Cody Rhodes has reached a place in WWE where he is regularly positioned as one of the company’s defining performers. He is a major representative for the promotion beyond the ring, carries the weight of its biggest events, and has built a career that looks dramatically different from the uncertain early years of his first WWE run.
Still, Rhodes has consistently spoken with appreciation about the people and moments that helped him establish himself. One of the most meaningful turning points, in his view, came at WrestleMania 27, when he faced Rey Mysterio. Rhodes says that Mysterio’s willingness to share that stage with him had a lasting impact on both his career trajectory and his confidence as a WWE talent.
Speaking on Rowdy Ryder Reviews, Rhodes was shown figures from different stages of his career, including one from the Undashing Cody Rhodes era. The memorabilia led him back to a formative period in which he was developing a more defined identity on SmackDown. He specifically highlighted the significance of his WrestleMania encounter with Mysterio.
“It’s such a significant moment, and it meant a lot to me,” Rhodes said on Rowdy Ryder Reviews. “WrestleMania 27 changed my life, and Rey making the decision really to have me at WrestleMania with him, changed my life.”
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A WrestleMania Opportunity That Carried Real Weight
For Rhodes, the importance of that match was not simply that it took place at WrestleMania. Appearing on WWE’s biggest annual show is a major career marker, but sharing the ring with Mysterio brought an additional level of credibility. Mysterio was already an established, celebrated star whose connection with WWE audiences had been built over many years. Working with him on that stage placed Rhodes in a high-profile situation at a time when he was still working to prove exactly where he belonged on the roster.
Rhodes described Mysterio as someone whose decision to work with him made a material difference. That wording is notable because it frames the program as more than an ordinary booking assignment. Rhodes views it as a moment in which a respected veteran lent legitimacy to a younger wrestler who was finding his footing on the main roster.
The WrestleMania 27 match also arrived during an important evolution for Rhodes’ on-screen presentation. The Undashing character gave him a distinctive edge and helped separate him from earlier versions of Cody Rhodes. It was a persona built around vanity, discomfort, and an intense fixation on physical appearance, with Rhodes frequently wearing a protective mask as part of the presentation.
That mask was not merely a creative prop. Rhodes has previously explained that the direction grew out of a genuine injury sustained in the ring with Mysterio. Mysterio broke Rhodes’ nose, and Rhodes had to wear a mask legitimately to protect it while continuing to wrestle. WWE turned the circumstance into character material, and the result became one of the most memorable concepts of Rhodes’ early career.
The SmackDown Environment Helped Shape Undashing Cody Rhodes
Looking at his Undashing-era action figure, Rhodes also recalled the environment on SmackDown that allowed the character to develop. He said that the brand gave him room to explore ideas, grow as a performer, and find what worked. In Rhodes’ memory, the creative atmosphere was especially valuable because he was not simply executing a finished concept; he was actively discovering the components that could make the act stand out.
“During this period of time, I’d go to SmackDown, and on SmackDown they really let me do whatever I wanted to do in terms of growth and development,” Rhodes said on Rowdy Ryder Reviews.
Rhodes credited Michael P. Hayes for the freedom he and others had during that era of SmackDown. He suggested that the brand’s overall makeup gave him an opportunity to experiment without carrying the same level of pressure that he associated with Raw at the time. That space, he believes, made the period particularly special.
“This was a period where the pressure was less, I suppose, than being on Raw at the time, who knows?” Rhodes said. “Our card was filled enough that I could play a little bit – a very special time in my life.”
That assessment offers a useful look at how Rhodes remembers an era that may not have come with the status he holds now, but clearly mattered to his long-term progression. A performer’s career is often shaped in these in-between stretches: periods where the spotlight is meaningful but not yet overwhelming, where a wrestler can test character choices, refine promo instincts, and learn how to connect a presentation to an audience.
For Rhodes, SmackDown served as that kind of creative laboratory. The Undashing persona was exaggerated and theatrical, but it also gave him a clear point of view. His mask, his disgust toward imperfection, and his emphasis on his own appearance all gave fans a recognizable image. In an environment where WWE performers must fight for individual distinction, that clarity can be enormously important.
Rey Mysterio’s Influence Went Beyond One Match
Rhodes’ respect for Mysterio is not limited to WrestleMania 27. In previous comments, Rhodes has credited the legendary luchador with having a meaningful role in his career. The broken nose that helped inspire the Undashing direction, the mask that became central to the gimmick, and the WrestleMania match that Rhodes believes changed his life are all connected to Mysterio.
It is an unusual but fitting thread in Rhodes’ history. A legitimate in-ring accident created a physical need for protection. That real-world development became the foundation for a character shift. Then, rather than the program being defined only by the injury, Rhodes had the chance to face Mysterio at WrestleMania, creating a showcase he still identifies as transformational.
The story also speaks to the value of veteran support in wrestling. Mysterio’s role was not simply to share a ring with Rhodes. From Rhodes’ perspective, Mysterio made a choice that elevated an emerging talent at a critical time. Those choices can affect how audiences perceive a wrestler, how much faith a company has in their potential, and how confidently the performer moves forward.
Rhodes has now become a veteran figure himself, with a career that includes significant success, reinvention, and a return to WWE at the highest level. His current standing can make it easy to overlook the milestones that led there. Yet his reflections show that he has not forgotten the period when every major opportunity carried added meaning.
Why Rhodes Still Values the Moment
There is a difference between looking back at an old match fondly and identifying it as a life-changing event. Rhodes places WrestleMania 27 firmly in the latter category. His comments indicate that Mysterio’s faith in him mattered just as much as the match itself. The opportunity gave Rhodes exposure, but it also provided a feeling of validation at a time when he was building a more serious case for his place on the roster.
That period on SmackDown was not defined by a single element. It was the combination of creative latitude, the Undashing character’s distinct visual identity, the experience of adapting a real injury into a storyline tool, and the WrestleMania program with Mysterio. Together, those pieces helped Rhodes develop into a more complete performer.
Rhodes’ career has since traveled through numerous chapters, but his recollection of WrestleMania 27 remains direct and personal. He does not present it as just another entry on a long list of WrestleMania appearances. He presents it as the night that changed his life, and he gives Rey Mysterio substantial credit for helping make that change possible.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.