As the youth movement has truly begun in WWE, some names are just going to be left without much to do. One of those is a very talented wrestler who has a storied family history in professional wrestling, and that is Cody Rhodes. Even though he’s been performing as Stardust for a few years now, Rhodes has been stuck in mid-card limbo, and that is likely why he asked for his release on Saturday afternoon.
(1/2) The past ten years have been quite the trek, but as of earlier today I have asked for my release from @WWE
— Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) May 21, 2016
(2/2) I’ll speak further on the matter shortly. Thank you to all the pro-wrestling/sports entertainment fans worldwide. Thank you
— Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) May 21, 2016
Cody Rhodes posted that originally on his personal Twitter account and then retweeted it on his official WWE account which is for Stardust. That secondary account, which is verified by WWE, has now had the name changed to “Cody Rhodes” and there is no avatar nor cover photo.
As reported by Forbes , Rhodes has been with WWE since 2006 and this is rather out of nowhere for him. He’s been working under the Stardust gimmick for quite a while now, and he’s been stuck either in mid-card limbo or even lower than that and not used at all.
While not totally unexpected, so to speak, it’s not really something that anyone can say they saw coming.
There really isn’t anyone who thought he would end up asking for his release from WWE like this and then letting it be known on Twitter. With his sudden request, many are also wondering about his brother Goldust, and if he is going to end up leaving the company as well.
WrestleZoneis reporting that both Cody Rhodes and Goldust were atthe SmackDowntaping on Tuesday, but they ended up leaving before things got started. It’s not known if they were going to be used and decided to leave or if WWE simply didn’t have anything for them at all.
According to PW Insider , Goldust was indeed backstage at tonight’s WWE Live Event in Reading, Pennsylvania. Nothing more is known about his status, but he appears to be in good standing with WWE still at this time.
Over the course of his career, Cody Rhodes has won multiple titles including the Intercontinental Championship (three times), WWE Tag Team Championship (three times), and World Tag Team Championship (three times). In the past year, though, he’s been used as a filler or comedy talent and fed to a number of other stars.
Cody Rhodes has still not revealed any more information as to why he suddenly asked for his release from WWE or what he plans to do now. A number of other superstars and celebrity personalities have hopped on social media to express their feelings and well wishes to the son of Rhodes.
I’m super grateful for Cody Rhodes allowing me to design his gear this year. It’s a shame it never got to be worn, but I had fun with it.
— Robbie Fox (@ThatRobbieFox) May 22, 2016
Brandi Rhodes (Eden in WWE) is Cody’s wife, and some have thought that she may be done with WWE as well. She hasn’t spoken out either way but did tweet a message backing her husband.
Could not be any prouder or more supportive.????
— Brandi Rhodes (@RealEdenWWE) May 21, 2016
Stardust has had a long-running feud with Stephen Amell, star of the hit show Arrow , and it even led to a tag match last year at SummerSlam . Many thought they would have a singles match down the road, but that appears to be out.
Thinking of my good friend @PrinceCGR today. Whatever’s next, he will excel. Cody: Thanks for taking me on a grand adventure!
— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) May 21, 2016
It is odd that Rhodes has asked for his release all of a sudden as he just recently spoke out about wanting to wrestle until he is 40 years old. Earlier this year, it was also said that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was going to continue in NXT and likely run every year from this point on.
At first, some on social media thought this may have been a work or perhaps part of a gimmick for WWE. They believed that Cody Rhodes was asking for his release, but Stardust would continue wrestling in the company and solidify two separate entities. Well, that doesn’t appear to be the case and it seems as if all of the personalities of the young superstar are gone. Maybe something happened at SmackDown or maybe he is just ready to move on, but more should be known soon.
[Image via WWE]