Life after WWE: Catching up with 10 Superstars released in 2016

#2 Cody Rhodes

Cody is the current GFW Nex*Gen Champion!

Cody Rhodes was one of those guys everyone expected to be a lifer with the WWE. Unfortunately, things went south when WWE's creative staff refused to consider Cody’s request to end the Stardust gimmick. Cody says he pleaded with the company for over six months to try something different.

In fact, Cody says he presented multiple character and story ideas, which apparently fell on deaf ears. Eventually, after growing exceedingly frustrated, Cody would ask for his release on May 21st.

Once he parted ways with the WWE, Cody made a list of some of the world's top independent talent, suggesting that these were the names he wanted to face. Since then, he has indeed checked several names off of that list, having matches against Kurt Angle and several others from the list.

He has since had to drop the Rhodes name and perform simply as Cody. In the latest news regarding Cody, he appeared in a vignette for New Japan Pro Wrestling, conforming that he is the newest member of the Bullet Club, where he will be known as 'The American Nightmare' Cody.

He's expected to make his debut at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 in January 2017. Cody has also competed for Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling, where he is the current Nex*Gen Champion.

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Staff Editor