Every Version Of Cody Rhodes

There have been many masters of reinvention over the years in professional wrestling, and Cody Rhodes is no doubt one of them. Throughout his career and across several promotions like WWE, AEW, ROH, and NJPW, there have been different versions of Cody Rhodes that fans have witnessed.

Not all of these versions have been a hit, and when looking at ranking his versions from worst to best, some really stand out as stinkers. There have, however, been some truly brilliant gimmicks, with Rhodes showing a wonderful ability to portray completely different characters and make it work. Which one is the best though?

UPDATE: 2024/04/23 17:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

Cody Rhodes’ current version may very well end up being his final form. Given the success of his WWE return which has seen him ascend to levels only a few wrestlers have ever reached, the likeliness of a different version of Rhodes emerging becomes slimmer and slimmer. This renewed look at Rhodes’ versions will add a few more details about the former runs he had, whilst also taking a look at Rhodes’ character at the start of his AEW run, which was omitted due to its similarity to the current version of Rhodes. The longer time has gone on, there are more differences between these versions, so it makes sense for that to now have its own place on this list.

12 Cody Rhodes Was A Rookie Babyface At The Start Of His WWE Run

Cody Rhodes Debuted As A Basic Babyface

• Cody Rhodes was treated like a kid when he first arrived
• He was as basic as you can get as a babyface
• He competed in WWE’s tag team division

By far the worst version of Cody Rhodes was the very first. Rhodes wasn’t necessarily bad here, but there was just absolutely no depth and nothing to this.

Rhodes was the rookie sidekick of Hardcore Holly in the tag team division. They got very little attention, not much mic time, and were about as basic as you can be as an act. It wasn’t terrible, but it had so little to give it any sort of argument to be anywhere other than bottom of this list. The only highlight was when Rhodes turned heel and ended this version of himself.

11 Cody Rhodes As A Moustached Heel In Team Rhodes Scholars Was Average

Cody Rhodes Was Partners With Damien Sandow

• Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow were thrown together in a tag team
• They spent far too long together in this act that went nowhere
• A planned WrestleMania 29 match was canceled on the day of the show

This is along the same lines of his rookie babyface act. Cody Rhodes in the Rhodes Scholars was fine, but his character has such little depth to it beyond just being a typical cocky heel.

Rhodes and Damien Sandow were a good act with decent chemistry, but WWE never fully explored their potential, and this is another reason as to why this is ranked so far down in terms of versions of Rhodes. They were an afterthought of the tag team division, never holding gold or having a memorable feud.

10 Cody Rhodes Was A Pandering Tweener Mess In AEW

Cody Rhodes’ AEW Career Went Downhill

• Cody Rhodes’ feud with Anthony Ogogo turned fans against him
• His rivalry with Malakai Black sent fans into a crazed frenzy
• Rhodes’ direction in AEW may have been a reason for him leaving

Cody Rhodes’ AEW career went off the rails when fans saw right through the “pandering American hero” gimmick that just wasn’t working. This led to Rhodes walking the line of being heel, with many “wink, winks” and breaking kayfabe when it came to him refusing a clear heel turn.

It was certainly interesting, but the execution ultimately felt super awkward and the whole thing was off. It led to months of strange promos, uncertain crowds, and a clearly unhappy Rhodes, who ended up leaving AEW at the end of his contract.

9 Stardust Was The Final Nail In Cody Rhodes’ First WWE Run

Cody Rhodes Put His All Into Stardust

• WWE turned Cody Rhodes into a joke
• His gimmick took influence from his brother, Goldust
• Cody Rhodes’ recent WWE return had the promise of never doing this character again

There is no denying that Cody Rhodes made “Stardust” entertaining. His promos were quirky, his mannerisms were unique, and even though he got very little attention in terms of booking, Rhodes did all he could to try and make Stardust a success.

Unfortunately, for the same reasons Goldust never escaped the midcard, Stardust remained there too. The gimmick was too wacky, too silly, and booked too poorly to ever make it in WWE as a successful character. Rhodes may have been good with Stardust, but when weighing up positives and negatives, Stardust is on the poor side of things.

8 Cody Rhodes Found Success As A Bleach-Haired ROH World Champion

Cody Received The Iconic Rhodes Haircut

• Cody Rhodes bleached his hair to keep up the family tradition
• He showcased himself as the face of a brand
• Rhodes bet on himself outside of WWE and found gold

A little while into his time away from WWE, Rhodes reinvented himself. He aligned with Brandi Rhodes, bleached his hair, and developed more of an attitude, such as when he low-blowed his way to the ROH World Championship.

It was certainly baby steps but it showed that Rhodes was developing more of a personality and truly finding his feet as a solo star, proving himself able to be a world champion of a company… something that would be replicated on an even grander scale in later years.

7 Anti-Authority Babyface Had Potential For Greatness For Cody Rhodes In WWE

Cody Rhodes Showed Signs Of Stardom In WWE

• Cody Rhodes showed signs of the top face he could become
• Rhodes stood up to Triple H’s rule over WWE
• The Rhodes Family got some respect for the first time in years

Cody Rhodes’ 2013 babyface turn saw fans naturally rally behind him, and he showcased a clear ability to drum up support and cut impassioned promos. This saw him defy authority figures such as Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, and enter a feud with The Shield.

Rhodes had never been more over in his first WWE run than this, but his momentum was short-lived and WWE fumbled the booking, with Rhodes just becoming an average face. It was a mixed bag with a strong start but poor finish. Rhodes & Goldust defeating The Shield is still among his best career highlights.

6 “Dashing” Cody Rhodes Was A Strong Midcard Act In WWE

Cody Rhodes’ First Singles Gimmick

• Cody Rhodes’ first singles push came with his “Dashing” gimmick
• He showcased his natural charisma in the midcard
• This sort of gimmick had a ceiling in WWE

After breaking away from Legacy, Cody Rhodes entered the singles division as “Dashing” Cody Rhodes. On paper, it was a pretty generic heel gimmick, but Rhodes was just a natural in this role, oozing charisma and attitude.

The huge grin, the heel work, and the promos were all great, and it proved to be a very entertaining midcard gimmick. It is a shame that WWE didn’t book him more prominently during this stretch of his career.

5 Cody Rhodes Became A Bullet Club Member In NJPW

Cody Was A Good Heel In NJPW

• Cody Rhodes’ time as a heel was fresh
• This was the last time Rhodes was a heel in wrestling
• He found plenty of success as a Bullet Club member

Cody Rhodes joined the Bullet Club, and whilst he initially didn’t feel like someone who fit the group, his heel persona made for some great matches and moments such as against Kazuchika Okada, for example.

Rhodes and The Elite members would eventually become babyface, showcasing a lot of fun in their personalities. Rhodes had so much to give in terms of comedy, and mixing this with some of the Bullet Club attitude made for a good version of Rhodes.

4 Cody Rhodes Was A Legacy Member Mentored By Randy Orton

Cody Rhodes And Ted DiBiase Joined Randy Orton’s Group

• Cody Rhodes found himself in main event spots early in his career
• He was sometimes a punching bag for Randy Orton’s rivals
• Rhodes put in strong performances during this stretch of his career

Cody Rhodes was brought into Randy Orton’s Legacy faction in 2008, and whilst he worked mostly as a lackey and punching bag, his heel work was very strong.

Over their time together, Rhodes and DiBiase both developed personalities and added depth to their characters, which was shown a lot in their feud with D-Generation X. The Legacy act ran the heel side on RAW during this period, and were very entertaining, with Rhodes putting in his fair share of the legwork.

3 *Cody Rhodes Was The Face Of AEW When The Company Began

Rhodes’ Early AEW Character Was Fantastic

• Cody Rhodes was one of the key faces of AEW
• His feuds with Chris Jericho & MJF were fantastic
• His TNT Title reign was a highlight of the pandemic

Although Cody Rhodes’ time in AEW would falter, things started off with him showcasing one of the best versions of himself. Rhodes was the righteous babyface hero, fighting for the heart and soul of AEW and rallying for the company he helped to create. He was the example of how to be a good babyface, whilst also being able to dig deep to find the spirit to win.

Rhodes was suer over as one of the first world title challengers in AEW and then later as the first ever TNT Champion. Things were going great… until they were not.

2 “Undashing” Cody Rhodes Is An All-Time Great Intercontinental Champion

Cody Rhodes Became Unhinged

• Cody Rhodes added prestige back to the IC Title
• His character work was tremendous and looked back upon fondly
• WWE should have pushed this gimmick even higher

Better than “Dashing” Cody Rhodes was “Undashing” Cody Rhodes – a sadistic, slow-speaking, and damaged character who had his beautiful face broken. He handed paper masks to the ugly crowd, wore a face mask, and delivered fantastic promos.

This is Rhodes’ best heel version and in truth, it is a truly underrated part of Rhodes career. He was a brilliant Intercontinental Champion during this time too. His feud with Rey Mysterio was a great example of how strong Rhodes’ character work was during this time.

1 Cody Rhodes Has Been WWE’s Top Babyface Ever Since His Return

Cody Rhodes Was Revitalised After WWE Return

• Cody Rhodes has been a hit ever since returning to WWE
• He is the most over babyface in the company today
• He has made history with Rumble wins and title victories

Rhodes at the start of AEW portrayed this gimmick and it was great, but it fully came into life in WWE upon his 2022 return. Rhodes is the ultimate good guy, fighting for his family, wrestling in the memory of his father, and being a straight up good guy who fights through adversity, injury, and more.

The fans love it, and it is no doubt the very best version of Rhodes ever. Rhodes’ time with this gimmick has seen him win back to back Royal Rumble matches and even be chosen as the one to end Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Championship reign of 1316 days. This version of Rhodes has made him the number one babyface in WWE.