Cody Rhodes honors father Dusty’s legacy with WWE Championship tribute

The American Nightmare returned to Madison Square Garden, where his dream to become champion began.

Cody Rhodes finished his fabled story after clinching the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL this past April. This past Friday, he revisited the site where his story began long before he was born.

On Sept. 26, 1977, Cody’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, defeated then-WWE World Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham in a championship match via count-out at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Afterward, Dusty briefly celebrated with the title belt before it was taken away from him, as the championship could only change hands by pinfall or submission.

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However, this iconic moment, captured in a photograph that adorned Cody’s parents’ mantle until his father’s passing, became a powerful source of inspiration for Cody. It fueled his determination to win the title that had eluded his father. Against the backdrop of The World’s Most Famous Arena this past Friday on SmackDown, Cody returned triumphant with the championship, honoring his father’s legacy.

In a digital exclusive, Rhodes addressed the crowd at MSG after the show. As chants of “Dusty, Dusty, Dusty” rang out, Rhodes’ voice cracked as he recounted his father’s time spent in New York chasing Graham for the title.

“I was 8-years old. I saw the picture of him holding this title. I knew nothing about the ins and outs of pro wrestling and sports entertainment. All I knew was I wanted to win that title for him.”

Rhodes, who fought back tears, paused and gathered his composure before continuing as the crowd rallied behind him.

“And I had always planned on saying the silliest thing to him, but I just wanted to tell him that nobody can take it away from you now.”

Rhodes then asked the crowd to indulge him a bit longer, expressing his desire to stand on the turnbuckles as his father once did and raise the WWE Championship. However, he opted not to lift the current title belt. Instead, Rhodes turned to his cousin and timekeeper, Berkley Ottman, who passed him a replica of the WWE Championship as it appeared in 1977, during the era when the company was known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation.

Amidst chants honoring his father, Rhodes climbed the second rope, lifting the vintage title high above his head. A warm smile of contentment spread across his face, marking a poignant tribute to his father and symbolizing the culmination of their family’s ascent to wrestling greatness.