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The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes has taken the wrestling world by storm in recent years. Rhodes left WWE in 2016, after being highly frustrated with his creative direction and Stardust character that he felt was nothing but a bootleg amalgamation of his older brother Dustin Rhodes, known as Goldust.
After his departure from WWE, Cody Rhodes underwent a career resurgence and began wrestling on the independent circuit. His new persona of ‘The American Nightmare’ and improved in-ring style molded him into a main event caliber star and eventually led to his return to the global juggernaut.
However, it is interesting to dig out the fact that Cody Rhodes almost became a top star during his first run in WWE. The opportunity presented itself in 2013, which could have ascended Dusty’s son into the marquee attraction we know today.
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Cody Rhodes And Damien Sandow Formed A Great Tag Team In WWE
Cody Rhodes had achieved moderate success as a tag team and singles competitor up until 2012. It was during that time that the Prodigal son aligned himself with The Intellectual Savior of the Masses, Damien Sandow. The duo formed the tag team Rhodes Scholars and were looking to rise up the ranks of not only the tag team division but the entire WWE landscape.
Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow had an amazing comradery together with their combined display of tag team wrestling and entertaining acts. The condescending attitude of Sandow and Rhodes' mastery of generating heat from the audience became the perfect blend for Team Rhodes Scholars to succeed as a team. Moreover, many fans proclaimed them as one of the best tag teams of that particular era.
Money In The Bank: The Opportunity That Was Cody Rhodes' Route To The Main Event
The comprehensive chemistry between Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow garnered loud and evident reactions, however, more for the Prodigal Son and less for Sandow. The WWE Universe was getting behind the future American Nightmare, and it seemed that the time for him to become a top-caliber superstar, much like his father Dusty Rhodes, was on the horizon.
The signs of internal cracks could be seen in the weeks and months building up to WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2013. The duo were among the seven participants in the namesake multi-man ladder match for the MITB briefcase for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match has been referred to as the golden opportunity for rising stars to ascend to the main event. That was the mindset of both Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow, who were the only teammates heading into the match. Furthermore, the continuous support of the fans throughout the weeks had positioned Cody Rhodes to be the front-runner to claim the prestigious briefcase.
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Damien Sandow Betrays Cody Rhodes To Win Money In The Bank
The jam-packed action began in Philadelphia with all seven WWE superstars attempting to unhook the golden opportunity that would become the key to their destiny. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow could be seen working together throughout the match, looking to eliminate other competitors, while being content if either one of Team Rhodes Scholars members won the match.
At least that was the presumption of the WWE Universe. The closing moments of the match saw Cody Rhodes being the only superstar in the ring with a clear field to step up and begin his climb up the ladder to retrieve the Money in the Bank briefcase. As Rhodes ascended to the top of the ladder, much to the loud ovation by the fans who were ready to see the Uncrowned being crowned, all of Cody's hopes were shattered in a shocking fashion.
Cody Rhodes was fingertips away from grabbing the briefcase when his teammate Damien Sandow pushed him off the ladder. With Rhodes out of the way, Sandow climbed to the top and retrieved the briefcase, denying Cody Rhodes of his moment and leaving the WWE universe fuming in anger. In a recent interview with WrestleZone, the former WWE superstar reflected on his big win, revealing that it would have not meant much if all effort would have not brought the fans on Cody's side before the end of the night.
“Everyone worked selflessly. Like, okay, the briefcase was going in my hands, fine. What picture do we paint? Doesn’t mean anything — if I grab that briefcase, it doesn’t mean anything if the crowd isn’t cheering ‘Cody.’ Oh, by the way, we came to the ring together because we were a tag team at the time. So look, we have to make Cody. We all structured everything, we need to do it. And the thing is, we did it, and it was just awesome."
The massive support for Cody Rhodes fizzed out a few months later, and he was relegated to a mid-card talent once again. Furthermore, Rhodes was released by WWE three years later. However, that led to Cody Rhodes rediscovering himself as a top superstar, making a huge impact across various promotions, and returning to WWE as the man who will main-event WrestleMania 39 in hopes of finishing the story with him as the new WWE Champion.
