WWE Smackdown: Cody Rhodes' Golden Moment Falls on Deaf Ears

It has gone almost unspoken by those who follow wrestling, but Cody Rhodes became the new Intercontinental Championship last Friday night on Smackdown.

Considering this took place more than a week ago, during the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday, as well as the fact that Rhodes is often revered by wrestling fans, the near omission of his first singles title is almost shocking.

After Legacy split up following WrestleMania 26, Rhodes was chosen as the former member who would falter in comparison to Ted DiBiase. Fans flocked to the DiBiase bandwagon and all but left Rhodes for future endeavoring.

However, it was DiBiase who was unable to sustain anything meaningful, while Rhodes was transformed. Not only did he improve his in-ring ability, but Rhodes' bland character was about to look a lot different, too.

It all began in June 2010, when Rhodes appeared on an episode of Smackdown and stated that the Divas had chosen him as the best-looking superstar in the WWE.

That night, the brand-new Cody Rhodes was born and he was simply "dashing."

Vignettes aired with Rhodes showing off grooming tips, sporting a pretty snazzy jacket and an infectious theme. Rhodes had some momentum on his side, and fans could sense it.

At Night of Champions a year ago, Rhodes became a tag team champion alongside Drew McIntyre. Combined, the two seemed like they could mesh well together. It created a little bit of hope in fans' minds that the tag team division was about to be revived.

However, the tag team was short-lived, as was the title reign. Rhodes had once again tasted tag team gold, but could not get the singles title that he was striving to earn.

There was always something standing in Rhodes' way.

At first, his in-ring ability wasn't up to snuff. Then, his gimmick that was too bland. Now, his gimmick needed to be fine-tuned.

There was one fatal flaw to "Dashing" Cody Rhodes—his face. If his face was touched by an opponent, Rhodes would begin to freak out. After all, it was his face that made him so "dashing" in the first place.

However, it began to get in the way of his matches and could have cost him a few victories along the way.

Rhodes later sustained a broken nose during a match in January against Rey Mysterio. This kept him out of action through the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber pay-per-views.

Rhodes returned on Feb. 25 and attacked Mysterio for what happened to him. What happened to him, after all, was more than just a broken nose. It broke his gimmick, shattering it into pieces to be put back together.

While the gimmick was indeed put back together, it couldn't be the same as it was, which was exactly what Rhodes needed it to be.

Rhodes wore a protective mask following what happened and claimed he was now ugly after the attack.

What made this even better was that the mask was see-through, which meant that we could still see the "hideous" Cody Rhodes. Rhodes has gone from being arrogant and self-centered to a total headcase. The weeks that followed would have Rhodes expand on his new look, referring to it as a deformity.

He then received a WrestleMania match in Atlanta against Mysterio, where he emerged victorious. This was the unofficial coming-out party for Cody Rhodes as a singles competitor.

As the weeks wore on, he and his heel character continued to grow. Now, not only was he hideous, but Rhodes thought that everyone else was hideous, too.

He wished the fans to wear paper bags over their heads. Even a number of his opponents, such as Daniel Bryan, would have these bags forced on them.

After Bryan went on to win at Money in the Bank, he began to feud with Wade Barrett.

Rhodes switched his attention to Barrett's last feud, Ezekiel Jackson. Jackson had won the Intercontinental Championship at Capitol Punishment from Barrett. Rhodes won that belt last week, ending Jackson's first reign.

Whether it was Rhodes showing he was ready or the WWE not having anything new for Zeke to do as champion, the title still changed hands. The 51 days during which Jackson held the title was the shortest reign since Chris Jericho's record ninth title reign, which lasted just 21 days in June 2009.

Whatever the reason, Cody Rhodes is now a champion and is still incredibly young. He turned 26 at the end of June.

Rhodes will likely be a part of the future of the company. Much like his father and half-brother, he will also likely have a rewarding and long-lasting career. However, Rhodes is in need of some consistency in the short-term by creative.

He has had a match in only three of the eight pay-per-views that have taken place this year. He defeated Mysterio at WrestleMania, but lost to him at Extreme Rules. His third appearance saw him lose Smackdown's Money in the Bank ladder match.

Even though he won it on the Smackdown before SummerSlam, it was still an odd sight to not have Rhodes and his Intercontinental Championship at the huge event.

It was the first time the title had not been defended at a SummerSlam since 2006.

However, now a champion and heading up to Night of Champions, Rhodes will likely enter his fourth pay-per-view of 2011 as Intercontinental Champion. The Intercontinental Champion has appeared on every Night of Champions card.

A September event without the Intercontinental Champion dates all the way back to 2003, during the event's days as Vengeance.