WWE Champ Cody Rhodes Receives Father Dusty's Robe In Emotional Moment At Tokyo Event
WWE are currently in Japan treating their fans to two nights of live wrestling at the legendary Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo for the company's first tour of the country in five years. The live events have already presented a whole host of memorable moments, including Meiko Satomura announcing her intentions to beat Bayley for the WWE Women's Championship after news of her pending retirement hit the headlines, and one wholesome moment saw Cody Rhodes presented with a very special gift. After successfully defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against AJ Styles in the main event of the first night of action, Rhodes was presented with a special robe and hat worn by his father, the late Dusty Rhodes.
.@CodyRhodes was gifted his father Dusty's legendary robe during a heartfelt moment at #WWETokyo 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/fkDXURTliY
— WWE (@WWE) July 26, 2024
Rhodes would put on the jacket and hat before strutting around the ring in the same way his father did in his prime. He would then do the traditional bow as a sign of respect to the Japanese culture and bid farewell to the Tokyo crowd, thanking them for being so welcoming.
Despite being widely known as "The American Dream" during his career, Dusty was highly respected in Japan as he performed in the country a number of times, with the first notable tour he went on taking place in 1975 with AJPW when the company was affiliated with the NWA. Rhodes would later go on to tour with NJPW during the 1980s, even competing in the MSG Series tournament, the competition that acted as the spiritual predecessor to the G1 Climax. "The American Dream's" final appearances in Japan took place in 2004, when he was part of a ZERO-ONE event, as well the first three HUSTLE pay-per-views, where he also got to team with his friend Steve Corino, and son Dustin Rhodes, who went by the name Dusty Rhodes Jr. in HUSTLE.