5 current AEW stars who you may not remember featured in a WWE Championship match

#3 Cody Rhodes (WWE Backlash 2009)

Cody helped Randy Orton win the WWE Title at Backlash 2009.

Also a part of the 2016 Royal Rumble Match, Cody Rhodes was actually eliminated from it by Luke Harper. He was still in his Stardust gimmick back then. However, Cody enjoyed more fruitful times in WWE and had a lot of potential. He enjoyed a lengthy Intercontinental Championship reign, as well as a couple of Tag Team Title runs.

But the closest he ever came to WWE's main event scene was in 2009, as part of Legacy, a stable of second-generation WWE Superstars. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. were under the leadership of Randy Orton, who had made a fair number of enemies over the past couple of months.

Following his failure to win the WWE Championship from Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania 25, the Viper challenged The Game again at Backlash. But this time, it was in a 6-man Tag Team Match. Triple H teamed with Shane McMahon and Batista against Legacy, with the title on the line.

Cody was tasked, along with Dibiase Jr., to help Orton win the title. And it did happen. Randy Orton became the Champion, as a result of Legacy winning. He may have been slightly in the background of this angle, but Cody Rhodes was still a part of this WWE Championship match.