“Did he develop Tourette’s?” – Cody Rhodes’ promo skills blasted by former WWE employee (Exclusive)

During the latest episode, Cody Rhodes made his first appearance on WWE SmackDown after several weeks. The former Undisputed WWE Champion had been absent from WWE television since John Cena defeated him in the main event of WrestleMania 41.

The American Nightmare returned to television during Saturday Night’s Main Event to save Jey Uso and issued a challenge to John Cena and Logan Paul for Money in the Bank. Cody delivered a heartfelt promo during his return before getting into an altercation with his Money in the Bank opponents.

While discussing the show during this week’s episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, former WWE head writer Vince Russo blasted Cody Rhodes. Russo dug into The American Nightmare’s promo skills, questioning whether the former champion had developed Tourette’s during his time away from the screen.

“I did figure out why why Cody was away for like six weeks. I was watching his promo closely and I was watching him, I think in the last six weeks, did he develop Tourette’s? When did Cody get Tourette’s? Bro, I swear to God, Cody should be doing Shakespearean plays. I got to tell you. And Dutch worked with the man, It blows me away that this guy came from the loins of the great Dusty Rhodes. This kid is everything his father was not,” Russo said. [From 5:25 onwards]

Cody Rhodes’ father, Dusty Rhodes, is a pro-wrestling legend, having wrestled through multiple promotions during his time. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion but wasn’t a world champion in WWE, which Cody used as motivation to win the WWE championship at WrestleMania XL, in memory of his father.

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About the author

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Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief’s SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman’s mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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