if he gets the opportunity to "finish his story" and challenge Roman Reigns for the title once again down the line.

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