In a recently uncovered edition of the WWE Magazine from 2008, fans have discovered who coined the nickname The American Nightmare for Cody Rhodes.
While it seems simple where the name came from, you may be shocked at the WWE Hall of Famer who invented another one of his nicknames, which is “The Prince of Pro-Wrestling”.
Cody Rhodes has had many nicknames, but this is the first time in nearly 13 years fans have been able to see the origin of some of the nicknames from one of WWE’s top star, and a future WWE Champion.
Why Is Cody Rhodes Called The American Nightmare?
Cody Rhodes is nicknamed The American Nightmare as a play on Dusty Rhodes’ nickname, The American Dream.
Dusty is Cody’s father, although he stopped wrestling full-time long before Cody was born. However, during his career, he represented the blue collar, working man of America, which is why he was nicknamed The American Dream.
The concept of the American Dream in the United States is an idea about social mobility. It’s a concept that shows that, no matter who you are and where you come from, if you work hard enough you can provide a life for yourselves and your family.
This ethos fit Dusty Rhodes – as a Son of a plumber – to a tee, although not so much for Cody. As the son of a former World Heavyweight Champion, he was seen as having a silver spoon in his mouth, and did not have to struggle the way his father did.
After leaving the WWE, Cody Rhodes took on the name The American Nightmare. It was a play on his father’s nickname, but taking on a heel persona.
Despite now being the top babyface in the WWE, the nickname has stuck and is part of his identity, like Cody Rhodes’ awful neck tattoo.
A WWE magazine employee coined The American Nightmare nickname
A 2008 issue of WWE magazine recently uncovered by a reddit user has revealed the WWE Hall of Famer who thought up the term “Prince of Pro-Wrestling”, one of the nicknames used by Cody Rhodes in ROH, AEW and now WWE.
In the interview with WWE magazine, Cody Rhodes was asked by the interviewer if he would take his father’s nickname (The American Dream) and change it to become The American Nightmare.
Whilst Cody Rhodes has never confirmed this is where the name came from, but it clearly stuck in his mind into his future career.
In the same interview, he reveals that it was Roddy Piper who came up with the nickname “The Prince of Pro Wrestling”, due to his lineage in wrestling.
Cody Rhodes revealed that “Roddy Piper gave me one. He said ‘You know your dad was a successful wrestler and promoter. And your brother was a successful wrestler who really pushed the envelope. You’re almost like the Prince of Professional wrestling.”
Roddy Piper and Cody Rhodes didn’t share the screen much in WWE and never managed to have a match together.
However, they both heavily respected Dusty Rhodes and will both go down as legends in WWE.
It’s a nice thought that Cody Rhodes was given his nickname by such a legend in Roddy Piper, and is something he can take with him the rest of his career.
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