World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2006–2016) Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2007) (OVW) in 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 (OVW) 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 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 (DX) 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 (against Team Kingston) 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 (John Cena and
David Otunga). 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.
Intercontinental Champion (2011–2012) At the August 9 tapings of the August 12
SmackDown, Rhodes defeated
Ezekiel Jackson to win the Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title with the company. The following week, Rhodes and DiBiase had a verbal confrontation with Orton. The following week, Rhodes attacked DiBiase after the latter lost a singles match to Orton, ending their alliance and resulting in an Intercontinental Championship match between the two at
Night of Champions on September 18, which Rhodes won. Simultaneously, Rhodes had begun a feud with Orton, with Orton defeating Rhodes on the September 9
SmackDown, but Rhodes defeated Orton on the September 12
Raw SuperShow when
Mark Henry distracted Orton. On the September 23
SmackDown, Rhodes defeated Orton by disqualification when Orton took Rhodes's mask off and hit him with it. Post-match, Orton attacked Rhodes with the timekeeper's bell,
legitimately cutting Rhodes and causing him to bleed. The following week on
SmackDown, Rhodes claimed he needed nine staples to close the wound. in January 2012 At the
Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 2, Rhodes debuted a new design for the Intercontinental Championship, which included a white strap and plates similar to the title's classic 1980s design, before successfully defending it against John Morrison. Throughout October, Rhodes continued feuding with Orton, explaining that Orton had mistreated him during their time together as part of
Legacy, costing him the World Heavyweight Championship and attacking him. At
Vengeance on October 23, Rhodes was defeated by Orton in a non-title match. On the November 4
SmackDown, Orton defeated Rhodes in a Street Fight to end the feud; in the process, Orton broke Rhodes's mask. On the November 14
Raw SuperShow, Rhodes reappeared without his mask, claiming that Orton had set him free, signalling the end of his masked gimmick. At
Survivor Series on November 20, Rhodes was sole survivor alongside Team Captain
Wade Barrett in their traditional Survivor Series match against Team Orton. Rhodes then feuded with
SmackDown commentator
Booker T, attacking him from behind on several occasions and successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship against him at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 18 and on the January 6, 2012,
SmackDown. At the
Royal Rumble on January 29, Rhodes competed in the Royal Rumble match, lasting over 40 minutes and eliminating more wrestlers than other any other competitor with six, before he was eliminated by
Big Show. At
Elimination Chamber on February 19, Rhodes pinned Big Show in the
World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match, before being eliminated by Santino Marella. Rhodes spent the following weeks highlighting Big Show's embarrassing moments in previous WrestleManias, often costing Big Show to lose matches in the process. At
WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, Rhodes lost the Intercontinental Championship to Big Show, ending his near eight-month reign of 233 days. Following the loss at WrestleMania, Rhodes went on a brief losing streak, due to Big Show distracting him during matches. Four weeks after losing the title, Rhodes regained it at
Extreme Rules on April 29 by defeating Big Show in a Tables match. On the May 7 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Rhodes retained his title against Big Show in a rematch after getting himself counted out. Two weeks later at
Over the Limit on May 20, Rhodes lost the Intercontinental Championship to the returning Christian. He would go on to lose to Christian in a rematch for the title at
No Way Out on June 17. On the June 29
SmackDown, Rhodes and David Otunga were defeated by Christian and
United States Champion Santino Marella in a
Money in the Bank qualification match for the World Heavyweight Championship, due to Otunga being pinned. Afterwards, Rhodes claimed that he had not lost and demanded another chance. At
Money in the Bank on July 15, he was unsuccessful as the match was won by
Dolph Ziggler. On September 16 at
Night of Champions, Rhodes failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship from
The Miz in a fatal-four-way match, also involving Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara.
Team Rhodes Scholars (2012–2013) Rhodes then aligned himself with
Damien Sandow, attacking Tag Team Champions
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) on the September 24
Raw. The team, now known as "Rhodes Scholars", won a Tag Team Championship tournament to become the number one contenders to the Tag Team Championship, but after defeating
Team Hell No (
Daniel Bryan and
Kane) by disqualification at
Hell in a Cell on October 28, they were defeated by Team Hell No on the November 14 episode of
Main Event. Rhodes suffered a concussion and a strained shoulder in the latter match, resulting in him being removed from his traditional five-on-five tag team match at
Survivor Series on November 18. After he returned from injury, sporting a
mustache, he and Sandow worked as a tag team, facing the champions Team Hell No twice: one on the December 19 episode of
Main Event and another at the
Royal Rumble on January 27, 2013. They would also be joined by
The Bella Twins, as they began feuding with Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) and
The Funkadactyls (
Cameron and
Naomi). The two teams were originally booked to face each other in an eight-person mixed tag team match on April 7 at
WrestleMania 29, but their match was cut due to time constraints. The match instead took place the following night on
Raw, where Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls emerged victorious. On July 14 at
Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rhodes competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Damien Sandow after Sandow turned on Rhodes and threw him off of the ladder just as Rhodes was about to win the match. The following night on
Raw, Rhodes attacked Sandow and dissolved Team Rhodes Scholars, turning
face for the first time since 2008. They feuded over the briefcase, which Rhodes threw into the
Gulf of Mexico. On August 18 at
SummerSlam, now no longer sporting a mustache, Rhodes defeated Sandow in a singles match, and did so again the following night on
Raw.
The Brotherhood (2013–2014) returned to WWE, teaming with his half-brother Cody. In September, Rhodes started a storyline with his brother against Triple H. After Rhodes was defeated by Orton on the September 2 episode of
Raw, he was fired in storyline. This was put in place to give Rhodes time off for his marriage and honeymoon to Brandi Reed. Over the next few weeks, Rhodes's brother
Goldust also lost to Orton with Cody's reinstatement on the line, while his father Dusty Rhodes was knocked out by Big Show while pleading for his sons to get their jobs back. In return, the vengeful Rhodes brothers gatecrashed
Raw by attacking
The Shield. On October 6 at
Battleground, Rhodes and Goldust defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions,
Roman Reigns and
Seth Rollins in a non-title match with the stipulation that they would be re-signed. On the October 14 episode of
Raw, they defeated The Shield in a
No Disqualification match to become Tag Team Champions. The Rhodes brothers then retain the titles for months, over opponents which included the former champions The Shield, until they lost them at the
Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, to
The New Age Outlaws.
Stardust, creative frustration, and departure (2014–2016) On the June 16
Raw, Rhodes debuted a new character called Stardust (a ring name also previously used by his father during his time in
American Wrestling Association), with face paint, a bodysuit and mannerisms similar to those of Goldust. He teamed with his brother to defeat RybAxel that night and then at both
Money in the Bank and on
Raw. On the August 18
Raw, Stardust and Goldust defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions
The Usos in a non-title match. This led to a rematch on the August 25
Raw, where Stardust and Goldust defeated The Usos via countout, but did not win the titles. After the match, both Stardust and Goldust attacked The Usos. At
Night of Champions, Stardust and Goldust defeated the Usos to become WWE Tag Team Champions for their second reign as a team. At
Hell in a Cell, they successfully retained against The Usos. They lost the title to Damien Mizdow and The Miz in a fatal four-way tag team match also involving The Usos and
Los Matadores the next month at
Survivor Series, while also losing a rematch the next night on
Raw. At
TLC they lost to the newly formed team
The New Day. On February, the team disbanded after Cody executed
Cross Rhodes on Goldust. This led to a match between Goldust and Stardust at
Fastlane, which Goldust won. The brothers tried to have a match at WrestleMania, but the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not book the match, since he felt the match was not good enough for WrestleMania. The Stardust character eventually evolved to resemble a
comic book supervillain, which led to him entering a storyline rivalry with actor
Stephen Amell, renaming his finishing maneuver ''The Queen's Crossbow'', after
Oliver Queen, Amell's character from
Arrow. Then, he began to work with
The Ascension, forming the faction "The Cosmic Wasteland". At
Night of Champions, they defeated Neville and
The Lucha Dragons in a six-man tag team match in the pre-show. From September until May, he worked on television and PPV in minor storylines and losses. At
WrestleMania 32, Stardust competed in a seven-man
ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won by
Zack Ryder. On May 21, 2016, Rhodes revealed on
Twitter that he had requested his release from WWE, which was officially granted the following day. Rhodes cited frustrations with WWE's creative department and his position within the company as the reasons for requesting his release, noting that he had "pleaded" with writers to end the Stardust gimmick for over six months and pitched numerous storyline ideas which had been ignored. Reflecting on Rhodes's WWE career,
Dave Meltzer of the
Wrestling Observer wrote that following his run with Legacy, Rhodes was "used as more of a lower and mid-card wrestler in a number of changing roles", adding that "his career had gone nowhere and he hadn't been used well". James Caldwell of
Pro Wrestling Torch wrote that Rhodes "had been floundering as the Stardust character over the past year or so, mostly landing on
Superstars or
Main Event". Jason Powell of
Pro Wrestling Dot Net commented that Rhodes choosing to leave was "surprising in the sense that Cody and his family have worked for WWE for so long". Meanwhile, Dave Scherer of
Pro Wrestling Insider wrote: "I can't say I blame him a bit. Not even a little bit. WWE never gave him a real chance, and that's just sad to me". In September 2019, Rhodes revealed WWE Executive Vice President Triple H's reaction to his WWE departure, where Rhodes stated: [Triple H] took [the departure] personally because he had done so much for my dad. There was one conversation where he said, "I'm shocked that you feel this way after everything I've done for your family." But I told him, "I'm not my dad. I can't stay here out of loyalty to you for giving my dad a job in 2005. I really appreciate what you did for my dad. But I'm not him. He's not here anymore. I've got to be me." I think [he] knew, "Oh, this is real. He's not asking for more money. He's not asking for a title shot. Nothing would matter at this point." Despite that, Rhodes consistently spoke highly of WWE following his departure, adding that there were no grudges between him and the company and that any decisions the company makes regarding him are largely business-based. This included WWE redesigning the Intercontinental Championship belt (whose 2011–2019 design was introduced in storyline by Rhodes) in 2019 around the same time AEW launched being a coincidence as opposed to trying to separate themselves from Rhodes, as Rhodes himself acknowledged that the physical belt was due for a redesign anyway.
Independent circuit (2016–2018) as
A1 Tag Team Champions in June 2017 After he left WWE, Rhodes continued working under his real name on the independent circuit, but often dropped his last name in order to avoid conflict with WWE. After the match, Rhodes called out
Drew Galloway. Rhodes wrestled for the
Northeast Wrestling promotion, most notably facing Kurt Angle in a Steel Cage match. He also participated in
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's
Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where he Rhodes was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual winner
Marty Scurll. He also won the Global Force Wrestling'
GFW NEX*GEN Championship when he defeated
Sonjay Dutt. In May 2017,
Dave Meltzer suggested that an independent wrestling show would be unable to sell out a ten thousand seat arena in the United States. Rhodes, along with
The Young Bucks, challenged the idea by planning a show specifically for the purposes of drawing ten thousand fans. In May 2018, it was announced that the show would be named
All In. On May 13, 2018, tickets to "All In" sold out in 30 minutes. At the event on September 1, Cody defeated
Nick Aldis to win the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Cody lost the championship back to Aldis in a
two-out-of-three falls match at the
NWA 70th Anniversary Show on October 21.
Ring of Honor (2016–2018) show in 2018 On July 19, 2016, Rhodes announced that he would appear at
Ring of Honor's (ROH)
Final Battle pay-per-view on December 2. ROH made the official announcement the following day. At the event, Rhodes, who was simply billed as Cody, defeated
Jay Lethal following a
low blow, then proceed to attack Lethal, senior referee Todd Sinclair, taunted ROH fans and shoved ROH commentator
Steve Corino. On the January 18 episode of
Ring of Honor Wrestling, Cody defeated Corino. At the
Supercard of Honor XI event on April 1, Cody was defeated by Jay Lethal in a
Texas Bullrope match. Later in the night, he attacked former
ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels. On May 12 at
War of the Worlds, Cody unsuccessfully challenged Christopher Daniels for the ROH World Championship in a three-way match also involving Jay Lethal. On June 23 at
Best in the World, Cody defeated Daniels to become the new ROH World Champion, marking the first world title of his career. Cody was also billed as the first member of the Rhodes family to capture a world title in 31 years. Cody and Dusty are the second father-son combination to win major world championships in the United States after
Fritz and
Kerry Von Erich. On September 23, it was confirmed that Cody had signed an exclusive contract with ROH. On December 15 at
Final Battle, Cody, now with bleached blond hair, lost the ROH World Championship to
Dalton Castle. On July 21, 2018, he and fellow Bullet Club members The Young Bucks defeated
The Kingdom to win the
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, marking his first reign. Cody and The Bucks lost the titles at
Survival of the Fittest to The Kingdom on November 4 after a 106-day reign and two successful title defenses. Cody faced Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship at Final Battle, but he lost the match. The next day, Cody left ROH.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling (2016–2017) Rhodes was expected to work events for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) while simultaneously working in ROH, both deals being non-exclusive. On September 22, TNA confirmed Rhodes, billed as Cody, would be debuting for the promotion on October 2 at
Bound for Glory. At Bound for Glory, Cody, alongside his wife Brandi Rhodes, made his debut as a face, attacking Mike Bennett and his wife
Maria to begin a feud between the two couples. On the October 6 episode of
Impact Wrestling, Cody cut a promo where he put over the company and said he has a shot at the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but Bennett and Maria interrupted and the segment ended with a brawl. On the October 13 episode of
Impact Wrestling, Cody made his in-ring debut by defeating Bennett. On the October 20 episode of
Impact Wrestling, Cody challenged
Eddie Edwards for the Impact World Heavyweight Championship, but lost the match. On the October 27
Impact Wrestling, Cody and Brandi defeated Bennett and Maria. After the match, Cody was attacked backstage by
Lashley, and this was done to write him off television. Cody returned on the February 23, 2017, episode of
Impact Wrestling, calling out
Moose to thank him for helping his wife Brandi while he was away. After learning Brandi had Moose's phone number, Cody attacked Moose, turning heel. On the March 30 episode of
Impact Wrestling, Cody unsuccessfully faced Moose for the
Impact Grand Championship. Rhodes's contract with the promotion ended shortly after.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2019) On December 10, 2016, Rhodes, billed as "The American Nightmare", appeared at
New Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW)
World Tag League finals via video package, announcing himself as the newest member of
Bullet Club. On January 4, 2017, Cody defeated
Juice Robinson in his debut match at
Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome. Cody returned to NJPW in February during the NJPW and ROH co-produced
Honor Rising: Japan 2017 shows. After defeating
Michael Elgin at
Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall on June 11, Cody challenged
Kazuchika Okada to a match for the
IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The match took place on July 1 at
G1 Special in USA, with Okada winning. During the finals of the
G1 Climax 27 on August 13, Cody and Bullet Club stablemate
Hangman Page unsuccessfully challenged
War Machine (
Hanson and
Raymond Rowe) for the
IWGP Tag Team Championship. Cody faced
Kota Ibushi at
Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4, 2018, in a losing effort. At
The New Beginning in Sapporo, he attacked
Kenny Omega with the help of Page, eventually being stopped by Ibushi. This led to a match at the
G1 Special in San Francisco on July 7, where Cody unsuccessfully challenged Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. After the match, as the "BC Firing Squad" of King Haku, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga attacked Omega and the rest of Bullet Club, Cody refused to aid the attackers and embraced the Bullet Club members afterward. At
Fighting Spirit Unleashed, Cody defeated Robinson to win the
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, his first championship in NJPW. Cody again failed to defeat Omega for the championship in a three-way match also involving Ibushi at
King of Pro-Wrestling on October 8. On October 24, Cody announced that he was no longer affiliated with Bullet Club, and he would continue teaming with Omega, The Young Bucks, Page and
Marty Scurll as
The Elite. At
Wrestle Kingdom 13 on January 4, 2019, Cody lost the United States Heavyweight Championship back to Robinson. On February 7, his profile was removed from NJPW website.
All Elite Wrestling (2019–2022) Formation of AEW and early storylines (2019–2020) In November 2018, several trademarks were filed in Jacksonville, Florida that indicated the launch of a new wrestling promotion. On January 1, 2019,
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was unveiled during a conference in Jacksonville, with Cody revealing that he, along with Matt and Nick Jackson of
The Young Bucks and
Kenny Omega, would serve as Executive Vice Presidents, as well as on-air talent. Both Cody and The Young Bucks signed five-year contracts with the promotion. At their inaugural event on May 25,
Double or Nothing, Cody defeated
Dustin Rhodes; it would later win "Match of the Year" from
Pro Wrestling Illustrated. On June 29 at
Fyter Fest, Cody wrestled
Darby Allin to a time limit draw. After the match, Rhodes was attacked by
Shawn Spears and struck with a chair shot that caused Rhodes to bleed heavily from the back of his head. While Rhodes did not suffer a
concussion, he did require 12
surgical staples. Spears' actions would be condemned by
MJF, Cody's self-proclaimed best friend. MJF would later become Cody's
cornerman for his matches. At
All Out on August 31, Cody emerged victorious over Spears. With this win, Cody improved his win–loss–draw record in singles matches to 2–0–1, granting him a match for the
AEW World Championship against Chris Jericho at the
Full Gear pay-per-view. On the premiere episode of
Dynamite on October 2, Cody and The Young Bucks were beaten down by Jericho,
Sammy Guevara,
Jake Hager,
Santana and
Ortiz, leading to the creation of
The Inner Circle to rival The Elite. On the November 6 episode of
Dynamite, Cody announced that if he were to lose at Full Gear, he would never challenge for the AEW World Championship again. At Full Gear on November 9, Cody failed to win the championship from Jericho after MJF
threw in the towel. After the match, MJF turned on Cody by kicking him the groin. Over the following months, Cody attempted to secure a match with MJF, which MJF agreed to do as long as Cody met three stipulations: he could not touch MJF until the match, he would have to defeat MJF's bodyguard
Wardlow in a
steel cage match, and he would have to take ten lashes with a leather belt. After taking the lashes, Cody defeated Wardlow in a steel cage match on the February 19, 2020, episode of
Dynamite to arrange the match for the
Revolution pay-per-view. Cody was defeated by MJF at Revolution on February 29.
TNT Champion and departure (2020–2022) On March 30, AEW announced a new title, the
AEW TNT Championship; Cody was announced as a participant for an eight-man,
single-elimination tournament to crown the inaugural champion. Cody defeated Shawn Spears and Darby Allin to reach the finals of the tournament to face
Lance Archer, who also advanced to the finals. At
Double Or Nothing on May 23, Cody defeated Archer to become the inaugural TNT Champion;
Mike Tyson afterwards presented Cody with the title belt. Over the following weeks, Cody successfully defended the championship against the likes of
Jungle Boy, Marq Quen,
Ricky Starks, Jake Hager,
Sonny Kiss,
Eddie Kingston,
Warhorse, and
Scorpio Sky. Cody lost the championship to
Brodie Lee on the August 22 episode of
Dynamite, ending his reign at 82 days (91 days as recognized by AEW due to
tape delay). Subsequently, it was reported that Cody would be taking up a leave of absence from the company. Cody returned on the September 23 episode of
Dynamite, attacking Brodie Lee and members of his faction,
The Dark Order. Cody would defeat Brodie Lee to win the TNT Championship in a
Dog Collar match on the October 7 episode of
Dynamite, beginning his second reign with the championship, also marking Lee's final match before his death in December of that year. On November 7, Cody, now once again under the full name Cody Rhodes due to WWE cancelling their trademark on the name (in a settlement that saw Cody relinquishing his claim to the trademarks for several WCW event names), lost the TNT Championship to Darby Allin at
Full Gear. After losing the TNT Championship, Rhodes would begin a feud with famed basketball player
Shaquille O'Neal. On the March 3, 2021, episode of
Dynamite, Rhodes teamed with
Red Velvet in a loss to O'Neal and his partner
Jade Cargill in a
mixed tag team match. At the
Revolution event on March 7, Rhodes competed in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match for a future opportunity at the TNT Championship, but the match was won by Scorpio Sky. On the March 31 episode of
Dynamite, Rhodes began a feud with
Q. T. Marshall, after Marshall and his allies
Aaron Solo,
Nick Comoroto and the debutant
Anthony Ogogo assaulted Rhodes after a match. At the
Blood and Guts event on May 5, Rhodes defeated Marshall, before going on to defeat Ogogo at the
Double or Nothing pay-per-view later that month. At the
Road Rager event on July 7, Rhodes defeated Marshall in a
South Beach Strap match to end the feud. Following this, Rhodes began a feud with the debuting
Malakai Black. At the
Homecoming event on August 4, Rhodes was quickly defeated by Black. After taking a hiatus, Rhodes returned to face Black in a rematch at
Grand Slam on September 22, but he was again defeated. On the October 23 episode of
Dynamite, Rhodes finally defeated Black. At
Full Gear, Rhodes teamed up with
Pac against Black and
Andrade El Idolo in a winning effort. On the December 1 episode of
Dynamite, Rhodes defeated Andrade in an Atlanta street fight. Rhodes began a feud with Sammy Guevara over the TNT Championship, on December 25 at the special
Holiday Bash episode of
Rampage, Rhodes defeated Guevara to win the title for a record third time. At the
Beach Break event on January 26, 2022, Rhodes lost the title back to Guevara in a ladder match. This would be Rhodes's last match in AEW, as on February 15, 2022, several sources reported that he and his wife Brandi had left the promotion as they were unable to come to terms on a new contract. He has cited since that he left AEW because of a personal issue.
Return to WWE Championship pursuits (2022–2024) at
WrestleMania 38 on April 2, 2022. On March 18, 2022, it was reported by multiple sources that Rhodes had re-signed with WWE. On the first night of
WrestleMania 38 on April 2, Rhodes was revealed as
Seth "Freakin" Rollins' surprise opponent, making his return to WWE after six years and defeating Rollins. On the following episode of
Raw, Rhodes stated that he returned to WWE to win the championship that his father,
Dusty Rhodes, never got to hold, the
WWE Championship. Rhodes subsequently defeated Rollins once more in a rematch at
WrestleMania Backlash. Ahead of their Hell in a Cell match at the
eponymous event, Rhodes suffered a
legitimate pectoral muscle tear, which had eventuated halfway through a brawl on the prior episode of
Raw. The injury was exacerbated when the muscle tore entirely off the bone while Rhodes was weight training in the days preceding the event. He entered Hell in a Cell with a massive spot of discolored skin, but despite the severe injury, managed to defeat Rollins for the third time. Four days later, it was announced that Rhodes underwent successful surgery to repair a torn right pectoral tendon, rendering him unable to compete for eight months. On the January 16, 2023, episode of
Raw, Rhodes announced in a pre-taped video that he would return to competition in the men's Royal Rumble match at
Royal Rumble on January 28, which he won after lastly eliminating
Gunther. On the following episode of
Raw, Rhodes challenged
Roman Reigns for the
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at
WrestleMania 39. In the main event of the second night of WrestleMania, Rhodes was defeated by Reigns after interference from
Solo Sikoa. The booking decision was met with divisive reactions from fans, journalists and other wrestlers. Rhodes's next feud was against
Brock Lesnar, defeating Lesnar at
Backlash, but lost to him at
Night of Champions. They have a third match at
SummerSlam, where Rhodes defeated Lesnar, ending their feud. At
Fastlane on October 7, Rhodes and
Jey Uso won the
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from
The Judgment Day (
Finn Bálor and
Damian Priest), becoming double champions in the process, before losing it nine days later against Balor and Priest. At
Survivor Series: WarGames on November 25, Rhodes, Rollins, Jey Uso,
Sami Zayn, and a returning Randy Orton defeated The Judgment Day (Damian Priest, Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio and
JD McDonagh) and Drew McIntyre in a
WarGames match. On the November 27 episode of
Raw, Rhodes announced he would compete in the men's Royal Rumble match at
Royal Rumble.
Undisputed WWE Champion (2024–present) At the Royal Rumble event on January 27, 2024, Rhodes won the men's Royal Rumble match after lastly eliminating
CM Punk. This was only the fourth time someone had won two consecutive Rumble matches, and the first time since
Stone Cold Steve Austin won in
1997 and
1998. After Rhodes won, he pointed at Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. On the February 2 episode of
SmackDown, Rhodes said that he would not challenge Roman Reigns at
WrestleMania XL.
The Rock then appeared and confronted Reigns, with Rhodes shaking The Rock's hand and leaving the ring to Reigns and The Rock. This development drew backlash from fans on social media for disrupting Rhodes's long-term storyline with Reigns. During the
WrestleMania XL Kickoff media event on February 8, Rhodes announced that he chose Reigns. After bringing up each other's families, The Rock turned heel and viciously slapped him in the face and joined the Bloodline. In the ensuing brawl, Rhodes was backed by
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. During Night 1 of
WrestleMania XL on April 6, Rhodes and Rollins lost to The Rock and Reigns, meaning that on Night 2 of the event, Rhodes's match against Reigns would be a
Bloodline Rules match. On Night 2, Rhodes suffered interferences from Bloodline members
Jimmy Uso,
Solo Sikoa, and The Rock, who were each countered by Rhodes' allies Jey Uso,
John Cena, Rollins, and
The Undertaker. Rhodes ultimately defeated Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to finish his story and capture his first world title in WWE. On the April 8 episode of
Raw, just as Rhodes was addressing his win, he was interrupted by The Rock. After a brief exchange of both titles, The Rock announced that he would be taking time away. However, he issued a warning to Rhodes that once he returned, he would be returning for him. As the title was the world championship of
SmackDown, Rhodes was subsequently transferred to the brand, defending the title twice against
AJ Styles at
Backlash on May 4 and
Clash at the Castle on June 15 in an
"I Quit" match, and
Logan Paul at
King and Queen of the Ring on May 25. He also found himself in a feud with
Solo Sikoa, successfully defending the title against him at
SummerSlam on August 3 in a Bloodline Rules match and during the September 13 episode of
SmackDown in a
steel cage match. At
Crown Jewel on November 2, Rhodes defeated World Heavyweight Champion
Gunther to win the inaugural
WWE Crown Jewel Championship. Rhodes also feuded with
Kevin Owens, retaining the title at
Bash in Berlin on August 31. At
Saturday Night's Main Event on December 14, Rhodes (who came out with the "Winged Eagle" version of the WWE Championship) retained the title against Owens. After the event went off the air, Rhodes was attacked by Owens, who took the Winged Eagle belt. At
Royal Rumble on February 1, 2025, Rhodes defeated Owens in a Ladder match for the championship, with both belts on the line, ending their feud. On the February 21 episode of
SmackDown, Rhodes began a storyline with The Rock, which involved The Rock cryptically stating that he wanted Rhodes's soul. At
Elimination Chamber: Toronto on March 1, Rhodes rejected The Rock's offer, which then prompted Cena, who had just won the
Elimination Chamber match to earn a title shot against Rhodes at
WrestleMania 41, to attack Rhodes. On Night 2 of the event on April 20, Rhodes lost the title to Cena via interference from rapper
Travis Scott, and a low blow from Cena, ending his reign at 378 days. . Following a month-long absence from television, Rhodes returned and won the
2025 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Randy Orton in the finals at
Night of Champions on June 28, thus winning the tournament and earning an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cena at
SummerSlam. On Night 2 of the event on August 3, Rhodes defeated Cena in a Street Fight to win the Undisputed WWE Championship for a second time. After taking one month off to film the movie
Street Fighter, Rhodes feuded with Drew McIntyre, retaining the title against him at
Wrestlepalooza on September 20 and
Saturday Night's Main Event XLI on November 1. They also faced each other on opposing teams at
Survivor Series: WarGames on November 29 in a
WarGames match. Rhodes lost the title to McIntyre on the January 9, 2026, episode of
SmackDown in a
Three Stages of Hell match, due to interference from
Jacob Fatu, ending Rhodes's second reign at 159 days. At
Saturday Night's Main Event XLIII on January 24, he was scheduled to face Fatu in a match that ultimately did not occur due to a brawl breaking out between the two before the match could officially take place, after which both men were attacked by McIntyre. Rhodes competed in the Royal Rumble match on
January 31 and the Elimination Chamber match on
February 28, but lost both matches after interferences from McIntyre. Rhodes defeated McIntyre to regain the title for a third time on the March 6 episode of
SmackDown. At Night 1 of
WrestleMania 42 on April 18, Rhodes successfully defended the title against
Randy Orton. After the match, however, Rhodes was attacked by Orton with a punt kick. ==Other media==