Cody Rhodes Profile: Bio, News, Videos, Socials & More

SI Wrestling Staff | Oct 29, 2024

WWE.com

1. Bio
2. Top Cody Rhodes Stories
3. Early Life
4. Professional Career
5. Championships
6. Cody Rhodes Wife
7. Theme Song
8. Social Media
9. Videos

Bio

Real Name	Cody Garret Runnels
Nicknames	Cody Runnels, Fuego 2, Stardust
Date of Birth (DOB)	June 30, 1985
Nationality	American
Spouse	Brandi Rhodes
Relatives	Dusty Rhodes (Father), Dustin Rhodes (Half Brother), Fred Ottman (Uncle), Jerry Sags (Uncle), Magnum T.A. (Godfather)
Debut	June 16, 2006
Theme Song	Kingdom by Downstait
Training	Dusty Rhodes, Al Snow, Dany Davis, Randy Orton
Billed Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Billed Weight	220lb (100kg)

Top Cody Rhodes Stories

manual

Early Life

Cody Rhodes was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 30th, 1985. He is the son of former professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes, and nephew of former professional wrestlers Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman. Rhodes attended Lassiter High School where we wrestled, winning the Georgia State Tournament for his weight class in his junior and senior years.

Professional Career

Early Days (2006-2010)

Rhodes' professional career started in 2006 with Ohio Valley Wrestling after training as a youngster with Al Snow, Danny Davis, Ricky Morton and Randy Orton. In his time at OVW, he won the Southern Tag Team Championship, the Heavyweight Champion and the Television Championship.

In 2007, he made his WWE TV debut with his father (Dusty Rhodes) and Randy Orton in a backstage segment with Randy Orton. His first match was on Raw against Orton, losing via pinfall, and later on he appeared at The Great American Bash to stop Orton from attacking his father. Rhodes' first title came a little later that year when we won the World Tag Team Championship with partner Hardcore Holly. He later turned heel, teaming up with Ted DiBiase to become the new Tag Team Champions. Rhodes and DiBiase would go on to defend and lose the championship a number of times to tag teams such as John Cena and Batista, Kofi Kingstom and CM Punk, and others.

WWE.com

In late 2008, Rhodes, Dibiase and Orton formed the stable The Legacy. As part of the group Rhodes and DiBiase aided Orton in various feuds, particularly against the McMahon family and Triple H. They competed against DX, winning at Breaking Point but losing at Hell in a Cell. Tensions in the group grew in 2010, culminating in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 26, where Orton defeated both Rhodes and DiBiase, signaling the end of The Legacy.

2010-2016

In 2010, Rhodes was drafted to SmackDown, adopting a new persona and forming a tag team with Drew McIntyre. They would go on to with the Tag Team Championship, but lose it and split.

After suffering a broken nose in 2011, Rhodes adopted a protective mask which became a new signature for him. He matched up against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 27 and later won the Intercontinental Championship, holding the title for 2/3rds of a year.

Rhodes then teamed up with Damien Sandow to form Team Rhodes Scholors, but after turning against him he reformed an alliance with his brother Goldust, eventually beating The Shield in a no DQ match to become the WWE Tag Team Champions, although he eventually lost it at the 2014 Royal Rumble.

In 2014, Rhodes debuted his new character called Stardust and teamed up with Goldust. Together, they feuded with The Usos and won multiple non-title matches before finally defeating them for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions. They then lost the title in a four-way tag team match a month later at Survivor Series.

WWE.com

From there, Rhodes would then work through minor storylines while his losses built up. This eventually led to Rhodes requesting his release from WWE, citing issues with WWE's creative department, mainly about his character and storylines. His release was granted.

The Indies & Others (2016-2018)

After leaving WWE, Rhodes make his was around the independent circuit, competing for Northeast Wrestling, Pro Wrestlin Guerrilla, What Culture Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, TNA/Impact, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He won various championships during these years, including the GFW NEX*GEN Championship, The WCPW Internet Champions, the NEW Heavyweight Championship, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the ROH World Championship and more.

During his time at NJPW, his 'American Nightmare" persona would appear for the first time.

AEW (2018-2022)

All Elite Wresting (AEW) was officially unveiled on January 1, 2019 at which time Cody Rhodes, along with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and others wre announced as Executive Vice Presidents of On-Air Talent. At AEW's first even titled Double or Nothing, Rhodes beat his brother Dustin in a match that was dubbed "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

In August 2019, Cody defeated Shawn Spears at All Out, earning a shot at the AEW World Championship against Chris Jericho at Full Gear. After being ambushed by Jericho's faction, Cody vowed never to challenge for the title again if he lost, which he did when MJF betrayed him. Cody would seek revenge, but eventually be defeated by MJF at the Revolution PPV in February 2020.

Then in March, AEW introduced the TNT Championship. Rhodes participated in the tournament to win the inaugural championship. After defeating Shawn Spears and Darby Allin, Cody won the title by defeating Lance Archer at Double or Nothing. Cody successfully defended the championship against several challengers before losing it to Brodie Lee in August, taking a brief leave before returning to reclaim the title in a Dog Collar match in October. Cody later lost the championship to Darby Allin at Full Gear. Cody won his third TNT Championship on Christmas Day in 2021 after defeating Sammy Guevara. However, he lost the title in a ladder match just a month later.

Shortly after the loss, Cody left AEW due to contract disagreements, with Cody later citing personal reasons for his departure.

WWE Return (2022-Present)

In March 2022, Rhodes re-signed with WWE, making his return at WrestleMania 38 and defeating Seth Rollins. While feuding with Rollins, Rhodes' story of winning the WWE Championship (that his father never held) began. After suffering a serious pectoral injury at Hell in a Cell and returning in 2023 after a successful surgery, Rhode's would win the Royal Rumble giving him the opportunity to challenge Roman Reigns for the title at WrestleMania 39. Rhodes would be defeated after interference from Solo Sikoa.

As his journey continued, he would form a tag team with Jey Uso, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship but losing it just nine days later. in 2024, Rhodes won his second consecutive Royal Rumble and would eventually go on to challenge Roman Reigns for the title at WrestleMania 40. On the second night of WrestleMania 40 under Bloodline rules, and with interference and support from a star-studded lineup that included The Rock, John Cena, and The Undertaker, Rhodes' story would eventually come full circle as he won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Rhodes would then move to SmackDown, defending his title numerous times at Backlash, Clash at the Castle, SummerSlam and Bash in Berlin.

Championships

Championship	Times Won
WWE Universal Championship	1
WWE Championship	1
WWE Intercontinental Championship	2
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship	4
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship	1
World Tag Team Championship	3
Men's Royal Rumble	2
AEW TNT Championship	3

Cody Rhodes Wife

In September 2013, Rhodes married Brandi Reed. Reed is a former wrestler and ring announcer. She began her career at WWE but later left following Rhodes. She wrestled for TNA/Impact, Ring of Honor, and World Wonder Ring Stardom, and joined up with husband Cody at All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

Brandi Rhodes has also featured as a cast member on the E! reality show WAGS Atlanta, and has appeared in national campaigns for Budweiser, KFC and Maxim. She has her own swimwear line called Confection Swimwear.

For more on Brandi Rhodes: Who Is Cody Rhodes' Wife? All About Brandi Rhodes

Theme Song

Kingdom - Downstait

Social Media

Instagram: @americannightmarecody

Twitter/X: @CodyRhodes

Tiktok: @americannightmarecody

Videos