Cody Rhodes: 5 of The American Nightmare's career best moments in WWE
Cody Rhodes made his WWE debut on June 16, 2006. He is yet another superstar among the current crop with a wrestling lineage. The grandson of a plumber credits his father, Dusty Rhodes, for beginning his wrestling training when the former was only 12 years old.
In the early days of his in-ring career, he teamed up with wrestling veteran Hardcore Holly before betraying him and forming a tag team with Ted DiBiase Jr. The two would go on to align with WWE's Apex Predator Randy Orton and call themselves Legacy.
Despite losing a three-way match against DiBiase and Orton at WrestleMania 26, where the latter emerged victorious, Rhodes made a name for himself through the early and mid-2010s before playing a significant role in establishing the biggest rival promotion for the global juggernaut company, All Elite Wrestling.
In AEW, Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes got to wrestle with the spotlight on them at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view, an opportunity they never got in WWE. While he never won the AEW World Championship during his stint with the company, Rhodes was one of the biggest stars on the roster and was instrumental in the company's instant success.
Cut to 2022, and the prodigal son returned to the Stamford-based company, stealing the hearts of many. His performances had a lot of heart and soul, the prime example being inside Hell in a Cell earlier this year against Seth Rollins at the Hell in a Cell Premium Live Event.
WWE now has in its hands a wrestler with star power and credibility to carry the company as the top babyface.
On that note, let's look back at five of The American Nightmare's best career moments in WWE so far.
#5. Cody Rhodes turns on Hardcore Holly and reveals himself as Ted DiBiase Jr's Tag Team Partner
Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly have been a tag team since the former's arrival to the main roster on the July 2 episode of RAW in 2007.
At Night of Champions 2008, Rhodes turned on Holly and aligned with Ted DiBiase Jr. after the latter spent months threatening the duo that he would take the titles off them in his first match as part of the red brand.
This was a major checkpoint for Rhodes, who would later become part of the faction Legacy. The tag team of Rhodes and DiBiase Jr. feuded with D-Generation X in 2009, which produced a lot of high-octane action at premium live events.
On WWE Network, it's worth revisiting their rivalry, which contained a tag match at SummerSlam, a Submissions Count Anywhere match at Breaking Point, and a Hell in a Cell match at the inaugural Hell in a Cell event.
The faction would ultimately disband in 2010 after Randy Orton pinned Rhodes in a triple threat match featuring DiBiase Jr. Many wrestlers, much like The Viper himself, have benefitted vastly from being part of a popular and dominant faction. Legacy ruled the red brand in 2009.
#4. The Intercontinental Champion and Randy Orton's bitter rivalry reached its breaking point in 2011
Randy Orton played a massive role in the career of The American Nightmare in the early stages of the latter's career.
The Viper defeated Dusty Rhodes' son in the latter's debut match. At the Great American Bash in 2007, Orton viciously took out The American Dream in a Texas-Bullrope bout and tangled with the Rhodes Family several times over the next few years.
On the August 31 episode of RAW in 2009, The Viper hit the RKO on Rhodes' father, The American Dream, after a segment featuring Legacy, Dusty, John Cena, and DX.
They were embroiled in a bitter feud in 2011, with Rhodes being the Intercontinental Champion and Orton only recently dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to Mark Henry. It was a throwback to a bygone era where wrestlers displayed some attitude and went deep in their hatred for one another.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's safe to say that the feud elevated Rhodes. He was looking for "vengeance" after being mistreated during their time as the Legacy.
It was relevant and personal between Orton and his protege. The feud contained hard-hitting bouts between the WWE veterans. One of Rhodes' best promos was on the October 14, 2011, episode of RAW when he covered Orton's face with a paper bag.
While the majority of the feud was one-sided, favoring the former WWE Champion, this feud worked largely for its entertainment value. The fact of the matter is that it lays the foundation for an even bigger program down the line between the members of the former faction.
#3. A feud with the Biggest Little Man turns "Dashing" Cody Rhodes into "Undashing"
The Cody Rhodes/Rey Mysterio feud was special! Back-to-back BANGERS! https://t.co/EesBkhTzWb
Perhaps the best singles feud of The American Nightmare during his first run with the Stamford-based company came on the road to WrestleMania 27 against WWE's Biggest Little Man, Rey Mysterio.
After Mysterio hit Rhodes in the face and broke his nose, the latter declared he was no longer "dashing," a gimmick that had been working well for him for many months. During this time, he even held tag team gold alongside Drew McIntyre.
According to The American Nightmare himself, he credits the "dashing" gimmick as the second best of his career.
Nevertheless, he was then written off television for a while before resurfacing with a clear protective mask over his face. He subsequently attacked Mysterio and removed the Luchador legend's mask on the February 25 episode of SmackDown in 2011.
Their match at 'Mania is a hidden gem, and the best part is that unlike Rhodes' feud later that year with Randy Orton, here he was more of a focal point and even scored a victory over the former World Heavyweight Champion at the Show of Shows.
The two culminated in their feud in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Extreme Rules, which is another underrated classic. At the premium live event, Mysterio got his win back.
#2. The Rhodes Family gets involved with The Authority in WWE
Cody Rhodes split with tag team partner Damien Sandow after the latter turned on him in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match in 2013. Also, Randy Orton won the RAW MITB ladder match on the same premium live event.
After an exciting brief feud with the Intellectual Savior of the Masses, Rhodes defeated Sandow at SummerSlam and subsequently entered a storyline with The Authority. This was a time when several superstars stepped up and faced backlash from the heel faction.
Randy Orton was the reigning WWE Champion, and The Viper defeated both Rhodes and Goldust, getting the brothers kayfabe fired from WWE.
The duo faced The Shield's Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at the Battleground Premium Live Event and defeated the latter to win their contracts back. They also won the WWE Tag Team Championships from The Shield on the October 14 episode of RAW in the main event of the show.
This was the peak of The American Nightmare's first run with the Stamford-based company, and it was a hell of a story.
Honorable Mention: Cody Rhodes trashes the Intercontinental Championship for a strapped new belt
At the Hell in a Cell premium live event in 2011, Rhodes debuted a new design for the Intercontinental Championship. The new design included a white strap and plates similar to the title's classic 1980s style before successfully defending it against John Morrison.
This belt was far superior to the one being used by the company prior. The championship itself lost its life before Rhodes stepped in and defeated Ezekiel Jackson to win the title on the August 12 episode of SmackDown in 2011.
For @CodyRhodes, winning the Intercontinental Title was a dream come true.
Stream the full episode of @steveaustinBSR's #BrokenSkullSessions NOW exclusively on @peacockTV in the U.S. and @WWENetwork everywhere else! https://t.co/SbOmdSxOaQ
Cody Rhodes held the Intercontinental Championship for 233 days before dropping it to The Big Show at WrestleMania 28. One of the highlight moments of his reign was the reveal of the new belt, which the company retained for eight years.
On the November 22, 2019, episode of SmackDown, Sami Zayn presented a new belt design to then-champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Current champ Gunther holds the same belt that Zayn introduced.
#1. The American Nightmare steps foot in a WWE ring six years later
"For the love of the game." - @CodyRhodes #HIAC https://t.co/3bHlLl5UB9
Cody Rhodes revealed himself as the mystery opponent of Seth Rollins at the AT&T Stadium at WrestleMania 38. After six years, the former AEW Executive Vice President returned to the global juggernaut company and knocked it out of the proverbial park with his action-packed trilogy with The Visionary.
Despite only being featured on WWE programming for a few months, The American Nightmare has created a huge impact. He appeared on the last episode of RAW in 2022, declaring that he is gunning for the WWE Championship next year. Cheers to a great year ahead for the third-generation superstar and one of the best of all time.