Paul Heyman says undisputed WWE champ Cody Rhodes has eclipsed his father, Dusty Rhodes, in interest and fame

You will be hard-pressed to find a more beloved professional wrestler than “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. His everyman persona made him a hero to fans and his love for the industry influenced countless future stars. It’s hard to imagine anyone bearing the name “Rhodes” could eclipse Dusty’s legend, but Paul Heyman says Cody Rhodes has managed to do so.

Dusty challenged for the WWWF world championship four times but came up empty-handed in each attempt. When Cody defeated Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 to become undisputed WWE champion, he achieved a multi-generational dream. It was a touching moment that solidified Cody as the promotion’s leading man, a marvelous accomplishment after leaving the company in 2016 to forge a new identity on the independent scene. It surprises Heyman, a WWE Hall of Famer with nearly four decades of experience in pro wrestling, to admit that Cody has eclipsed his father’s legacy.

“When Cody Rhodes first came back here, we all had the same sentence we gave in the press conferences. ‘How can you look at Cody and not think of Dusty?’” Heyman told CBS Sports. “To Cody’s indescribably massive credit, I think now is the point in history that we’re realizing that Dusty Rhodes is Cody Rhodes’ father. 

“Cody Rhodes is the bearer of the family name that drives the most interest and is now the most famous. If you would have told someone that three years ago, they would have thought you were nuts.”

Rhodes returned to WWE in 2022 to “finish the story” and add a WWE championship to his family heirlooms. He returned not as the gold face-painted cosmic villain Stardust — the gimmick that drove him from WWE — but as “The American Nightmare,” his self-made persona. Rhodes was victorious against Seth Rollins in his much-anticipated WrestleMania 38 return. WWE’s commitment to Rhodes was a promising sign, but Heyman credits Rhodes’ continued commitment to excellence for making him undeniable.

“That man has worked so hard, so tirelessly and so magnificently and has hit it out of the park consistently 52 weeks of the year and has never struck out,” Heyman said. “Not once have I seen a bad performance from Cody Rhodes. Not once have I seen him lackluster. Not once have I seen him rest on his laurels. 

“If you can’t give that man his flowers right now, you’re not paying attention.”

Rhodes has even faced challenges as a marquee member of the WWE roster. After coming up short of finishing the story at WrestleMania 39 against Reigns, all signs pointed to Rhodes getting his rematch at WrestleMania 40. But then The Rock, who joined the board of WWE’s parent company TKO Group Holdings, made a stunning return and Rhodes seemed to step aside so The Rock could face his cousin, Reigns. 

While nothing was made official during that appearance, fan outrage online seemed to inspire a pivot from WWE creative and a new plan was born that began with a press conference in Las Vegas where The Rock slapped Rhodes and set up the two-night battle that involved the entire Bloodline, Rollins, John Cena and a surprise return by the Undertaker.

“Have your finger on the pulse of the audience at all times. Some people don’t and some people do,” Heyman said when asked what the learning lesson from that situation was. “That story ended up exactly where that story should’ve ended up. That story ended up with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40. 

“That was the rightful main event of WrestleMania 40 because the audience had a two-year investment in that story and lived it… They lived it not only by witnessing and experiencing it, but they lived it many times through the eyes of the protagonist and the struggles he had to endure and survive and thrive through all with his chin up and a progressive move forward attitude.”

Check out the full interview with Paul Heyman below.

Whether Cody or Dusty’s legacy holds more weight can be debated, but their bond is undeniable. Dusty’s influence permeates through everything his son does. It’s tangibly true of their “American” monikers and elements of their move-sets. It’s equally true of their intangibles: their ability to connect with an audience and success despite powerful forces working against them.

Next, Cody will headline WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event against Kevin Owens. It’s appropriate that he ushers in a new era of the program — an event his father performed on four times — after a 16-year absence.