Cody Rhodes still has ‘a lot more to do’ to surpass father Dusty’s WWE legacy
Cody Rhodes is now a three-time WWE Champion, but he doesn’t feel like his legacy in the company has surpassed his father’s yet.
Rhodes won his third WWE Championship by defeating Drew McIntyre on SmackDown last Friday. Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet after the title win, Rhodes was asked if it’s occurred to him that he’s already eclipsed Dusty Rhodes’ accomplishments in WWE. Rhodes said Paul Heyman had mentioned the same thing to him. But while Rhodes is flattered by the comment, he believes his father’s legacy is unique because it still continues to have an impact years after Dusty passed away.
“I don’t think he’d mind me sharing this, Mr. Heyman told me that,” Rhodes said. “And I thought he might be the one guy I believe it, right? Because I don’t, even when I’m by myself and doing one of these [interviews], I still don’t believe that. Because I think Dusty’s legacy had such a final chapter that it still goes on today.
“I mean, they’re still doing things of his today. And there’s a whole fandom that will never even know they were his brainchild or something that he — this is a silly one, but for example, the cage lowering with the [sound], that’s a Dusty thing. These production things are still in play.
“I appreciate you saying it. I think I have a lot more to do. But, yeah, that’s really nice.”
Dusty Rhodes did compete for the WWWF and WWF, though he’s by far best remembered for the work he did in the NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions. He worked behind the scenes in NXT prior to his death in 2015, helping to mentor some of WWE’s biggest stars like Becky Lynch. Dusty was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
When Cody Rhodes won the WWE Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 40, the storyline was that he was looking to finish his family’s story by capturing the won title that Dusty was never able to win. Cody is now set for a title defense against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 this April.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.