Cody Rhodes' top 10 greatest accomplishments in WWE & Wrestling
(Courtesy : WWE)
‘The American Nightmare’ is the top babyface in WWE currently
Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL got his moment and won his first-ever main card Championship in WWE. The match took place against the Tribal Chief but he went against all odds and won the Undisputed Championship.
Cody Rhodes wasn’t the American Nightmare before, belonging to a family who has been into pro-wrestling for a long time, he had to prove himself in front of the audience and most importantly his father Dusty Rhodes, who even though isn’t with us today, must be happy with his accomplishment in the WrestleMania. From getting fired by Triple H to hugging him after his legendary win, Cody Rhodes has come a long way.
So, here is a list of all his accomplishments in his Pro-Wrestling career, starting from his debut to his win against the Tribal Chief.
Signing and Re-Signing by WWE
Rhodes made his WWE Debut in the year 2007 and started going by the family’s insider surname, Rhodes. On July 16, he made his television debut in a match against Randy Orton on the network’s flagship programme Raw. Together with Hardcore Holly, he won a world tag team championship in September.
Rhodes left AEW in February 2022 due to an inability to reach an agreement on a new contract. He made a highly anticipated return to the WWE during WrestleMania 38 against Seth Rollins, stealing the show six years after he left the organisation. Notably, he participated in the June Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event despite having a torn pectoral muscle. Following that, he needed surgery, which prevented him from competing for the remainder of that year.
The Legacy
Following a fantastic debut with partner Hardcore Holly, he won his world tag team title in September 2008. After that, he teamed up with wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. to form a tag team and win titles together. In 2008, Rhodes joined forces with third-generation wrestlers DiBiase and Orton to form The Legacy, a stable of antagonistic or heel characters.
Tag Team runs with Drew McIntyre and Dustin Rhodes
In 2010, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre won the unified Tag Team Championship, returning to tag team glory.
Rhodes and his brother Dustin, who was formerly known as Goldust in the ring, formed a tag team in 2013. Due to Dustin’s 16-year-old age difference, the two did not have much time together as children. At WWE Battleground 2013, the two wrestlers faced off against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a match that would decide their professional futures.
A few weeks later, they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, which they held onto until the next year. Beginning in June 2014, Rhodes co-starred with Goldust as the eccentric character Stardust, whose intricate face paint more closely resembled his brother’s. The two proceeded to reclaim them.
Intercontinental Championship
He won the Intercontinental Championship in 2011 after stopping Ezekiel Jackson, and he held it until The Big Show pinned him the following year. This was his first solo title. Rhodes regained the title after a few weeks of rivalry with The Big Show, but Christian quickly overcame him.
Also Read: Cody Rhodes: List of all career championships/titles & accomplishments
Career before AEW
In 2016, Cody Rhodes asked to be released from WWE in order to focus on his professional wrestling career. He wrestled for promotions such as Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Since WWE had already registered the name “Cody Rhodes,” he was typically billed as “Cody” or “Cody R.”
In addition, he adopted the moniker “The American Nightmare” during this period, in contrast to his father’s “The American Dream.” He competed for and took home multiple championship titles from a range of businesses.
All Elite Wrestling
A professional wrestling commentator made a joke on Twitter in 2017 stating that he didn’t think Rhodes’ promotion, Ring of Honor, could fill a 10,000-seat arena. Taking this on as a challenge, Rhodes joined forces with his Ring of Honor buddies, Nick and Matt Jackson, to produce an independent programme titled All In. When the show’s tickets went on sale a year after the tweet, they were all gone in under thirty minutes.
The establishment of AEW in 2019 as a rival promotion to WWE was made possible by All In. As co-executive vice presidents of the production, Rhodes and the Jacksons introduced fresh talent. Rhodes also made an appearance on the AEW roster on occasion, where he won the TNT Championship.
Royal Rumble 2023 and 2024
Cody Rhodes made his return in January 2023, winning the 30-man Royal Rumble, which earned him a shot at a title match with reigning undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The match was contested at WrestleMania 39, where Reigns managed to defeat Rhodes to retain his historic title. While he also won the Royal Rumble 2024, he eventually went on to win the gold at WrestleMania 2024.
Undisputed Tag Team Championship
After calling back Jey Uso from his shocking exit from WWE due to the Bloodline, Cody and Jey fought with the Judgement Day and on October 7, Cody and Jey defeated Bálor and Priest to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Fastlane. This was Cody’s first championship victory since his return to the WWE and his first tag title victory since 2014.
Main Eventing WrestleMania
Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Rollins lost to The Rock and Reigns on the main event of April 6, the first night of WrestleMania XL. As a result, Rhodes and Reigns’ match on the second night of WrestleMania XL was going to be a Bloodline Rules match.
Cody Rhodes alongside Roman Reigns main evented two WrestleMania nights consequently, while he lost during his fight in WrestleMania 39, he was successful in defeating the Tribal Chief during WrestleMania 40 in the Bloodlines Rule Match.
Also Read: Is Cody Rhodes a WWE Grand Slam Champion?
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
In the end, Cody Rhodes defeated Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship), earning his first world title in the WWE, despite the bloodlines rule match that was predicted to take place on night two. John Cena, the Architect, and the Undertaker all assisted him in winning that title.
While it was pretty difficult for Cody Rhodes to become the American Nightmare, it won’t be easy for him to become one of the best Champions in WWE. One should tune into the weekly shows of WWE to see how it goes and the plans that WWE have in line for him.
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