The Gaffer Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 Maybe this is an odd comparison, but he feels like a Lex Luger that's clicked. He's come along at the perfect time where everyone in the buildings has tired of being cynical - highfalutin arguments that we've all had a crap few years, the product's been middling-to-poor for a generation etc - and there's just a bunch of stuff that's worked that maybe would not have worked so well a few years ago. It's very early New Gen, and it's all the stuff I want from him. He's big, dumb WWE's big, dumb hero and everyone's just mutually decided to take it at face value and go with it this time. It's lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 17 Paid Members Share Posted October 17 Something that's always stuck with me about Cody Rhodes is, and I'm talking purely in terms of presentation and nothing about him as a real person, how much like Ric Flair he's often been throughout his wrestling career. Almost feels like in order to distance himself from his father's shadow, he went, in kayfabe terms, in the diametrically opposite direction. Very early on, he was wearing Flair-style monogrammed trunks, and his kneepads were on his shins rather than his knees. Later on, he dresses in sharp suits, goes around like a franchise player, dyes his hair platinum blonde, and comes to the ring in flashy, elaborate, expensive coats (I think his are better than Flair's, mainly because it makes him look like a Tekken character, plus his hair makes him look like Geese Howard out of Fatal Fury). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MachoLibre Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 (edited) 3 hours ago, The Gaffer said: He's come along at the perfect time where everyone in the buildings has tired of being cynical - highfalutin arguments that we've all had a crap few years, the product's been middling-to-poor for a generation etc - and there's just a bunch of stuff that's worked that maybe would not have worked so well a few years ago. It's very early New Gen, and it's all the stuff I want from him. He's big, dumb WWE's big, dumb hero and everyone's just mutually decided to take it at face value and go with it this time. It's lovely. I don't think this occurs without the AEW factor and Cody being such a big part of that. Cody's as WWE as it gets really and he's initially a nepotism hire. He's got all the makings of being the exact kind of guy that same section of the audience that's been shitting on stuff for years would also shit on. But he's the real CM Punk, he did all the stuff CM Punk implied he wanted to do many years prior and very successfully so. Played a vital role in legitimate competition to WWE existing and benefiting the wrestling industry in the West on the whole. He's the real deal and in doing that has put him in the good graces of die-hards that usually favour the Indy darlings over anything overly 'WWE' and given him unlimited internet points. His reception and ascension since coming to WWE, on top of the stuff you mention, has really felt like a great big 'Thank you' for all that. Edited October 17 by MachoLibre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 17 Paid Members Share Posted October 17 (edited) There's also an element of respect - you get this with a lot of fandoms, and the independent wrestling scene has its own section that demands a certain kind of respect or reverence for what they feel is "their" turf, i.e. the hardcore/niche appreciation for anything other than WWE and everything that they feel WWE has come to represent, including the supposed dismissal of tradition and a world outside their brand. Cody went to the indies and Japan, and behaved in such a way that that sort of fandom would appreciate - he made it out to be a big deal that he wanted to win the NWA title, and, to a lesser degree, the ROH title. More than that, the moment he went big-time, he didn't dismiss it or play it down, he "carried" it with him. I'm not saying I agree with that standpoint - most fandoms of anything these days tend to be toxic gatekeepers - but it would certainly explain why, even though he's clearly a WWE creature, he commands a certain amount of respect from fans across the sphere of wrestling. Edited October 17 by Carbomb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 He's definitely managed to be that rare case of appealing to multiple different types of fans. He's won over the indy fans. He's won over the WWE fans. He's won over the kids. That's an incredibly difficult thing to do at a high level. Fair play to the guy. He bet on himself and I really admire that. It's not been perfect but I can't begrudge him the success he's found now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-d-d-dAz Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 The tattoo is still the cleverest thing he's ever done, regardless of how awful it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIDDUM_N_STYLE Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 I think at this point the only fans who dislike Cody are the portion of AEW fans who were booing him during his final few months there and the ultra hardcore Roman fans on social media who still think putting the title on Cody at Mania over having Rock/Reigns was a huge mistake From experience it blew me away just how loud crowds are for him on Monday at the Liverpool show, I mean we were loud enough for Jey Uso and Orton but the roof near came off once Kingdom hit for Cody’s entrance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members chokeout Posted October 18 Paid Members Share Posted October 18 Man's just casually wearing his Blue Peter badge to interviews. He's like a PR dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrodyGraham Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 On 10/17/2024 at 11:22 PM, RIDDUM_N_STYLE said: I think at this point the only fans who dislike Cody are the portion of AEW fans who were booing him during his final few months there and the ultra hardcore Roman fans on social media who still think putting the title on Cody at Mania over having Rock/Reigns was a huge mistake  Or the people who've had a completely unreasonable dislike of the dullard since day one. I'm unashamedly the typeof guy who AEW was made for, but with all the probably reasonable complaints people have had with it over the last couple of years, I still get less annoyed with it than I used to purely because I can't stand the toothbrush looking manbot. I don't get how with all the weirdo idiosyncrasies and things on top of things, he can still be so fucking boring. Righto, I'll be back in this thread to vent in another 6 months or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted October 20 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 20 On 10/17/2024 at 11:22 PM, RIDDUM_N_STYLE said: I think at this point the only fans who dislike Cody are the portion of AEW fans who were booing him during his final few months there and the ultra hardcore Roman fans on social media What about people like me who just don't think he's very good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 He's still a weirdo alien robot hybrid that can't act like a real human being at any time, I'll like him when he learns Mandarin like the trve main event android, Cena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGIT Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 (edited) He was on Newsround last week and my boy sent in a question which was asked and answered, it's made his year. Tbh though, I never saw much in Cody for a long time. But I think he deserves 100% credit for hard work in progressing himself and making himself relevant. He left WWE and made sure to go from strength to strength in getting over with the fanbase and it just steamrolled with the formation of AEW through to his WWE return. When you see him on the kids shows he carries himself as an absolute champ exactly the same as Cena did previously. I really like him now. I think he's the 2nd most over in the company, behind Roman. I think he can have a long run as lead babyface, similar to Cena. Edited October 20 by LEGIT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarlettChad Posted Thursday at 01:05 PM Share Posted Thursday at 01:05 PM Â Â He had to use the word "Grooming"? Good lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted Thursday at 01:08 PM Share Posted Thursday at 01:08 PM 1 minute ago, TheScarlettChad said: He had to use the word "Grooming"? Good lord. Grooming as a word by itself didn't have to be bad. But "grooming ground for these monsters" is just.. no Cody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted Thursday at 02:07 PM Paid Members Share Posted Thursday at 02:07 PM Out of context that quote sounds absolutely horrendous! Haha. However, my bigger issue is with the point that Tweet suggests he's trying to make. If NXT is a 'grooming ground' then it's definitely a Developmental brand, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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