Cody Rhodes was destined to become a professional wrestling star, with many members of his family finding success in the sport.
DAZN looks at the career accomplishments of the Georgia-born star.
Who is Cody Rhodes?
An accomplished high-school amateur wrestler, Cody Rhodes decided against a collegiate career in the sport to focus on professional wrestling. It is the family business, after all.
Rhodes was born on July 30, 1985, to Michelle Rubio and Dusty Rhodes (a.k.a. The American Dream). Dusty had earned national acclaim in the then-WWF during the 1980s, and it was only a matter of time until Cody followed in his father's footsteps.
Rhodes' older half-brother Dustin was an already established WWE performer by the time he took his first steps into the pro wrestling world in 2006. Better known as "Goldust," Dustin had already featured in all the big promotions (and the smaller ones) when Rhodes joined WWE's then-developmental promotion OVW.
In 2007, at just 22 years old, Rhodes made his debut on WWE television during an episode of Monday Night Raw. Rhodes' first feud was with fellow second-generation wrestler Randy Orton, who earned the youngster's wrath by assaulting Dusty.
Rhodes would eventually join forces with Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 2008 to form a stable of second-generation stars named "The Legacy." He would find success with DiBiase as a tag-team partner during this time as they won a pair of titles. As all stables do, they eventually dissolved, with a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania XXVI between the three members marking the end of their association (although there would be brief reunions later on).
In 2010, Rhodes unvelied the "Dashing" Cody Rhodes gimmick under which he would be elevated to a challenger for the Intercontinental Championship, which he eventually won in 2011. He'd remain champion for 233 days, but even without the belt Rhodes was featured heavily on WWE television and challenged for the title again in 2012.
A brief partnership with Damian Sandow led to Rhodes entering a storyline alongside his brother Goldust in 2013. The brothers won the World Tag Team titles twice, and Rhodes took on the persona of "Stardust" as a nod to both his brother and father. Rhodes retained the Stardust character for the rest of his initial WWE run, including a feud with television actor Stephen Amell, which ended in 2016.
Rhodes would move on to the independent circuit before stops in Ring of Honor (where he won the world title), TNA/Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling (where he won the IWGP title) before becoming a founding member of All-Elite Wrestling in 2018. It was in AEW where Rhodes became a steady main event talent, although he would not win the AEW World Championship, instead winning the TNT Championship three times (including the inaugural tournament) before his four-year tenure with AEW ended.
In 2022, Rhodes returned to WWE as Seth Rollins' surprise opponent at WrestleMania 38, with the two men feuding for much of the year. Now kown as :The American Nightmare," Rhodes defeated Rollins at Hell in a Cell in a match made famous by his right pectoral injury (suffered beforehand). Despite working with a severely torn muscle, Rhodes defeated Rollins for a third successive time. The two men were lauded for the quality of the match, but Rhodes' momentum would be halted as he underwent surgery to repair the torn muscle just days later.
Rhodes returned to action months later, winning the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble and earning a shot at Roman Reigns' undisputed Universal title at WrestleMania 39. Despite putting on another highly-touted match against Reigns, Rhodes was defeated thanks to interefence from Solo Sikoa, ending Rhodes' world title aspirations for the time being.
What championships has Cody Rhodes held in wrestling?
All Elite Wrestling
AEW TNT Championship (3 times)
Alpha-1 Wrestling
A1 Tag Team Championship (1 time)
Bullet Proof Wrestling
BPW Championship (1 time)
Global Force Wrestling
GFW NEX*GEN Championship (1 time)
National Wrestling Alliance
NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Northeast Wrestling
NEW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Ohio Valley Wrestling
OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
OVW Television Championship (1 time)
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Spears
Ring of Honor
ROH World Championship (1 time)
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Young Bucks
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Drew McIntyre (1) and Goldust (2)
World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hardcore Holly (1) and Ted DiBiase Jr. (2)