Cody Rhodes has openly expressed disappointment with his earlier WWE career, during which he briefly adopted his half-brother’s Stardust persona before departing the company in 2016. Following his WWE exit, Rhodes helped create history by organizing All In, an independent wrestling event independent of WWE or WCW, which attracted significant attendance. He later played a crucial role in founding AEW, a rival wrestling promotion.
In 2022, Rhodes made a notable return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Since then, he has become a two-time WWE Champion, having won titles at WrestleMania XL and SummerSlam 2025. Alongside his in-ring career, Rhodes hosts the podcast What Do You Wanna Talk About? With Cody Rhodes on YouTube, where he recently shared a potential plan involving his Stardust character.
Possible Stardust Comeback Tied to Podcast Success
Launched in 2024, Cody Rhodes’s podcast has featured prominent WWE wrestlers like Randy Orton and Bianca Belair. WWE and Fanatics later partnered to bring the podcast onto WWE’s official YouTube channel, with the debut episode airing in April 2025. During a recent conversation with WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch, Rhodes hinted that a milestone in podcast performance could trigger the return of Stardust.
Although he has not defined the specific milestone required, Rhodes thoughtfully shared this idea as a way to mark a future breakthrough on the podcast.
“I had this idea for—and I’m going to put this out into existence—I had this idea for if I set a milestone with the podcast, and I don’t know what that milestone is, that I would do a bonus episode interviewing Stardust,” Cody Rhodes told Becky Lynch.
Ongoing WWE Storylines and Future Prospects for Rhodes
Recently, Cody Rhodes’s rivalry with John Cena concluded in a show of mutual respect after SummerSlam’s Night 2 main event, where the two embraced. However, Rhodes faces continued challenges as WWE Champion, having encountered immediate difficulties on the following episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The potential revival of Stardust remains an intriguing prospect, contingent on Rhodes’s podcast reaching an undisclosed listener goal.
This unique approach allows Rhodes to connect with fans in new ways beyond WWE television, possibly bridging nostalgia with his current wrestling persona. Fans and observers will be watching closely to see if this mysterious podcast milestone is achieved, opening the door for Stardust’s unexpected return.
