Cody Rhodes says that one of the biggest changes he went through after his 2016 exit from WWE was deciding not to try and play a character in his work. Rhodes exited the company while he was performing under the Stardust gimmick, and he talked in his interview on Insight With Chris Van Vliet about how he decided to be himself when he went to the independents. You can see highlights below (h/t to Wrestling Inc):
On dropping the notion of being a character after he left WWE: “I think once I left WWE the first time and went out and did my own thing, I think I kind of ceased to be a character. I just accepted present yourself … be yourself.”
On the downside of that approach: “No, I don’t feel I’m in character now. Sometimes I wish there was a little bit more of a character I could hide into … The world knows you; they have a sense of you, and they can wrap an opinion around it.”
