Cody Rhodes Publishes Lengthy, Heartfelt Letter to His Father Dusty

WWE star Cody Rhodes has posted a new letter to his late father Dusty Rhodes, and it can be read in full on his wife’s blog, BeingBrandiRunnels.com. Below is an excerpt from the letter:

Right outta’ the gate, thank you Brandi Runnels. Thank you for letting me utilize your groovy blog to share a few thoughts with followers of the Rhodes Family…our family, and thank you for the chance that somewhere & somehow my Father will be able to hear what I’m saying.

And secondly, there is such a thing as too much death…too much melancholy…too morbid of a discussion, and for those who don’t want to engage in that; I suggest you read this no further and enjoy the rest of your day or night. No offense taken.

So where do we begin?? Why did I even want to become a professional wrestler?? Here’s something I only ever shared with my employer, not even Dad…

It was a picture.

…a picture that used to adorn the mantle in my parents’ bedroom at our ol’ Marietta home. The bedroom with a “king” bed that was the size of a Manhattan apartment. It’s a picture of Dusty Rhodes holding up the then WWWF Title(world wide wrestling federation). The picture was taken on September 26 1977 in the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden. Dad had told me about Studio54, he and Mom hanging out with Warhol and other luminaries…he told me about the cops on horseback…the broadway nights, but as far as little seven year old me was concerned, I was confused…I was confused because my Dad never was the WWWF Champion.

So he told me…”champion’s advantage”…Daddy had won the contest by count-out, and the title cannot change hands on a count-out or disqualification. They took it from him.

So I knew, I knew at seven years old…I knew what my job was…what the mission was. 

And of course, I became obsessed with pro-wrestling, I tried to be an insufferable know-it-all when it came to the history and the holds. But the mission didn’t change.

It was to win the title we now call The WWE World Heavyweight Championship. To put it on his shoulder while he sat in the front row with my Mother and Sisters, and I would tell him “we get to keep it this time and you were right…it is real”

So that dream, it dies with you Dream. I didn’t get it done.

As Tom Paris would say…”no hopes, no disappointments”