Cody Rhodes' Dusty Tribute Brings WWE Fans Together, Arn Anderson Says (Exclusive)

Cody Rhodes' father, Dusty, passed away in 2015 at the age of 69. Wrestling legend Arn Anderson recently gave his thoughts on the WWE star emulating his dad's iconic character and moveset.

The reigning Undisputed WWE Champion has incorporated several aspects of Dusty's larger-than-life persona into his on-screen presentation. The 40-year-old is nicknamed The American Nightmare, a play on Dusty's American Dream moniker. Cody Rhodes also uses some of his father's moves, including a version of the Bionic Elbow.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Anderson said fans from different generations will support Cody Rhodes because he is Dusty's son.

"I think that's part of the showman part, the entertainer that his dad was. Like when the dad and the grandad's watching with the grandson, he's pulling for Cody and all that stuff, they recognize when he would do a Dusty-ism. It's nostalgia, and it has a place in the business. Even though it's 2025, I think people still get it, and they remember, and it just feels good that he's paying that kind of respect to his dad." [From 02:14– 02:48]

Watch the video above to hear Anderson pay tribute to Hulk Hogan following the two-time WWE Hall of Famer's death.

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Arn Anderson on Cody Rhodes' father helping his career

In the 1980s and 1990s, Arn Anderson was one of the world's most well-known wrestlers. He shared the ring with several major stars, including Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty's behind-the-scenes decisions occasionally came under scrutiny during his days as a WCW booker. However, from an in-ring perspective, Anderson only has positive things to say about The American Dream.

"Everybody can knock his booking, every time they booked me against Dusty, I knew I was gonna take the elbow. I knew I was gonna get beat, but having a rub with being in the ring with Dusty Rhodes, having him bleeding, having him selling, that's how I made my career. It wasn't ever beating anybody. It was beating whoever I was working with up. I wasn't bumping him around. I wasn't doing a bunch of fancy stuff. I would just mug a guy." [From 0:47 – 1:16]

In the same interview, Anderson revealed what he told Cody Rhodes to ensure he set himself apart from his father and other WWE stars.

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Special thanks to TMart Promotions' The Gathering for allowing this interview to take place. You can check out Arn Anderson's podcast, The Arn Show, on YouTube.

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