Cody Rhodes is my new favorite wrestler
cloak and dagger - 10-6-2011 at 08:12 AM

This kid is so legit. His character has had a natural evolution, his moveset is believable, and he's a threat to anybody else regardless of size. He's beaten Sheamus, Zeke Jackson, and Mark Henry. He can talk. He's compelling. He makes the midcard interesting.

Irrational misplaced narcissism? Nice touch. Paper bags? Hilarious. Killing the ugliest title in the Fed and replacing it with a classic? Glorious.

Cody Rhodes is quality.

gambit3 - 10-6-2011 at 11:22 AM

I'll give you the title replacement point.

But that's it.

blackdragon - 10-6-2011 at 01:02 PM

The classic IC title is great and all, but the one it replaced was not the ugliest belt in the Fed. I Rhodes as a midcard heel though.

TheGuest - 10-6-2011 at 01:13 PM

>ugliest title.

That's debatable. One thing I always wondered about Rhodes is why the hell he never wears elbow/knee pads. He should definitely bring back the Triforce on his boots as well.

gobbledygooker - 10-6-2011 at 01:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TheGuest
One thing I always wondered about Rhodes is why the hell he never wears elbow/knee pads.


This fact is what has always fueled my irrational hatred of him. Without kneepads especially, he just looks like a knock-kneed ninny.

However, the fact that I used to hate him with every fiber of my being and now find him tolerable/enjoyable is definitely a feat in and of itself.

Frank Lloyd Wright - 10-6-2011 at 01:53 PM

He is one of the few wrestlers in today's WWE that has been given two potentially horrible gimicks and made something out of them. Is it that he has some kind of natural ability to do so, or are those gimicks not as bad as we think they are? I feel it's somewhere in the middle.

theflammablemanimal - 10-6-2011 at 02:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TheGuest
>ugliest title.

That's debatable. One thing I always wondered about Rhodes is why the hell he never wears elbow/knee pads. He should definitely bring back the Triforce on his boots as well.


What does he have to do with Zelda?

DKBroiler - 10-6-2011 at 02:38 PM

I've been waving the Cody Rhodes banner for 3 years. Get in line.

Hell, when they were still in Legacy I got Ted to stop mid match and look at me because I yelled "That's why Cody carries you!"

gobbledygooker - 10-6-2011 at 02:52 PM

Originally posted by theflammablemanimal

quote:


What does he have to do with Zelda?


He's a fairy.

Stu - 10-6-2011 at 06:39 PM

The only niggle I have with him is his voice whenever he begins a promo. Its...slow and...has un-necessaaaary...E...lonnngaaaatiooon...liiiike...heeee's...preeetending...tooo beeee...a....ghooooost!
If you're going to base your gimmick and entrance attire off of Doctor Doom, you should go the whole hog, refer to yourself in the third person, bellow the name of your enemy when he vexes you, and switch round adjectives and their subjects. It shouldn't be "I hold the Intercontinental Championship", but "FOOLS! It is RHODES who wields the Championship Intercontinental!"

Ultimate GCS - 10-6-2011 at 06:39 PM

Actually, I remember reading an interview with him years ago. It's his favorite series, and to this day he still plays through Link to the Past at least once a year. Back during his Legacy days, the Triforce on his boots was the only reason I cared about any of 'em.

Paddlefoot - 10-6-2011 at 07:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Stu
The only niggle I have with him is his voice whenever he begins a promo. Its...slow and...has un-necessaaaary...E...lonnngaaaatiooon...liiiike...heeee's...preeetending...tooo beeee...a....ghooooost!
If you're going to base your gimmick and entrance attire off of Doctor Doom, you should go the whole hog, refer to yourself in the third person, bellow the name of your enemy when he vexes you, and switch round adjectives and their subjects. It shouldn't be "I hold the Intercontinental Championship", but "FOOLS! It is RHODES who wields the Championship Intercontinental!"


Actually, I thought that it's the weird quivering voice of a borderline lunatic that's nailing the whole thing together. All in all it's a great performance from someone I thought would have essentially disappeared into Jobberland after Legacy was finished.

denverpunk - 10-6-2011 at 07:23 PM

I'd definitely agree that he's greatly improved. His matches look a lot smoother than they have in the past (although a lot of that may have to do with the quality of his opponents). His intonation bugs me a bit, too, but the whole paper bag thing is pretty awesome. I could care less about the title's appearance, but if he can put more importance to a once-great accomplishment, more power to him. He just seems to be a lot more confident in his mannerisms and ring-work.

Hell, he even got that swinging neckbreaker finisher over again. That thing has been a jobber finisher ever since Reno busted it out, so another point for him. I also like the new theme song.

One question, though. Does anyone know if the 'Undashing' gimmick was planned all along, or if they put it in place because the original Dashing gimmick wasn't working?

the goon - 10-6-2011 at 07:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by denverpunk
One question, though. Does anyone know if the 'Undashing' gimmick was planned all along, or if they put it in place because the original Dashing gimmick wasn't working?


I can't give a definitive answer, but the whole thing started after he got legit hurt by Mysterio. Then the whole "disfigured" thing kind of started to take off, so I'm going to vote that no, it wasn't planned. Had he never been injured by Mysterio, I'm thinking we wouldn't be seeing Cody with his current gimmick.

MbahABako - 10-6-2011 at 09:09 PM

If they did not actually plan the UnDashing gimmick, then how crazy is it that a legit injury is what spurred Cody to improve himself so drastically and "luck" into a fantastic gimmick? I almost feel like they HAD to have the UnDashing gimmick planned... the Dashing gimmick only had a shelf life of so long, but the transformation to UnDashing was absolutely phenomenal. His first promo where he came out dressed as Mysterio was a star making promo if you ask me.

knuckleballschwartz - 10-6-2011 at 10:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cloak and dagger
Killing the ugliest title in the Fed and replacing it with a classic? Glorious.


I know we don't see them very often but at some point surely you've actually seen what they use for tag title belts at the minute right?

diablo_dor - 10-7-2011 at 12:21 AM

My only problem really is that the new gimmick still doesn't make any sense, we know he was injured by mysterio but he wasn't disfigured in any way that would require the mask, if he'd claimed it was to protect the dashing face & used the fans cheering as an insight into the ugly souls of the people I could understand, but the "i'm hideous now" stuff doesn't make any sense.
I'd still also have liked if he had a male & female bag carrier to play up that the "dashing" isn't limited to any type, he's omnisexual especially when you look at his family structure..

Stu - 10-7-2011 at 12:28 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Paddlefoot

Actually, I thought that it's the weird quivering voice of a borderline lunatic that's nailing the whole thing together.

I'd agree if I thought he did it in a way that made it sound natural and not put on, which it tends to come across as to me.

quote:
Original posted by diablo_dor
My only problem really is that the new gimmick still doesn't make any sense, we know he was injured by mysterio but he wasn't disfigured in any way that would require the mask, if he'd claimed it was to protect the dashing face & used the fans cheering as an insight into the ugly souls of the people I could understand, but the "i'm hideous now" stuff doesn't make any sense.

It's another thing borrowed from Doctor Doom in that he's meant to be overreacting to something that's not actually that bad. It's flawed because he wears a clear mask and we can see that. If it was covering him up more they could have built a story around the mask finally getting removed, but once it does (possibly through a mask match) it actually benefits him more because how insane he is enhanced by how disproportional his reacion was. But we've got the clear mask and for some reason nobody he feuds with says "hold on, you look fine!", because...just because.

williamssl - 10-7-2011 at 12:29 AM

He needs to wear kneepads. I don't care if his knees are all calloused up from his history of dropping to his knees to blow people...and he doesn't feel like he needs them. Sometimes aesthetics > function and necessity. This is one of those times.

theflammablemanimal - 10-7-2011 at 12:55 AM

Wait, Doom's face isn't hideously burned? Does he just look like Kane?

cloak and dagger - 10-7-2011 at 07:58 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Stu
quote:
Originally posted by Paddlefoot

Actually, I thought that it's the weird quivering voice of a borderline lunatic that's nailing the whole thing together.

I'd agree if I thought he did it in a way that made it sound natural and not put on, which it tends to come across as to me.

quote:
Original posted by diablo_dor
My only problem really is that the new gimmick still doesn't make any sense, we know he was injured by mysterio but he wasn't disfigured in any way that would require the mask, if he'd claimed it was to protect the dashing face & used the fans cheering as an insight into the ugly souls of the people I could understand, but the "i'm hideous now" stuff doesn't make any sense.

It's another thing borrowed from Doctor Doom in that he's meant to be overreacting to something that's not actually that bad. It's flawed because he wears a clear mask and we can see that. If it was covering him up more they could have built a story around the mask finally getting removed, but once it does (possibly through a mask match) it actually benefits him more because how insane he is enhanced by how disproportional his reacion was. But we've got the clear mask and for some reason nobody he feuds with says "hold on, you look fine!", because...just because.


That's actually what I was addressing with the "irrational misplaced narcissism" thing. He's obviously nuts because there's obviously nothing wrong with his face. His "Dashing" gimmick is what makes it legit though, because he thought he was gorgeous before, yet is hideous now. He's like the girl who weighs 85 lbs, and still thinks she's fat. Everyone else can see she needs a sandwich, but you'll never convince her that her view of herself is flawed.

On top of that? I think I see a further development in his character on the horizon, where someone eventually points out the obvious and he's like "...NO DUH." He's been taking the mask off and blatantly using it as a weapon. I think he can come off as cerebral enough in the future to admit that he was using the mask to service his own ends. He's got potential, that one.

*P.S. - Whoever brought up the Tag Titles? I've despised that oval IC belt since Rocky got it in place of the one Stone Cold threw into the river. That belt has YEARS of getting on my nerves to make up for.

Now if only they'd replace the US Title with the WCW version.*

atothej - 10-7-2011 at 01:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cloak and dagger
His "Dashing" gimmick is what makes it legit though, because he thought he was gorgeous before, yet is hideous now. He's like the girl who weighs 85 lbs, and still thinks she's fat. Everyone else can see she needs a sandwich, but you'll never convince her that her view of herself is flawed.


I guess Daizee Haze should get the call-up as his valet.

The Threadkiller - 10-7-2011 at 05:16 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cloak and dagger
On top of that? I think I see a further development in his character on the horizon, where someone eventually points out the obvious and he's like "...NO DUH." He's been taking the mask off and blatantly using it as a weapon. I think he can come off as cerebral enough in the future to admit that he was using the mask to service his own ends. He's got potential, that one.

It's Cowboy Bob Orton's gimmick, except a mask instead of a cast. Cody should never admit it. I'm sure he can find a doctor to provide a note.

salmonjunkie - 10-7-2011 at 06:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by The Threadkiller
It's Cowboy Bob Orton's gimmick, except a mask instead of a cast. Cody should never admit it. I'm sure he can find a doctor to provide a note.


This. Cody's doing an awesome job with this, and yeah, maybe he "lucked" into the gimmick, but he totally took the ball and ran with it. He turned this accident into actual character development. I'm a fan of his now too, kneepads or not.

cloak and dagger - 10-8-2011 at 08:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by atothej
quote:
Originally posted by cloak and dagger
His "Dashing" gimmick is what makes it legit though, because he thought he was gorgeous before, yet is hideous now. He's like the girl who weighs 85 lbs, and still thinks she's fat. Everyone else can see she needs a sandwich, but you'll never convince her that her view of herself is flawed.


I guess Daizee Haze should get the call-up as his valet.


Ugh. That poor girl needs to be force fed.

And the whole "no kneepads" thing is some kind of old school throwback. I remember reading something about it in an interview he had, can't remember if it was a WWE interview or not. It used to irk me too, but I barely notice it anymore. Who needs kneepads when you're busy being cloak and dagger's favorite wrestler??

Glad to see him and Orton starting a program, if Smackdown's main event is any indication. Perfect timing for those two, and I bet they can have some great matches. Orton's been doing a lovely job of not annoying me lately, with his last 2-3 feuds. This can be Cody's breakout into the upper midcard.

happy_buddha - 10-9-2011 at 06:48 AM

quote:
Originally posted by theflammablemanimal
Wait, Doom's face isn't hideously burned? Does he just look like Kane?


The accident Reed was involved in back in college that turned intellectual rivalry into hatred left him with a tiny scar, but he was so vain it was hideous to him. He got a bunch of monks to forge his armor and mask to hide it, but in his haste he didn't wait for it to cool, giving him real scars.

At least, that was the original story. He's probably been healed, cloned, revealed to be a robot or some such 50 times since...

theflammablemanimal - 10-11-2011 at 12:29 PM

So, everyone still love Cody after that awful insane laugh yesterday?

cloak and dagger - 10-12-2011 at 09:19 AM

*raises hand*

I love that shit. He's so over the top that you can't take it seriously. It's like Eminem rhyming about murdering his wife and kidnapping his daughter. When he goes ridiculously over the top? You appreciate the effort and laugh at the absurdity at the same time.

Cody Rhodes for the win.

theflammablemanimal - 10-12-2011 at 03:01 PM

Going over the top is fine. I just though the laugh was terrible, like he wasn't sure if he should fully commit to it. I hope he works on his evil laugh before the next show.

salmonjunkie - 10-12-2011 at 05:18 PM

I hope he ends his next interview with, "SO SAYS RHODES!"