Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (né Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2019 to 2022, where he served as an executive vice president and was the inaugural and record-tying three-time AEW TNT Champion.
Cody Rhodes | |
|---|---|
Rhodes in 2018 | |
| Born | Cody Garrett Runnels June 30, 1985 Marietta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent | Dusty Rhodes (father) |
| Relatives | Dustin Rhodes (half-brother) Magnum T. A. (godfather) Fred Ottman (uncle) Jerry Sags (uncle) Scorpio Sky (cousin-in-law) |
| Ring name(s) | Cody Cody R Cody Rhodes Fuego 2 Stardust |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Billed from | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. "The Fifth Dimension" Marietta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Trained by | Al Snow Danny Davis Dusty Rhodes Dustin Rhodes Randy Orton Ricky Morton Shawn Spears |
| Debut | June 16, 2006 |
Rhodes rose to prominence during his first tenure with WWE from 2006 to 2016, where he performed under his real name, as well as under the gimmick and ring name Stardust, an overly deep, dramatic, and sparkling spin-off gimmick of his half-brother's Goldust character. Rhodes has also wrestled for various other notable promotions, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Outside of wrestling, he served as a judge on the competition series Go-Big Show, and starred with his wife Brandi Rhodes on the reality show Rhodes to the Top.
Rhodes is the son of wrestler Dusty Rhodes and the half-brother of fellow wrestler Dustin Rhodes. After an amateur wrestling career that resulted in him becoming a two-time Georgia state champion, he followed his father and older brother's footsteps into the professional ranks and joined WWE in 2006, initially being assigned to the company's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After becoming a Triple Crown Champion in OVW, he was promoted to WWE's main roster in 2007 and remained there for nine years, performing under his real name and later under the gimmick of Stardust. During his first run in WWE, Rhodes became a two-time Intercontinental Champion and was a prolific tag team wrestler, winning six world tag team championships (three World Tag Team Championships and three WWE Tag Team Championships) with four separate tag team partners. Rhodes left WWE after requesting his release in May 2016.
Following his departure from WWE, Rhodes began wrestling on the independent circuit, also making several appearances in TNA; he wrestled under the shortened name Cody, due to WWE owning the Cody Rhodes name, until 2020 when WWE surrendered their trademark. In the time frame spanning from early 2016 to early 2017, he competed at WWE's WrestleMania, NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom and Impact Wrestling's (formerly TNA) Bound for Glory events, as well as appearing for ROH's Final Battle. In September 2017, Rhodes wrestled in ROH, where he became a one-time ROH World Champion. He would later become a one-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion and a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion (with Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson). In September 2018, he won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (due to ROH's partnership with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), with he and Dusty becoming the first father and son to win the title. All totaled between WWE, AEW, NJPW, NWA, and ROH, Rhodes has held 15 championships, including two world titles, and in early fall 2018, held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, IWGP U.S., and ROH Six-Man titles simultaneously.
In January 2019, Rhodes was unveiled as an executive vice president of the newly formed AEW, where he would also serve as a wrestler. While there he would have critically acclaimed matches with his brother Dustin, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in addition to becoming the inaugural and a record-tying three-time AEW TNT Champion. After failing to negotiate a new contract with AEW President Tony Khan, Rhodes relinquished his executive position and he and his wife departed AEW in February 2022.
He returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 that April, defeating Seth Rollins. In 2023, Rhodes won the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble match, earning him a championship match at WrestleMania 39. At WrestleMania 39, Rhodes main evented the second night of the show in a losing effort against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Later, he would win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with Jey Uso, marking his fourth reign with the Raw Tag Team Championship (formerly WWE Tag Team Championship) and first reign with the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. In 2024, Rhodes won the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble match, earning him a world championship match at WrestleMania XL. He is only the fourth wrestler in WWE history to win back-to-back Rumble matches.