The latest episode of WWE SmackDown was held in Madison Square Garden, where fans got a little treat at the end of the night following the TV taping. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes once again appeared in front of the crowd to honor his late father and wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes by posing with a classic version of the WWE Championship that the American Dream almost won at MSG in 1977.
WWE SmackDown began with a bang at Madison Square Garden when “The Bloodline” entered the ring immediately after arriving at the building. However, they didn’t get very far, as Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens stopped them on the ramp, leading to a massive brawl inside the world-famous arena. The American Nightmare and the others took the lead this week, with Rhodes calling out Sikoa as a seat filler for the Tribal Chief.
Cody Rhodes honored his late father
Although Rhodes wasn’t shown on TV again for the night, he did return to the ring after the show ended in a segment that aired exclusively on WWE.com and their YouTube channel. Cody reiterated how badly he wanted to defend the WWE Championship at MSG but was happy to pay tribute to his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
The WWE champion stated that he had a different plan in his mind for the return to The Garden because it wasn’t just his return here. “For those of you who know the story, this is where it all started. In the late 70s my father, ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, went to New York City to wrestle ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham. He was a country boy from Austin, Texas, and for some reason, you guys just loved him,” said Cody.
Why couldn’t Dusty win the WWE title?
Cody further stated that how Dusty Rhodes beat Billy Graham in the famous match, won the championship, but just moments later it was taken away from him. He went on to tell the audience that he always wanted to win that title for Dusty and today nobody can take that away from him.
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Dusty Rhodes is a legendary wrestler, but he didn’t find his success and popularity in WWE but rather made his name in the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW. “The American Dream” challenged Billy Graham for the WWE Championship in 1977 as part of an arena dream match. Dusty won the match by countout, allowing Graham to retain his title.
