Who is Cody Rhodes?

Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE under the Smackdown brand and is the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. Rhodes also had a stint with WWE’s rival, All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Early life 

Cody Rhodes was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 30, 1985, to Michelle Rubio and professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes. He has a sister named Teil, a paternal half-brother and fellow professional wrestler Dustin, and a paternal half-sister named Kristin, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

Rhodes attended Lassiter High School, where he had a fruitful high school wrestling career. As a sophomore, he placed sixth in the 78kg division. As a junior, he won the Georgia state tournament at 89kg in 2003 and repeated as champion during his senior year.

He was supposed to continue his wrestling career at Penn State University but decided to become a professional wrestler instead.

After graduating high school, Rhodes also attended Howard Fine Acting School in Los Angeles for a year.

First stint with WWE

Cody Rhodes’ journey in professional wrestling started with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), which was WWE’s developmental territory. Using his birth name Cody Runnels, he formed a tag team with Shawn Spears in mid-August 2006 and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship two times. He also won the OVW Television Championship and OVW Heavyweight Championship.

He made his WWE debut on July 2, 2007, as a face in a backstage segment with his father Dusty Rhodes and Randy Orton. Cody Rhodes made his in-ring debut on the main roster two weeks later, losing to Randy Orton via pinfall.

After a feud with Hardcore Holly, Cody Rhodes joined forces with him, and they defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch on the Raw 15th Anniversary special episode to win his first-ever title with WWE, the World Tag Team Championship. Eventually, Cody Rhodes would find a new tag team partner in Ted DiBiase to form The Legacy.

After The Legacy broke up, Rhodes would become a full-time singles wrestler. He won the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Ezekiel Jackson.

Cody Rhodes returned to the tag team mix by teaming up with Dusty Rhodes aka Goldust to form The Brotherhood, and they had memorable battles against The Shield and The New Age Outlaws.

Rhodes debuted a new character called Stardust in 2014. However, due to creative differences, he eventually requested his release from the WWE on May 21, 2016, via X (formerly known as Twitter).

Independent circuit

Cody Rhodes wrestled in Evolve, Northeast Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, WrestleCade’s Showcase of Champions, What Culture Pro Wrestling, and All In where he won championships at every stop.

He also wrestled in the Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling/Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) before joining a fledgling wrestling promotion called All Elite Wrestling (AEW). 

Stint with AEW

Cody Rhodes was unveiled as one of the newest members of AEW on January 1, 2019. According to reports, he signed a five-year contract with the promotion.

In March 2020, Cody Rhodes won the inaugural AEW TNT Championship after an eight-man, single-elimination tournament. He successfully defended the title against the likes of Marq Quen, Jungle Boy, Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Sony Kiss, Eddie Kingston, Warhorse, and Scorpio Sky.

After losing the title to Brodie Lee, ending his 82-day reign, it was reported that Cody Rhodes would be taking up a leave of absence from AEW.

Rhodes returned to AEW on September 23, 2020. He went on to form memorable feuds against Brodie Lee, Shaquille O’Neal, QT Marshall, Malakai Black, and Sammy Guevara.

He eventually left AEW on February 15, 2022, as several sources reported that he and his wife Brandi had left the promotion because they couldn’t come to terms on a new contract.

Return to WWE

Cody Rhodes re-signed with WWE on March 18, 2022, where he sought to win the championship that his father never got to hold, the WWE Championship. 

However, Rhodes’ comeback was cut short because he had a pectoral muscle tear that sidelined him for eight months.

Rhodes returned to action on January 28, 2023, winning the Royal Rumble. He challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Wrestlemania 39. Rhodes lost to Reigns after an interference from Solo Sikoa. 

Cody Rhodes teamed up with Jey Uso to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from Finn Balor and Damian Priest, his first championship win since his WWE return. 

Rhodes got another shot at Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Wrestlemania XL. He ultimately defeated Reigns, despite multiple interferences, to “Finish the Story.” Because the  Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was the world title of Smackdown, Rhodes was subsequently transferred to the brand.