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Cody Rhodes has been the most talked about professional wrestler of 2022. After news broke that his contract with All Elite Wrestling expired at the tail end of last year, many fans wondered if he would re-sign with the company or move elsewhere. On February 15th, it became official that Cody was leaving AEW.
The wrestling world went into a frenzy with rumors and reports circulating on Rhodes possibly making a return to WWE. With that now pretty much confirmed, it shouldn't be forgotten what Cody was able to achieve with AEW over the course of the past three years.
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The American Nightmare was not only one of the founding fathers and top stars of the promotion, but can arguably take responsibility for the entire existence of the company. However, Cody didn't rest on that and instead built a catalog of classic encounters.
In this article, we'll take a look at the five best Cody Rhodes matches in AEW.
#5. Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow in a Steel Cage Match - AEW Dynamite February 19th, 2020
Cody Rhodes was often tasked with doing the first iteration of stipulations in All Elite Wrestling. On the February 19th, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The American Nightmare faced Wardlow in the first steel cage match in the company's history.
This bout was forced on Cody as part of the trials MJF demanded before the two had a match together. The previous portion saw Cody enduring 10 lashes by Friedman and the War Dog - another company first, and hopefully the last.
This was also the first AEW match for Wardlow, who was more than impressive. He used his mix of strength, speed and agility to keep Rhodes on his back foot the entire time.
However, Cody was able to take the ultimate risk to get the victory. He climbed the 20-foot high steel cage for a death defying moonsault that gave him the win over Wardlow in front of his hometown crowd in Atlanta.
#4. Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Championship - AEW Full Gear 2020
A bad faith take that was made about Cody during his time in All Elite Wrestling was that he didn't put over younger talent or make new stars.
Rhodes was very unselfish in allowing Brodie Lee, Malakai Black and MJF get statement wins over him, but he probably helped Darby Allin the most. Their time limit draw in Darby's debut set the young daredevil up for success.
However, Rhodes defeated Allin in their next two contests to set up a final showdown at Full Gear 2020 with Cody's TNT Championship on the line. The two men arguably delivered their best match yet that could have gone either way.
In the end, Darby rolled up Cody and beat him to win the TNT title. This was Allin's biggest win and truly felt like a passing of the torch.
#3. Cody Rhodes vs. Brodie Lee in a Dog Collar Match for the TNT Championship - AEW Dynamite October 7th, 2020
Brodie Lee also picked up the biggest win of his career against Cody Rhodes. His TNT Title win was the most one-sided match in AEW history. However, Cody's return after a few months away set the stage for an even more brutal rematch.
With Rhodes coming back for revenge, Lee challenged his rival to a Dog Collar Match on the October 7th, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite.
With Dog Collar Match legend Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, in the crowd, Cody and Brodie put on an absolutely bloody war that felt very old school in nature. There were huge spots, plenty of emotion and a grueling finish.
After a near 20-minute battle, Rhodes hit consecutive Cross Rhodes to finally vanquish Brodie to regain the TNT Title.
This would go down as one of the greatest Dynamite matches of all time. Most importantly, this proved to be the final match of Brodie Lee's career. The Dark Order leader passed away just two months later, but he left the fans with arguably the best match of his entire career.
#2. Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara in a Ladder Match for the TNT Championship - AEW Dynamite: Beach Break January 26th, 2022
Speaking of final matches, Cody Rhodes couldn't have ended his AEW run with a better showdown.
On the January 26th, 2022 Beach Break special of Dynamite, Cody faced Sammy Guevara for the undisputed TNT Championship in a ladder match. Rhodes had previously defeated Guevara in the first-ever Dynamite match and again to become a three-time TNT Champion.
With Cody away, Sammy took down Dustin Rhodes to become the interim TNT Champion, setting the stage for another contest against the man he had yet to overcome.
Guevara had a career-making performance here. He pulled out all the stops, including an insane springboard cutter from one ladder to another on Cody.
After another death-defying spot by Guevara with a Swanton Bomb off a ladder onto Cody on a ladder bridge, both men climbed toward the gold. However, Sammy used the TNT Championship to knock Rhodes off and pull down both titles to win. As a result, Cody was able to make yet another star on his way out.
#1. Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes - AEW Double Or Nothing 2019
The only match that could top Cody's final AEW bout is his first. At Double Or Nothing 2019, The American Nightmare faced his older brother Dustin Rhodes. The two had always wanted to have a major match on a grand stage. They got that opportunity at All Elite Wrestling's first official event.
This had the big match feel right from the start with Cody smashing the Triple H-esque throne with a sledgehammer on the ramp. Cody and Dustin proceeded to wrestle the kind of bloody, old-school war of attrition that their father would have been proud of.
Dustin showed that he still had a lot in the tank while Cody proved why he left WWE to become a top star. Cody pulled out the victory, but both men and the fans won on the night.
The post-match was just as emotional as the bout itself, with Cody's declaration of needing his brother bringing fans to tears. That's why the bloody Double Or Nothing bout against Dustin is Cody's best match in AEW.
