Cody Rhodes Has Special Handshake Deal With WWE When It Comes To Stardust

Cody Rhodes sat down for an interview with Ariel Helwani following his return at WrestleMania Saturday and talked about how his deal with WWE came together and what his conversations with Vince McMahon were like as he negotiated his return. Helwani asked if Cody has any specific stipulations or guarantees in his deal and Cody admitted that he sort of has one.

When Cody left WWE six years ago, he wasn't happy with the trajectory his career was on. He was playing a character known as Stardust. He didn't hate the character, but he knew he was destined for more and it was time to bet on himself and leave the only big wrestling company he'd ever worked for. In coming back to WWE, he said he and Vince McMahon talked about that character and Cody said he has a handshake deal that Stardust will never make a return.

Related: Cody Talks About His Comeback, WWE And AEW Stars React To His Return At WrestleMania 38

Cody said, "There wasn't any true guarantees, but there was a request." He added, "I said I never want to, ever see Stardust ever again. I never wanna hear it and talk about it, I never want to see it again." He said he got a handshake on that request and that was all he needed.

Cody then laughed and said he went back on his own word because in the match with Seth Rollins he made a random Stardust reference. It was what Corey Graves called "shedding his skin", but Cody said to himself afterward, "'What are you doing? You're going back on your own strange request.'"

So Much For Stardust

If fans were wondering if WWE would ever bring that character back over the duration of Cody's new deal with WWE, it sounds like Cody just answered it. He's got a handshake deal in place that WWE won't ask. If that character comes back, it will be because he decided he wanted to bring that gimmick out of retirement.