Cody Rhodes shares regret over neck tattoo decision
Cageside Seats • 3 min read • Latest: Aug 13, 2026, 8:00 PM
Last updated Aug 13, 2026

Cody Rhodes expressed regret about his large neck tattoo during a recent podcast episode. He called it 'the greatest regret' of his life and mentioned that it might not have been a good idea. The tattoo, which he debut in February 2020 at AEW's Revolution, has drawn significant criticism from fans and even his wife, Brandi Rhodes. While Rhodes defended the design itself, he admitted that the placement was questionable and speculated that his late father, Dusty Rhodes, would have disapproved as well. Despite his regrets, he stated he will not seek to remove it.
- •Cody Rhodes calls his neck tattoo his 'greatest regret.'
- •The tattoo debuted at AEW's Revolution on February 29, 2020.
- •Rhodes' wife, Brandi, openly criticized the tattoo's appearance.
- •He believes his father, Dusty Rhodes, would have disapproved of the tattoo.
- 8:00 PMCageside Seats — Cody Rhodes regrets neck tattoo, says Dusty would’ve hated it
"Cody Rhodes recently acknowledged that his enormous neck tattoo may not have been a good idea. In fact, he called it “the greatest regret” of his life. The infamous ink depicts a skull with a what appears to be a crown and wings on it, and it’s of course colored in the style of the United States’ flag, hence its use as the emblem for Cody’s “American Nightmare” monicker. Rhodes debuted the tattoo to the public on February 29, 2020, at AEW’s Revolution for a match against MJF. The immediate consensus about it was not positive, with many fans on social media objecting to how large the tattoo is and its placement on practically the entire one side of his neck. Following Revolution, Cody’s own wife, Brandi Rhodes, publicly expressed her disapproval of the tat. “I’m the one person that doesn’t like the neck tattoo. I don’t like it,” Brandi said to the media at the post-event press conference. “I’ve said it, there it is.” During the most recent episode of his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, Rhodes conceded that maybe the body art wasn’t the best of ideas. While speaking with guest Santino Marella, Cody defended the design of the tattoo, though he did seem to admit the placement on his neck wasn’t ideal. “I stand by the fact that I think the work is great, and the artist is great,” Rhodes said, before adding, “The neck tattoo I would consider the greatest regret of my life.” He continued: “You know what? I’ll live with it. I ain’t trying to get it removed, and we’re gonna rock this till the very end.” Rhodes indicated that he began second-guessing the decision pretty soon when he was able examine how it looked on his body. “When I saw it, and it was in my jaw, and it was so big, my life changed looking in a mirror,” he said. Cody then said he thought his father, the late wrestling icon Dusty Rhodes, would also have disapproved of the tattoo. “If my dad were to come back to life, he would not say congrats. He would lose his s**t. ‘You’ve ruined yourself,’” Cody said. “I’d say it’s the greatest regret of my life.” What do you think, Cagesiders? Is Cody’s tattoo all that bad? Let us know in the comments.
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