WWE’s Cody Rhodes steered an independent wrestler to base their character on a villain from The Legend of Zelda video game series.
Beginning her career in 2021 at Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall’s Nightmare Factory training school in Atlanta, GA, Kidd Bandit is a name that independent wrestling fans may have become aware of in recent years.
As well as making two in-ring appearances in AEW on the now defunct AEW Dark in 2021 and 2022, Bandit has gained exposure in promotions such as DEADLOCK, Prestige Wrestling and GCW – the latter of which saw her compete against former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. in April 2025.
As well as her in-ring work, Bandit’s unique anime and video game inspired character has helped her brand grow within wrestling.
During a new interview with The Magic of Wrestling, Bandit revealed how Cody Rhodes had a hand in her forming her wrestling persona during her time at the Nightmare Factory, with the Undisputed WWE Champion bringing up Skull Kid from Nintendo 64 classic The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask as a potential source of inspiration.
Bandit said:
“Honestly when I was trying to talk to him about what my character was, like I said I had no idea how to go about it. He brought up Skull Kid from Legend of Zelda, I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’ I like the way he kind of steered me to an aesthetic.
“I feel like a lot of wrestlers when they come up with a character it’s either something really out of this world, completely divorced from who they are as a person, or it’s who they are turned up to 11.
“I’ve always felt a little bit like a gremlin honestly, I’m very goblin-esque with how I operate from day-to-day. So when he brought up Skull Kid I was like, ‘Oh shoot, that’s the type of character archetype I could lean into.’
“I like to think that this was stuff that he picked up from his time as Stardust, so I thought that this was really cool advice because I’m a big Stardust fan.
“He steered me to the aesthetic I should go with, which eventually influenced how I market my brand, how I market my social media, the persona I portray on social media, the moves that I do in the ring, how I take pictures with fans, everything was curated around that Skull Kid image, smaller petite-ish mischievous character.
“That was probably the best advice I got because I feel like a lot of wrestlers throughout their career they kind of end up having to discover who they are as they go, but in my case I was able to get a very clear idea of how I wanted to present myself.”
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Cody Rhodes’ Fandom For The Legend Of Zelda
The American Nightmare’s fandom for Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series is well documented, with Cody previously sporting the Triforce symbol on his boots during his first run in the company.
A famous moment from Rhodes’ appearance on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions saw the pair disagree on what entry of the Zelda series is best, with Rhodes saying 1998’s Ocarina of Time and Austin 2017’s Breath of the Wild.
Rhodes’ return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 also contained an Ocarina of Time easter egg in the form of Corey Graves’ commentary, with the Raw announcer pulling a famous quote from the game:
“The flow of time is always cruel and a thing that doesn’t change with time is just a memory of younger days.”
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