Cody Rhodes says he felt "dead inside" following his feud with Former WWE Champion

Prior to his current success in WWE, Cody Rhodes admitted that he struggled with the up-and-down nature of his past bookings, most notably when he went from working with Randy Orton to donning the career-killing gimmick of Stardust.

In 2011, Rhodes' first major run as a singles star in WWE saw him win the Intercontinental title for the first time, as well as working against his former Legacy teammate Randy Orton for the majority of the year. However, before leaving the company in 2016, he was known to fans as Stardust, a spandex-wearing oddball who hissed at the crowd.

Speaking with Corey Graves on After The Bell, The American Nightmare said he felt dead inside when he compared his time going from working with Orton to becoming Stardust.

"You never wanna lower yourself in front of your beloved, in front of your wife," Rhodes said. "That was one of the hardest things for me was being Stardust in front of Brandi. That was rough. When Brandi married Cody Rhodes, he was the Intercontinental Champion. He was wrestling Randy Orton every night, and we were absolutely tearing the joint down. Next thing you know, I'm running around in this space outfit and trying to make the best of it. I was very dead inside." (H/T WrestlingInc)

Cody's luck has now turned around entirely as he is set to main event WrestleMania 39 in April and battle for the Undisputed WWE Universal title after winning the men's Royal Rumble match in January.

WWE Hall of Famer believes Cody Rhodes is set for glory at WrestleMania 39

Despite the fact that The American Nightmare will have to end Roman Reigns' record run to become champion at WrestleMania, there are some who think he is the man to do it.

Speaking on his podcast, the Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic Gold Medalist stated that he expects to see Cody defeat Roman on the grandest stage of them all.

"Without a doubt, I think those matches are going to be really, really good. You know, Cody Rhodes. I'm expecting him to win this thing. I think it's his time and Rhea Ripley, I wouldn't doubt if she won it, too. She's been up and coming. She's been pretty strong lately. So, you never know," said Angle. (H/T Fightful)

Since Cody Rhodes returned to WWE last year, he has made it his mission to win the world title in honor of his late great father, The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes.

Will Cody Rhodes leave WrestleMania 39 as Undisputed Champion? Give us your predictions in the comments section below.