PWP’s Tim Bell takes a look into the world of Stardust & why he currently deserves a better spot on the WWE roster
In today’s WWE landscape, many fans feel the need to rebel against the contents “PG” nature, and therefore it is increasingly difficult to convince the average fan to accept, never mind support, anything or any character which isn’t rooted deeply in reality or realistic themes.
Gone are the days of hailing superstars from “Parts Unknown”, and the ability to suspend reality seems to be reserved for a choice few (Undertaker, I’m looking at you.)
However, one of the most personally disappointing things happening in WWE right now is the position of Stardust, who is seemingly lost in the shuffle, with no real direction.
And, believe me, it’s not due to a lack of effort put in from his part.
I’ll be the first to admit: When Stardust first debuted in WWE, I absolutely despised the idea. Cody Rhodes had fallen into a funk with partner Goldust, and donned the face paint in an effort to rejuvenate the team and change their fortunes, and the whole story seemed extremely lame in my eyes. I felt that the sooner Cody returned to his original form and challenged Goldust directly, the better it would be for everyone.
However, as time passed, and the tag team division needed a new team to oppose The Usos as they reigned atop as champions, WWE took an unexpected turn. WWE turned Goldust & Stardust against The Usos, and the Stardust suddenly began to change.
While Goldust certainly changed his demeanor to a degree, the change from fan favorite to hated villain was a bit reserved for the elder Rhodes. However, this was the first time that we saw Stardust finally come into his own.
Since this time, Stardust has gone out on his own, and while the Stardust/Goldust feud never truly seemed to get the time it required and deserved, Stardust continued to impress. A character that many surely saw as a short-term project was suddenly making his own path separate from the sibling character which had inspired him, and people were beginning to notice.
The most important part of this was, while seemingly everyone had been clamoring for Cody Rhodes to return, and vilifying WWE for hanging this perceived albatross of a character on a talent like Cody, the former “Dashing” one was 150% committed to making this persona work.
During a time where so many Superstars on your television want play the “cool” character, channeling their inner Steve Austin or Shawn Michaels, Stardust has put everything he has into being something completely different, and perhaps more surprising based on his origins, something completely original.
He’s separated himself from Goldust so successfully that fans are no longer pining for that showdown with Goldust. Unfortunately, it seems WWE isn’t pining for any particular showdown for the Cosmic King either, leaving Stardust without much to do.
Some of his current situation seems forced by bad luck, as it appeared he would be combating Cesaro prior to Cesaro’s injury, however, since his high-profile feud with Stephen Amell, meaningful bouts have been difficult to come by, and his “Cosmic Wasteland” faction has been uninspiring to say the least, mainly due to a lack of direction.
Now, to be clear, I’m not asking for Stardust to suddenly be thrust into the main event scene, as I know some overzealous social media-goers will assume. A perfect example of how to utilize Stardust was his feud with Neville, a mid-card story where enough time and effort was applied via vignettes and storytelling to compel fans to care and invest in the feud.
WWE should be salivating over the fact that in this “brass ring” era, that a veteran performer is willing to put so much effort and creativity into standing out from the pack, and should be capitalizing on those efforts by making that character mean something.
Both Neville and Stardust came out of that story with momentum, regardless of the ending, because of the time invested in both performers. It now seems a shame for a performer whose clearly passionate about what he’s doing to be basically wasted for the past several weeks.
As we’ve seen with The New Day, WWE is willing to reward creativity, and when positioned correctly, fans will support performers who they can tell are 110% into their roles, and Stardust is primed for a similar opportunity, if WWE would simply realize it.
