Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes is an American professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is the incumbent King of the Ring. Rhodes is also known for co-founding and serving as an executive vice president and wrestler with All Elite Wrestling from 2019 until 2022.
The son of Dusty Rhodes and half-brother of Dustin Rhodes, Rhodes won two Georgia state high-school championships as an amateur wrestler in 2003 and 2004. He signed with WWE in 2006 and featured for its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he won the OVW Television Championship, OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, and OVW Heavyweight Championship once each, becoming a Triple Crown Champion. Between 2007 and 2016, he won seven world tag team championships with four different partners, as well as the Intercontinental Championship twice. During this time, he adopted various gimmicks, including performing as Stardust, a melodramatic spin-off of his brother's gimmick, Goldust. He departed WWE in 2016 and returned in 2022, and has since won the Royal Rumble match in 2023 and 2024, the inaugural WWE Crown Jewel Championship in 2024, the King of the Ring tournament in 2025, the WWE Championship twice, becoming WWE's 34th Triple Crown Champion, and headlined WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, four times.
From 2016 until 2019, Rhodes wrestled on the independent circuit and for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and Ring of Honor under the mononym Cody, during which he won the ROH World Championship, ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship once each. In 2018, Rhodes and the Jacksons independently promoted All In, where he won the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship. All In marked the first event by a promoter outside of WWE or World Championship Wrestling to sell 10,000 tickets in the United States since 1993 and directly led to the formation of AEW in early 2019. Between 2019 and 2022, Rhodes served as an executive vice president and also wrestled for AEW, becoming the inaugural and a three-time TNT Champion. Between WWE, AEW, ROH, NJPW, and NWA, Rhodes has held 19 total championships.
Outside of wrestling, Rhodes served as a judge on the competition television series Go-Big Show and starred with his wife Brandi Rhodes on the reality television series Rhodes to the Top.
Early life
Rhodes was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 30, 1985, the son of Michelle Rubio and professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes. He is of Cuban descent through his maternal grandfather. He has a sister named Teil in addition to his paternal half-brother and fellow professional wrestler Dustin and a paternal half-sister named Kristin, who is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. He is the nephew of professional wrestlers Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman, and the godson of professional wrestler Magnum T. A., who was present at both Rhodes's birth and baptism. He legally changed his surname to "Runnels Rhodes" as a teenager.Rhodes grew up in Georgia and went to Lassiter High School in Marietta, where he had a successful high school wrestling career. He placed sixth in the division as a sophomore. As a junior, he won the Georgia state tournament at in 2003 and repeated as champion his senior year. He had planned to wrestle collegiately at Penn State University, but decided to become a professional wrestler instead. During his time in high school, Rhodes also acted as a referee in his father's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion. After graduated from high school, Rhodes moved to Los Angeles and studied acting at the Howard Fine Acting School for a year.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2006–2016)
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2007)
Rhodes credits his father for starting to train him as a wrestler from the age of 12, which was limited mainly to simple fundamentals. From there, his training was provided by Al Snow, Danny Davis, Randy Orton, and Ricky Morton. Using his birth name Cody Runnels, he began wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling on May 13, 2006. He formed a tag team with Shawn Spears in mid-August 2006 and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship twice. He also won the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Television Championship.Teaming with Hardcore Holly (2007–2008)
On the July 2, 2007, episode of Raw, Runnels made his television debut as a face, using his family's wrestling last name, Rhodes, in a backstage segment with his father Dusty Rhodes and Randy Orton, where Orton introduced himself to Rhodes and then slapped Dusty as a sign of disrespect. He made his main roster in-ring debut losing to Orton via pinfall on the July 16, 2007, episode of Raw. Rhodes appeared at The Great American Bash on July 22 to prevent Orton from further attacking his father. The next night on Raw, Rhodes challenged Orton to a rematch from the previous week, only to lose again. Orton followed this up by kicking Rhodes's father in the head.In September, he began a feud with Hardcore Holly and lost three consecutive matches to him. Later, they would work as a tag team and they defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch on the Raw 15th Anniversary special episode for the World Tag Team Championship, marking Rhodes's first championship in WWE.
In May 2008, Ted DiBiase began feuding with the duo, threatening to take their titles in his first match as part of the Raw brand. At the pay-per-view event, Night of Champions on June 29, Rhodes turned on Holly by revealing himself as DiBiase's partner to help him win the match and also become a two-time World Tag Team Champion, turning heel in the process.
The Legacy (2008–2010)
After holding the championship for just over a month, they dropped it to John Cena and Batista on the August 4 episode of Raw, but regained it the next week. Rhodes and DiBiase were then joined by Manu, the son of Afa, in September, forming a stable of multi-generational wrestlers. On the October 27 Raw, Rhodes and DiBiase lost the World Tag Team Championship to Kofi Kingston and CM Punk.On November they began a storyline with Orton and, at Survivor Series on November 23, Rhodes, along with Orton, was a survivor, for Orton's team, in the annual Elimination match. The three of them created a stable with Orton called The Legacy.
As part of the Legacy, Rhodes entered the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009, in order to help Orton win, and lasted until the final three, before being eliminated by Triple H. Rhodes and DiBiase became involved in Orton's scripted rivalry with the McMahon family, helping him to attack Shane and Stephanie McMahon, and Stephanie's real-life husband, Triple H. Rhodes was elevated to main event status as a result of joining the Legacy, competing in handicap and six-man tag team matches against Orton's opponents and rivals.
On April 26 at Backlash, Rhodes, DiBiase, and Orton defeated Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon in a six-man tag team match, which, per the pre-match stipulation, resulted in Orton winning the WWE Championship. Rhodes suffered a minor neck injury in June, but continued working.
Throughout mid-2009, Rhodes and DiBiase continued to compete against and attack Orton's rivals, especially Triple H. This led to Triple H reforming D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels, and DX defeated Rhodes and DiBiase at SummerSlam on August 23. Rhodes and DiBiase defeated DX at the following pay-per-view, Breaking Point on September 13 in a submissions count anywhere match, but were defeated in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 4, when Rhodes was pinned following a sledgehammer shot to the head. Rhodes represented Team Raw at the first Bragging Rights pay-per-view on October 25, reluctantly teaming with DX. The match would go on to be won by Team SmackDown. At Survivor Series on November 22, having aided Orton in his feud with Kofi Kingston, was part of Team Orton alongside DiBiase. Kingston would lastly eliminate Orton in the match to be sole survivor.
Tension within The Legacy became apparent at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, when Rhodes attempted to interfere in Orton's match for the WWE Championship. Rhodes was caught by the referee, resulting in a disqualification for Orton, who attacked Rhodes and DiBiase, who had tried to help Rhodes, after the match. On the February 15 Raw, Orton took on Sheamus in a non-title rematch, but was again disqualified after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. During the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 21, Rhodes interfered, passing a lead pipe through the cage to DiBiase. DiBiase hit Orton with the pipe and eliminated him from the match. The next night on Raw, Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase during a six-man tag team match, and they attacked Orton the following week in retaliation. This led to a triple threat match at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, in which Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase.
Dashing and Undashing (2010–2011)
As part of the 2010 WWE supplemental draft, Rhodes was drafted to the SmackDown brand. He made his debut for the brand on the April 30 SmackDown, by defeating John Morrison. The following week on SmackDown, Rhodes participated in a tournament for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship, but lost to Christian in the semi-finals. Rhodes mentored Husky Harris, a third-generation wrestler, in the second season of NXT.On the June 25 SmackDown, Rhodes began a new narcissistic gimmick, claiming to be the best-looking wrestler in WWE and demanding to be called "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. Rhodes would participate in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at the first ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on July 18 but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Kane. As part of the gimmick, vignettes began airing in which Rhodes gave "grooming tips". He was extremely protective of his face during matches; if he was hit in the face, he threw a fit and checked his mirror. In September, he attacked Christian along with Drew McIntyre after a match, and the duo also attacked Matt Hardy, forming an alliance. At Night of Champions on September 19, Rhodes and McIntyre captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tag Team Turmoil match. At Bragging Rights on October 24, Rhodes and McIntyre lost the championship to The Nexus. On the October 29 SmackDown, after losing a tag team match, Rhodes and McIntyre dissolved their partnership.
On the January 21, 2011, episode of SmackDown, Rhodes faced Rey Mysterio in a match, during which Mysterio hit Rhodes in the face with his exposed knee brace and legitimately broke Rhodes's nose, which led to Rhodes declaring he was no longer dashing and had required facial reconstructive surgery. Rhodes was off television for several weeks. Upon his return, he wore a clear protective mask over his face and colluded with his father to attack Mysterio and remove Mysterio's mask on the February 25 SmackDown. Rhodes then regularly used his protective mask as a weapon during matches by headbutting opponents and using it to hit his opponents. In 2020, Rhodes said his time as Undashing Cody Rhodes was his second most successful work as a pro wrestler. Rhodes defeated Mysterio in a match at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3. The duo also faced off in a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 1, which was won by Mysterio.
On subsequent episodes of SmackDown following WrestleMania XXVII, Rhodes, with the help of assistants, would hand out paper bags to the audience during his promos. Rhodes demanded the audience to put on the paper bags on their heads to cover their ugliness and imperfections, because they offended him. Rhodes also put paper bags over several of his opponents' heads after matches with them. Rhodes reformed his alliance with Ted DiBiase on the May 20 SmackDown, and the duo went on to feud with Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan. At the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 17, Rhodes participated in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as Bryan won the match.