When Did Cody Become a Main Event Talent?

[Dub H]

I mean skills wise,not just booking wise.I think the moment the fans realized "Holy Shit Cody is the real deal" was during his match vs Darby Allin.Dude went all out there.

But you really can see some of his great work shine in NJPW. I think the freedom he has now helped him a lot.

[mattyy]

Honestly, late 2012-2013. His feud in 2011 with Orton had great stuff, and his time as an upper midcarder/main eventer feuding with The Authority in September of '13 was quality. He could have made them tons of money, but they wanted Stardust to he a permanent character and a nobody at that.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Skills wise? I dunno. I guess I’d say a lil after he’d been in ROH/NJPW for a bit?

I think a lot of it has had to do with the meta-perception of him being (as said by the bucks) the driving force behind all this. And I always reference him inducting his father in the HOF as the first time his charisma really showed through.

[badkarma]

Jan 25, 2020 19:29:00 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

Skills wise? I dunno. I guess I’d say a lil after he’d been in ROH/NJPW for a bit?

I think a lot of it has had to do with the meta-perception of him being (as said by the bucks) the driving force behind all this. And I always reference him inducting his father in the HOF as the first time his charisma really showed through.

Agreed, once he was working for the other major promotions of the world, he really grew into his shoes.

[honsou]

After the triple threat with Ibushi and Omega he finally got he was never going to be a workrate guy and that he had to be a storyteller and hes been on a rocket ever since

[Deleted]

I thought it was that match versus Nick Aldis where he started to show signs of great. And after that match vs. Dustin there was no question. The match vs. Jericho was one of my favourites from last year.

[Malibu Stacy]

I honestly felt he was the total package as far back as 2011. I remember him hitting a Beautiful Disaster during his Un-dashing run and thinking he was versatile in the ring, great character work, what else could he possibly need? So, it feels good to see people agree with me, nine years later

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Honestly he looked like a star in the making during his feud with Orton and should have been cemented in the upper-midcard after his mini feud with the Authority in 2013 but they had to have Stardust as a permanent character. It's really only been the last three years or so where he has focused on his storytelling that he's become a true genuine main event talent.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

I think the Kenny vs. Cody feud is where I saw a lot of fans buying into him as a main event talent, and that led into him winning the NWA title at All In which was another banner moment for him.

[Allie Kitsune]

It's been a long and winding road.

But I think it's the match against Dustin that finally showed that he figured out what the kind of matches he needed to have were.

[kingoftheindies]

I think he showed signs of it with his run as ROH champ. While he wasn't where he is now, I think he did a lot of good as champ. But I don't think people really started to actually buy into everything until the Dustin match at DoN. I do think he clearly showed he belonged as at minimum an upper guy before that with his feud with Kenny, but Double or Nothing sold it

[rnrk supports BLM]

He showed sparks of it in his WWE run, like the Falls Count Anywhere match vs Rey, but the Double or Nothing match vs Dustin is where it all finally clicked, IMO.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Yeah, he showed bits and pieces of it during his WWE run. Initially, you'd have thought it was because of a big gimmick (the "Dashing/Undashing" run in 2010-2011), but then in 2013 it really clicked with his second face run and he had those bangers with The Shield. He probably should have gotten a world title shot at least at this point, but I don't think the fanbase would have gone with him long-term, Bryan was just too hot at that time.

[Mozenrath]

Jan 25, 2020 21:47:31 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

He showed sparks of it in his WWE run, like the Falls Count Anywhere match vs Rey, but the Double or Nothing match vs Dustin is where it all finally clicked, IMO.

Right.

Not sure if it's because he's got more of a hand in how he's presented than when he was just wrestling for other people or what, but he went from a guy who had good to great matches to someone who had some legitimate classics.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

He could have been groomed into a headliner early as the Dashing run IMO, he always had a strong presence. His NJPW and ROH runs showcased his range. For me it was the Nick Aldis match in Chicago, that and the Double Or Nothing match are good examples of him tapping into the level of electricity and passion his dad showed.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Cody could have been a main eventer in the WWE for most of the previous decade, the bar is nowhere near as high as it should be given Ziggler, Swagger, Jinder and others have all had the belt, and Orton has been a main event fixture for nearly 20 years. Vince always had a shinier toy to play with, Hunter disliked him and that was that for him there.

It took him a while to adapt to Indy life, but he got to the point he could main event anywhere based on his storytelling ability.

[Deleted]

For me, when he faced Dustin at All Out.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

When he bleached his hair

[Viking Hall]

The NWA Title Match against Aldis for me. It wasn't the best match of the night, but it was the match which had the big match feel and Cody just had that aura about him that very few are able to gain regardless of booking.

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2020 8:47:53 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

When he bleached his hair

It's weird but it actually done a lot for him.

Plain brunette guy in plain trunks was never a main event look. It's too generic.

Now he comes out with the husky dog, the jacket, the blonde hair and the cool tights... main's got it going now.