WWE Missed Opportunities: The Downward Spiral of Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes has found success during the course of his WWE career, though none of that success has come recently. The losses have piled up for Rhodes, who is currently performing as Stardust, and he is falling further and further down the card.

According to this report by Evan Real of HollywoodLife.com, a match is planned between Stardust and the star of Arrow, Stephen Amell. Though Stardust may gain some momentum heading into that match as well as a spot on the card, it would likely lead to yet another embarrassment for the Superstar.

After all, how many times have celebrities lost a match in WWE?

It's time for WWE to scrap the Stardust character and allow Rhodes to reinvent himself again. The character hasn't worked, at least not as a singles competitor. The only time when potential did exist was when Stardust and Goldust split, starting a unique sibling rivalry.

But WWE inexplicably scrapped the feud. If Goldust and Stardust aren't embroiled in a feud or part of a tag team together, there is simply no need for the Stardust gimmick.

Since that time, Stardust has found himself on the losing end of most of his matches. Recently, he's dropped multiple matches to R-Truth as well as being dominated on the most recent edition of SmackDown by Ryback.

As a former two-time Intercontinental champion who is still just 29 years old, Rhodes should be getting closer to the main event scene, rather than further away from it. With Money in the Bank set to take place in just over one week, Rhodes will be on the outside looking in at the big Ladder Match.

However, in 2013, he came very close to winning that very match. Instead, it was Damien Sandow who turned on his partner Rhodes, who was inches away from grabbing the briefcase. Instead, Sandow crawled up the ladder from underneath Rhodes, pushing him off in order to snatch the victory.

Had WWE chosen to go with Rhodes as the winner instead, how much different would his career be today? Would Stardust even exist? It's very likely that character would never have been created under those circumstances.

Instead, Sandow became one of the only Superstars to ever lose his match when attempting to cash in the briefcase, while Rhodes has suffered as a guy whom WWE doesn't seem to know what to do with.

So how does WWE get him back on the right track?

If WWE insists on booking this reported match with Amell, it should use that as the moment to drop Stardust. Rhodes could return to the roster without the costume and facepaint, ready to embrace his family's name again.

Perhaps as a face, Rhodes could begin to work his way back up the card and try to get his career back on the right track before the end of 2015. If WWE chooses to keep him in the role of a heel, bringing back the "Dashing" Cody Rhodes gimmick might be an option. That was arguably the best work of his career.

Rhodes is a talented Superstar with much of his career still in front of him. WWE needs to recognize that and make the adjustments that will rejuvenate him.

Unfortunately, an embarrassing defeat to a Hollywood actor will likely take place first.