Why did Cody Rhodes become Stardust?

AEW superstar Cody Rhodes had a forgettable stint in WWE as Stardust. Many thought it turned out to be one of the most unimpressive gimmicks in Cody's career. So, who came up with the idea of the Stardust character?

It was none other than Stephanie McMahon.

Cody dared to change gimmicks for a fresh look in front of the WWE Universe. Before Stardust, he and Dustin Rhodes formed a tag team called the Brotherhood. Fans loved the, as The Brotherhood became the top tag team in the division. They were part of some of the finest matches, especially their feud with The Shield. However, the Brotherhood became stale and fans started giving a lukewarm response to the team.

WWE was aware of the issue, and was desperate to make the tag teamwork and, one day, Stephanie McMahon asked Cody to paint his face like his brother.

This was the start of the Stardust gimmick, which turned out to be a disaster for Cody. In a tweet, Cody revealed how the character broke him:

Cody stated that he never wanted to be like his brother because the uniqueness between him and his brother was the sole reason why The Brotherhood worked. Making Cody similar to Dustin was the reason why the former WWE superstar became Stardust.

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The redemption of Cody Rhodes at AEW

Cody Rhodes was fed up with WWE and, in the end, decided to leave the company to be part of a new project that was in the working stage. AEW eventually became a wrestling promotion, and Cody Rhodes became one of its four EVPs. He also had some stellar matches in the ring at AEW and fans loved seeing a confident Cody Rhodes.

'The American Nightmare' is turning out to be a huge star with the release of his series Rhodes to the Top, which premiers on TNT.

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What do you think about Stardust? Was it a character you hated/loved? Share your comments in the comment section.