Cody Rhodes Reveals "Really Great" Post-Draft Plans For Stardust, And The "One Person" Who Shot Them Down

Cody Rhodes left WWE in the spring of last year, announcing his departure in a Tweeted statement on May 22nd 2016.

He didn't like doing the Stardust character with no creative direction behind it and wanted to go back to just being Cody Rhodes. The company said no, he said goodbye.

AEW Continental Classic 2024 Standings And Results Archive

But it didn't have to be that way.

Rhodes spoke to Baby Huey and Bimbo Jimbo of San Francisco's 107.7 "The Bone" (I'll bet that morning show is a hoot) about his upcoming Steel Cage Match against Joey Ryan for APW on May 6th (which legitimately does sound pretty great), but the conversation soon turned to his time in WWE and how things might have been different. 

Before his exit, while the creative team was formulating long term plans for after that summer's Brand-Split draft, they had a very intriguing idea which was then shot down by You Know Who.

Get a load of this:

“At one point the plan was for me to be Stardust on one brand, and Cody Rhodes on another brand. I thought that was a really great idea. Absolutely wanted to do it! Everybody wanted to do it except for one person who will remain nameless, but that one person has the main vote.”

 

Hmmm.

"One person" didn't like the idea.

And that "one person"--who shall remain nameless--has the main vote.

Hmmm.

I wonder.

Anyway, Cody also talked about the Independent Scene and the Young Bucks in particular:

“They created a world where guys didn’t need WWE, or to be part of WWE…the venues might be smaller, but the crowds are full. The energy is the same level if not higher…the level of talent is at an absolute high."

And he gave his opinion on the recent JBL scandal:

“I’ve known JBL since I first got there ya know in 2007…I never encountered that with John at all. Wrestling isn’t for everybody though. It’s not bullying sometimes when it’s just playful ribbing… I never personally saw any bullying the entire time, and I was there for 11 years, and in every locker room.”

The whole interview is worth listening to, which you can do in the player below:

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.