Vince Russo Claims Cody Rhodes Struggles with Connecting to Casual Fans

Former WWE and WCW booker Vince Russo recently appeared on Busted Open Radio and shared his critique of Cody Rhodes and WWE’s current booking of the superstar. Russo expressed his opinion that Cody Rhodes is not resonating with the casual fanbase and criticized WWE’s handling of his character.

According to Russo, Cody Rhodes lacks appeal to the casual fan, and he personally has no interest in watching WWE’s Raw. He emphasized that for a superstar to capture the attention of casual fans, they need to be seen as a mega-star who can draw viewers in, regardless of the quality of the show.

“Cody Rhodes is not over to the casual fan. He’s not. I have no interest in watching Raw. If there was a mega-star on that show, I would want to watch him. That’s what a casual fan is, bro. … If it’s good, I’m gonna watch it. If it’s bad, I’m gonna watch something else.”

Russo went on to argue that WWE has not effectively utilized Cody Rhodes. He noted that Rhodes frequently appears on television, but the creative direction of his character has been limited to interactions with the live audience, such as asking them questions like, “Farmingville, New York, what do you want to talk about?” Russo’s contention is that this approach does not contribute significantly to Cody Rhodes’s character development.

“They’ve done nothing with this guy, outside of [having] him go out there every week and say, ‘Farmingville, New York, what do you want to talk about?’ Cody doesn’t write the show. They’ve done nothing with him.”

It’s important to note that opinions on wrestling talent and booking can vary widely, and the effectiveness of a wrestler’s character can be subjective.

Cody Rhodes has been a prominent figure in the wrestling world, and his career has seen its share of highs and lows. Wrestling fans will continue to have diverse views on his current role and presentation in WWE.

Do you agree with Vince Russo’s assessment that Cody Rhodes lacks appeal to the casual fanbase? Leave us a comment below.