AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: BECOMING CODY RHODES
WWE’s fancy DVD compilations, which once filled the shelves of big box stores everywhere, have largely gone the way of the dodo bird and Burger Chef. Of course, fans haven’t lost interest in the compelling backstories of their favorite stars, but improvements in technology have decidedly reshaped the market.
However, if we could turn back the clock a couple of decades, American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes would easily be the feature presentation of a three-or four-disc retrospective package on the 2023 Royal Rumble winner. Here in the far-flung present, it’s available via Peacock TV, which is also the platform for WWE’s streaming service.
The story opens with the leadup to Rhodes’ return to the ‘E at WrestleMania 38—arguably the defining moment of his career thus far—before re-racking all the way to his beginnings as the son of a son of a plumber. The trajectory is largely what one would expect from a project such as this, drilling down on the checkpoints of his career, from his early work with The Legacy through his evolution to the “Dashing” persona, and, ultimately, to his Stardust period.
Indeed, Stardust weighs heavily upon the overarching “feel good” mood now and again, with Cody Rhodes and friends dwelling for a lengthy stretch on how unhappy
