Ditching Stardust Character Would Give Cody Rhodes His Niche Back in WWE

Republished from BleacherReport

(Image credit: WWE.com)

Ever since he debuted for WWE way back in 2007, Cody Rhodesseems to have had more peaks and troughs than most other stars in the company.

Ups and downs have been the norm for Rhodes over the last seven or eight years, and this Sunday represents an important crossroads—no pun intended—in the career of Cody.

While the Stardust gimmick was initially a refreshing change for the 29-year-old, it has quickly gone stale, with little clarity as to what direction that character is heading.

When he locks horns with brother Goldust this coming Sunday at WWE Fastlane, it should be the final time we see the Stardust character. Simply put, it's time for plain old Cody Rhodes to return to our screens.

He may have hinted on Raw this past week that Cody Rhodes is "dead," but that shouldn't stop WWE from making the switch and freeing him up once again.

Cody has always promised much in the way of potential—indeed, several decent runs during his career have yielded a number of championships.

But the Stardust gimmick has now run its course, and if Cody's brother Goldust is working his final few programs as a professional wrestler before returning to a backstage role, that development should ultimately set Cody free.

Unfortunately for Rhodes, he's lost his presence over recent months, and all the Stardust gimmick has really done is made him look like a poorer, insignificant relation of Goldust.

In reality, he's anything but that. Cody Rhodes is a guy who possesses extreme mic skills—not least when working as a heel. He has a really twisted, demonic edge to him that gives him a real purpose and relationship with fans. The Stardust gimmick hasn't really done that since day one.

You only have to think back to what was perhaps his best run as a solo star, in 2010. The "Dashing" Cody Rhodes gimmick really helped him stand out in what was a crowded roster and become one of the most memorable stars on the SmackDown brand.

He was on such a roll that even after his nose was legitimately broken by Rey Mysterio during a match, he incorporated the injury into his gimmick, returning as a man wearing a protective mask. The addition of hired stooges to put paper bags over opponents—as well as members of the audience—was innovative and increasingly hilarious as the weeks wore on.

What that run proved is that Rhodes can work a gimmick extremely well. He is very believable when he competes, and his technical ability is on par with some of the best WWE has on its roster.

Rhodes has had other rivalries and feuds that have proven his talent, too—his mammoth eight-month reign as intercontinental champion culminated in defeat to Big Show at WrestleMania 28. However, before that, Rhodes had really helped to stoke the flames for that feud with a series of enterprising and lively promos that highlighted Big Show's embarrassing WrestleMania moments.

Give credit where credit is due to WWE and Rhodes for trying something new with the Stardust gimmick. However, there's no real way it can continue beyond Fastlane—Cody Rhodes is in desperate need of something new.

Restoring him back to his original character would be the best way to give him his niche back, enabling him to find his place on the roster once again.