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One of the greatest matches of Cody Rhodes' career came in 2019 when he defeated Dustin Rhodes at AEW's inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Seven years earlier, the brother versus brother bout could have taken place at WrestleMania 28 had it not been for Vince McMahon.
Dustin Rhodes, fka Goldust in WWE, had trouble with a shoulder injury in the build-up to the 2012 event. During his absence from the ring, the wrestling legend worked behind the scenes as a backstage producer.
In 2013, the three-time Intercontinental Champion confirmed in an interview with Wrestling Inc. that he wanted to face his brother at WrestleMania 28:
"I was really pushing for it that whole year," Dustin Rhodes said. "My shoulder was ready but the writers were like, 'Ahh, his shoulder's not ready.' So, I think they convinced Vince. But it was actually brought to the table in the meeting because Cody didn't have an opponent about a month and a half out of WrestleMania 28."
Vince McMahon, WWE's creative figurehead at the time, decided against the idea.
"It was brought to the table and Vince just said no," Dustin Rhodes continued. "What can you do? You can argue it or whatever, but that wasn't the direction they were going with Cody and I understood that. I tried it again this year via Twitter, but I got let go and stuff like that. Can't really do anything when you're not an employee of the company or under contract."
Dustin Rhodes was relieved of his duties as a producer shortly after WrestleMania 28. The decision reportedly came after he suggested an idea that resulted in a botched move in a SmackDown tag team match.
How Vince McMahon booked Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28
The Big Show began feuding with then-Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes in early 2012.
The storyline resulted in a match at WrestleMania, where the seven-foot giant defeated the former Legacy member in five minutes. Four weeks later, The American Nightmare recaptured the Intercontinental Championship from The Big Show in a tables match at Extreme Rules.
The Rhodes brothers only faced each other once on WWE television in singles competition. Dustin (then known as Goldust) defeated Cody (then known as Stardust) in a nine-minute match at Fastlane 2015.
Do you think Vince McMahon should have booked Cody Rhodes vs. Goldust at WrestleMania 28? Let us know in the comments section below.
