Cody Rhodes

The son of WWE Hall of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Cody grew up admiring his father and watching him capture the imagination of sports-entertainment fans worldwide. He could not wait to carry on his father’s legacy while carving out one of his own in WWE.

With his “dashing” appearance and natural ability, Cody appeared destined for success from the start. The second-generation Superstar quickly fulfilled that promise in the tag team ranks, capturing several championships.

Together with fellow multiple-generation Superstar Ted DiBiase, Rhodes would soon look for additional guidance from another Superstar with the squared circle in his blood, Randy Orton. Under the mentorship of Orton, Cody, with Ted, joined The Viper in forming The Legacy.

Shortly after being voted “Most Handsome Superstar” in a Divas poll on WWE.com, Rhodes added the moniker “Dashing” to his persona, showcasing a new level of self-confidence and egoism that included giving numerous good hygiene tips to the WWE Universe on how they might become more like him.

That all came crashing down, however, following an accidental facial injury in a match with Rey Mysterio. Behind a protective mask, the extremely bitter, self-conscious Rhodes began to spread his torment through WWE, eventually winning the Intercontinental Title, and restoring it to glory by reintroducing the old school look of the title and its classic gold face and medallions. Championship gold only motivated the second-generation Superstar even more, and he continued his rivalry with his former friend and mentor, Randy Orton, among others.

Setting his sights on fortifying his championship pedigree, Rhodes joined forces with Damien Sandow in 2010 to forge a partnership they called Team Rhodes Scholars. Rhodes and “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses” pursued the WWE Tag Team Titles, but the arrogant pair came up empty in the end.

The mustachioed Rhodes and misunderstood Sandow recently extended their circle to include The Bella Twins, which has rankled many feathers in the WWE Universe. That tension has been especially felt by the funky duo of Brodus Clay & Tensai as well as The Funkadactyls, who have taken exception to the haughty and self-centered attitudes of Team Rhodes Scholars and The Bellas. The foursomes continue to fight for supremacy, with Rhodes and his peers hoping to impose their sense of decency on their rivals.

One way or another, dashing or devious, mask or mustache, Cody Rhodes is relentless in his pursuit of a long-lasting legacy.