Former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes made a shocking return to WWE last year. Throughout his run in the Stamford-based promotion, the American Nightmare has had multiple feuds with some of the top talents in the company.
Let’s take a look at some of his biggest rivalries in WWE.
‘Not so’ Dashing Cody Rhodes
The American Nightmare played a heel for the majority of his initial run in WWE. During his tenure, an unexpected accident led to Rhodes having a plethora of great matches with a wrestling veteran. That was none other than Rey Mysterio.
During a match between the two in early 2011, Rhodes exposed Mysterio’s knee brace mid-way through their match. After eating a 619 with the exposed brace injured The Dashing One’s face. Thus the American Nightmare wanted some revenge against the Master of the 619.
The two wrestled each other for the majority of 2011. They had one-on-one matches at some of the biggest Premium Live Events such as WrestleMania and Extreme Rules. After multiple battles, Rey Mysterio managed to win the overall feud.
The Prodigal Son returns
Last year at WrestleMania 38 The American Nightmare made a shocking return to WWE.
His opponent at the big show was Seth Rollins. Rhodes was revealed as The Visionary’s opponent only after Rollins made it to the ring. Both put on an instant classic and in the end the former AEW star picked up the win.
The two then went on to wrestle each other two more times. Both times the American Nightmare managed to pick up the victory. Their final match was inside a Hell in a Cell. Rhodes defeated Rollins once again but due to a torn pectoral muscle he was forced to stay out of action in WWE.
Cody Rhodes conquers The Beast
Since his return to WWE, the American Nightmare has only lost a handful of times. One of the stars he lost against was none other than Brock Lesnar. The two began to feud against each other on the Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 39.
The Beast shockingly attacked Rhodes before their tag team match in the main event. This led to a match between the two at the Backlash Premium Live Event. The former AEW star managed to defeat Lesnar. The two then wrestled for a second time at the Night of Champions event. The Beast picked up the win evening the score between the two.
The two wrestled one last time at the WWE SummerSlam Premium Live Event. After a hard-fought battle, Rhodes managed to defeat the Beast. Following the match, Lesnar seemingly passed the torch by lifting the arm of The American Nightmare.
Cody would later say this moment was a surprise, while Triple H even called it a ‘holy sh-t’ moment for him.
Read More: Cody Rhodes Names Batman And JFK Among His Non-Wrestling Influences
The Rhodes Brothers vs. The S.H.I.E.L.D
The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes did not start last year. The two have actually been feuding with each other since 2013. The S.H.I.E.L.D. battled the Rhodes family towards the end of 2013.
Both Cody and Goldust were the ones to defeat The S.H.I.E.L.D. and captured the WWE Tag Team Championships as well.
Trying to finish the story
After battling Seth Rollins inside the Hell in a Cell, Rhodes made his return at the 2023 Royal Rumble match. The American Nightmare entered at number 30 and managed to eliminate Gunther and win the entire match.
He was set to wrestle Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39. His main goal to go after Reigns was to capture the top prize in the Stamford-based promotion. The world title is something that his father was never able to win.
Although the two only wrestled one match against each other, the story and the importance of the match were valued way higher than most of his feuds.
Rhodes put on a tough fight but he was unable to dethrone the Tribal Chief.
What is your favorite match of Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments section below.
