Cody Rhodes' wife Brandi shares heartbreaking personal update
Brandi Rhodes is well-known as the wife of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The mother of one recently disclosed her severe health issues and stated that she found motivation to keep fighting from another wrestling veteran.
Brandi spent several years with WWE in 2011 and 2013-2016. She went on to work for TNA and ROH before joining her husband Cody Rhodes in AEW for the launch of the company in 2019. The Rhodes family welcomed a daughter named Liberty Iris Runnels in June 2021, then they both left AEW in February 2022 ahead of Cody's return to WWE.
Rhodes took to Instagram today to reveal that she was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, which is the most severe level of the disease. The 41-year-old noted how she began having internal pain, extreme bloating, and other issues after getting pregnant. Doctors told her the pain would go away, but it never did, and she still had no answers after seeing several specialists. Brandi then recalled seeing Maryse's post about her health issues, and how it inspired her to keep searching for answers.
"I saw @marysemizanin post about her situation and I thought wow, that sounds like me...doing everything to find an answer but getting no answers and getting worse. I was thrilled to see she finally found an advocate and was able to get her situation under control. So because of her very open post, I decided to press on. I finally saw a doctor who performed a simple exam and said, this feels like endometriosis. You can have a surgical procedure to remove it. I was floored. Why no one else had mentioned or detected this in 3 years was beyond me but I finally had an answer and some validation. I researched with my doctor and found the best endo surgeon in the Atlanta area and we got scheduled for surgery," Brandi Rhodes wrote.
Rhodes continued, revealing that she had just undergone surgery to remove the damage brought on by stage 4 endometriosis. She once again gave credit to the wife of The Miz.
"I was in the OR for about 2 and a half hours. It was stage 4 endometriosis which is the highest level so it took a lot of time to extract it all. I am SO GLAD I was finally heard after all of this time. The point of this post is this: if Maryse didn't share her story, I would still be trying to manage all of this pain on my own. Someone reading this needed to see that I kept going until I found an answer and now hopefully they know that there's an answer out there for them too. Women...we have to advocate for ourselves and our bodies. It is far too common in the medical world to be dismissed when it comes to Women's health issues. Don't be dismissed. [red heart emoji]," Brandi Rhodes wrote.
Brandi and Cody Rhodes have been married since September 2013. She last appeared on WWE TV during the in-ring celebration after the WrestleMania XL main event.
Cody Rhodes once teamed up with his wife Brandi Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes never wrestled while on WWE's main roster. She was signed as a ring announcer, but she did ultimately start working in the ring when she and Cody Rhodes went to TNA.
Brandi's first match came on October 4, 2016, at the TNA Impact tapings. She and Cody Rhodes teamed up for the first, and last time, for a win over Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett.
Brandi Rhodes went on to wrestle several matches for TNA, ROH, Stardom, and a few indie promotions, but never teamed with Cody Rhodes again. The former Eden Stiles worked a total of 20 matches in AEW and only lost 4.
Her last match took place on January 26, 2022, at the Elevation tapings, where she defeated KiLynn King.