Cody was just the opposite. From a relatively young age, Cody’s eyes were pointed toward Hollywood. He loved everything about the movie business. Becoming an actor was Cody’s focus. He had other interests—ironically, wrestling was one of them—but Cody had a plan.
In some ways, Cody saw the dark side of it all. He moved around a fair amount growing up. He was born in North Carolina, moved to Texas as a little boy, and finished high school in Georgia. There were times when our dad was making a lot of money and everything was great. But there also were times when the family was closing in on bankruptcy. Pops has been extremely successful in the wrestling business, but it is a business. There are ups and downs, particularly when you are involved in the operations. Cody lived through a lot more of that as a kid than I ever did. Not only did he see the physical toll it took on our father, but he saw the stress that came with the financial side of things, too. And remember, Cody was old enough to understand what was going on when my dad and I went five years without speaking to each other. He saw what it did to the family. As I said, all I saw were the shining stars. Cody saw the same show, only with the curtains pulled back.
In high school, Cody was a dedicated one-sport athlete, and he was damn good. Cody was two-time state wrestling champion in Georgia. He wrestled at 189 pounds, which was a weight class dominated by the biggest, strongest, and best-conditioned kids. Cody lost only two matches his last two years. He was focused, talented, and competitive. As a big brother, it was really cool to see the person he was developing into.
It came together for all of us at the state championships Cody’s senior year. The finals were held at the Macon Coliseum. Over the years, my dad and I had had some of our most memorable matches in that building. Of all the venues the Rhodeses have wrestled in, the Macon Coliseum was special. Right after I left Florida in the early 1990s for Total Nonstop Action, my dad and I had a really cool interview there. The story line was built around me looking for a tag-team partner. I had been wrestling with Barry Windham, but he got injured. Then I paired up with Arn Anderson, who turned on me and broke my arm. So that night I was looking for a new partner yet again. My dad took the microphone and the place went crazy. All he had to do was raise his arm and everyone would calm down. It was like a god had descended upon the building and he was going to announce the salvation plan for everyone in attendance.
Cody and me with our sisters Kristin (left) and Teil (right).
Pops said, “Stop looking for a partner, son. You can team up with me.” The place went nuts. He held that entire building in the palm of his hand as he talked. One minute they were screaming at the top of their lungs, then next minute he’d raise that arm and you could hear a pin drop. To this day, people come up to me and say, “Man, I remember you and your dad in Macon.”
Now it was Cody’s turn in the same building, and the place had the same kind of buzz. It was sold out. All the finalists walked down toward the floor from the top of the building. Music was blaring as these kids came down the steps. My dad, Diamond Dallas Page, and I were sitting right up against the mats. When they announced Cody’s name I was like, “Wow. This kid is getting a pretty good pop.” Parents sat on the opposite side of the mat from the coaches. We had the best seats in the house for Cody’s title match. It was awesome, and so was Cody.
When he won, the whole building erupted. Dad and I shot out of our chairs and were going crazy. In that moment I reflected on the symmetry of it all. The three Rhodes boys all got a tremendous pop in the same building twenty years apart. It was unbelievable.
Cody had a lot of college wrestling offers from big schools, but the success never went to his head. I knew he respected what Dad and I did, but Cody was headed west. He packed his bags, found an agent, and moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. The determination and confidence that made him so good on the wrestling mat fueled his move. That’s what he wanted to do and that’s what he did. But acting is a tough business. Cody wasn’t the only kid in the country heading out in search of his dreams. He landed some commercials and other work like that, but it didn’t come together fast enough for him to survive out there.
By the time Cody returned to Georgia, Dad had started Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling and we were running a wrestling school, too. One day Cody came by the school. I was standing in the ring teaching. The students were spread out around the ring watching. I saw Cody and asked him to jump into the ring so that I could demonstrate a few things for the students.
Cody threw a smooth arm drag even though he had never really been in a ring before. I started out slow, then we started wrestling a little bit. I think I hurt him physically and I know I hurt his feelings. I was telling him how he had to pay his dues. I was being pretty rough with him and I actually made him cry. I hated myself for that. I was being very aggressive and rough, just trying to show him what this really feels like. But I took it too far and I felt awful.
But the rest is history. We can laugh about it now, but I still don’t feel good about hurting him. He’s my little brother. I had no business throwing him around like that. These days we’ll fool around on the road when we’re at the same television taping. We’ll grab one another in fun and I’ll remind him to take it easy on his big brother.
The one thing I knew from that first interaction with Cody in the ring is that he was a natural. All it took was one move and I knew Cody had more potential than all the rest of them combined. The kid had never done a single session in the ring and he was just so smooth. It was incredible.
Eventually Cody went off to Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was Vince’s training facility in Louisville. I’ll say this about Cody, he saw an opening and he grabbed hold and never let go. He paid his dues wrestling in front of small crowds like I did back in Florida. He made a little more than I did at his age, but that’s a function of how far things have progressed. It’s become a lot more sophisticated, and one company dominates the entire business now. I have no problem with the younger guys making as much money as they possibly can. If Cody can make twenty million times more than I ever make, great. I hope he does. I’ll just ask him for a weekly allowance.
Aside from his physical skills, Cody has two very important things going for him. First, he’s a smart kid. He knew what to do and how to conduct himself when an opportunity presented itself. Second, he’s witty and he can talk. There are a lot of guys with athletic skill, but you can’t teach intelligence. It’s even harder to teach someone how to talk if he doesn’t have the personality to make it all work. Cody is the whole package. He’s got the world by the tail right now. All he has to do is keep a level head. There’s no limit to what he can accomplish.
It’s not easy, though. When you’re young and rising like he is, it’s easy to become frustrated because things aren’t happening as fast as you want them to. About the only thing I have to tell Cody is, “Just be patient. You are doing great. Vince loves you like a son. Just keep up the good work and everything is going to be great.”
Over the next five years, Cody can become a powerhouse. We watch one another’s work. He’ll ask for advice, and I’m happy to help him any way I can. The kid has everything—personality, heart, soul, intelligence, attitude, and drive. Experience can’t be taught, though. What you do in the ring has to make sense. You have to learn how to convey emotion. It’s about the facials, the wrestler’s reactions. Everything has to be so real that nobody questions it. Fans have to be able to see the pain. If you are confused, they have to see that, too. It’s incredible when you actually pull it off. Cody understands that part of it. Cody is one of the young guys I would pay to watch right now and not just because he’s my brother.
There are others, too. I would still pay to watch guys from my generation: Undertaker, Triple H. I love to watch Randy Orton. I’m really into Sheamus. I love what he’s doing. Rey Mysterio? When you think he’s dead after a flying fifteen-foot flip, Rey gets right up and kicks you in the head. He’s like a baby bird falling out of a tree that just gets rig
ht back up and starts flying. He’s unbelievable to watch. I have never seen him have a bad match. Even when he’s having a match with somebody who might not be having a good night, Rey can pull a damn good match. He’s probably my favorite guy to watch.
Shawn Michaels is the very best worker there is. It doesn’t matter whether you watch what he was doing at the beginning of his career or right now. He’s one of the best. One of the hardest-working guys in the company is Chris Jericho. Christian is fun to watch and I love his work ethic. Even when a great match isn’t needed, he goes out there and gives you one anyway just because he loves what he does. Shawn is the same way. If you have two guys in the ring with the same mind-set, then you’re going to have a hell of a match. No one can have a bad match if he is in there with Shawn Michaels or Chris Jericho.
CM Punk is a really good worker and he’s fun to watch. The thing with Triple H is that he can flat out work. He has that old-school ethic and he’s always completely tuned in to what he’s doing. When there is a spot in a match or a show when something is really needed, Hunter comes through every time. If there is an extra five or ten minutes on television, it doesn’t matter whether he learns about it before the match or at the last second. He gets everyone calm, then he comes up with something that’s really good. He’s one of those rare guys who are larger than life. Undertaker is the same way. His entrance has never changed, and I still think it’s the best around. Orton is another guy who, when he turns it on, it’s “Wow!”
That’s where Cody is heading. He’s the next link in the Rhodes family chain.
FIFTEEN
ANGELS ON THE ROAD AHEAD
I don’t think I have ever been better at my work than I am right now. I am a living example of the idea that good things come to those who listen, take suggestions, and work with passion and focus. I’m leaner, faster, and better at my job than I’ve ever been. I’ve worked hard to hone my craft, and it shows.
I didn’t think I could go out there and wrestle without painkillers rolling through my body. I’ve got aches and pains, but I’m working clean and sober. It’s the only way to go. Even though I’ve been doing Goldust since 1995, the crowds are getting louder for me. My entrance may not be as elaborate as Undertaker’s, but mine is right behind his in terms of impact. Goldust is one of the last gimmicks, a character-driven personality, and they still pop loud when I walk out. After all that I’ve been through, it means a lot to be respected. It’s unfortunate that I’m at the tail end of my career, but I’m all about keeping my performance at the top. Right now everyone tells me I look a lot younger than my age. I was looking at a picture of myself the other day when I was twenty-one or twenty-two years old, and I look just like that now. With the paint, I don’t age. As long as I can keep my body in shape, I should be fine.
Left to right: Teil, Dad, my stepmom, Michele, Dakota, Cody, and me.
Why do I know I’ll never drink or do drugs again? I spent years abusing myself and I became something I never thought I’d become—undependable. I promised myself that I was going earn back the respect I had built up over nearly two decades. I have nothing to complain about these days because I am fortunate to be alive. I know that. Right now, I’m just paying my dues and working hard to improve every day. For the first time in a long time, I am seeing life through clear eyes. If I have a bad day, I know it will pass. A few years ago, every day was a bad day. Now I can have a bad day and still know I have a great life.
Just waking up in the morning and being able to make lunch for Dakota is a gift. I am gaining back her respect and trust by being a positive factor in her life. I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to have her want to talk to me about her life. Dakota and I are closer now than we have ever been. I know I can’t take back those five awful years when I was filling myself with alcohol and drugs, so I’m moving forward to make the best years of my life those in front me. Too many good things are happening to think any other way.
I know I’ll have many more years fighting those demons trying to nip away at me. I’ll keep them at bay. I am straight up about the fact I am going to take care of myself first and foremost. People respect that. My daughter understands where I’m coming from and she respects me for being honest about what I need to do for myself. Though I love what I do as much as I ever have, I hate being away from her. We are connected the way every father and daughter should hope to be connected. Just thinking about her brings tears to my eyes.
When Dakota was born she had some breathing problems. The doctors put her under a heat lamp and worked to help her breathe. In that same room there was another baby screaming uncontrollably. I asked a nurse what was wrong with the other baby. It turned out the mother had been a crack addict. She died during childbirth and the newborn was coming down off the crack in her system. Then I looked over at Dakota, and she wasn’t crying at all. It was almost like she had a little smile on her face under those big bright eyes. I remember thinking how lucky I was, and how fortunate Dakota was to have two parents so devoted to her. She was holding my little finger, and to this day it amazes me the way she looked into my eyes.
With Kristin, one of my angels.
She’s one of my angels who stood by my side in the darkest moments of my life. I haven’t talked enough about my sister Kristin, but she never wavered in her love and support of me. We protected one another growing up in Austin when my dad left. Throughout my life whenever she felt like I had a problem, or I was struggling with something, she didn’t hesitate to find a flight and come see me. She’s a remarkable person with an amazing capacity for love.
Through it all, though, I’m still Dustin. As I’ve always said, I don’t want to kill all my demons because then there won’t be any angels.
Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness (WWE) Page 11