WWE Survivor Series 2023 poster: What is the meaning behind Cody Rhodes' face paint?

Cody Rhodes is one of the superstars booked for this year's WWE Survivor Series Premium Live Event, and the same narrative is being depicted by the show's poster. However, it looks like the company also paid homage to the match setup's long history and the legends involved.

WarGames was first created by Cody Rhodes' late father, Dusty Rhodes after the latter watched the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It has then appeared in NWA, WCW, and later on, WWE. Before the likes of Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Rhea Ripley, and more competed in the two-ring structure, several WWE Hall of Famers have already done so.

Cody Rhodes' face paint for the Survivor Series 2023 poster is likely a tribute to early WarGames. An example could be seen at the 1995 Fall Brawl, where Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger had the same color scheme and style of paint in preparation for the matches.

Fans also pointed out that Cody's face paint could also be about Dusty himself, which saw the late Hall of Famer also had his face covered in war paint in 1981 at Midsouth Wrestling. Dusty also had the words "War" painted on his forehead.

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Which superstar talked to Cody Rhodes ahead of WWE Survivor Series 2022 to honor Dusty Rhodes?

Stills from Survivor Series 2022.

World Wrestling Entertainment bought WCW in 2001, but it took 16 years before WarGames was introduced to WWE programming. It was only last year when it appeared on the main roster. As a way to pay tribute to the creator, Kevin Owens wanted to include the late Dusty Rhodes in it.

While speaking on After the Bell in December 2022, Kevin Owens revealed that on last year's Survivor Series, he wore Dusty's red elbow pad to honor him. The Prizefighter also got clearance from Cody Rhodes before doing so.

"To be part of the first one on the main roster, I took the opportunity to wear Dusty's shirt and the red elbow pad as a tribute to him. I talked to Cody beforehand, made sure he was cool with it and everything. It's just always neat to be able to tie back to history and give Dusty a little nod. I try to do that as much as I can," Owens said.

Cody Rhodes will be present for this year's Survivor Series Premium Live Event and is one of the stars booked for the Men's WarGames Match. The American Nightmare will pair with Seth Rollins, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn against The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio) and JD McDonagh.

It remains to be seen what will happen at this year's WWE Survivor Series event.

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