#Winning: Cody Rhodes Still On Top One Year After WWE Release
On May 21, 2016, Cody Rhodes said goodbye to the WWE as he looked ahead to the next chapter in his professional wrestling career. Leaving behind the facepaint and the memories, both good and bad, the wrestler now known as ‘Cody,’ only brought with him a list of wrestlers he wanted to face and enough ambition and passion for the business that suggested success would follow wherever he went.
Now, just over a year later, that success has come in droves as Cody is preparing for an eight-day stretch that will see him face Christopher Daniels on June 23, in Lowell, MA, for the Ring of Honor World Championship at Best in the World, and Kazuchika Okada on July 1, in Long Beach, CA, for the IWGP World Championship as part of New Japan’s first ever G1 Special on U.S. soil.
Rhodes has a chance to make history by holding both ROH and NJPW’s top belts simultaneously, and for a guy who never even received a world championship match while in WWE (he’s had three such matches in the last eight months), this is quite the feat. But this eight day period is only the icing on the top of what has been a very impressive cake since leaving WWE.
Saying Goodbye
As Cody Rhodes left the WWE, he penned an emotional open letter to pro wrestling fans (I advise you to read it if you haven’t), describing why he requested his release from WWE.
In the letter, Rhodes summed up his 10-year career and outlined his reasons for leaving which included being unable to convince Vince McMahon and Triple H that he was worthy of the WWE Championship and being their “star player,” pleading for six months, again unsuccessfully, to retire the Stardust character and go back to being himself, and how he was losing his passion for the business and knew he needed to go elsewhere to rekindle it.
Rhodes spoke a lot about his father and mentor, and how he felt the work he was doing in WWE was no longer creating that legacy he felt was fitting of the American Dream. He spoke about how it was “never about the money,” but rather about the moments. He mentioned, by name, several of the boys in the locker room, reminding them to “keep having a better match than you’re supposed to.” Finally, he talked about being a professional, always entertaining to the best of his ability no matter the gimmick or opportunity he was handed.
As a lifelong fan of Cody Rhodes and the work he did over his WWE career, it was sad to see him go, but this letter did provide clarity on why he had to it. One particular and impactful line in the letter, seemed to say it all as Rhodes recounted, “I felt like I had a bag of those brass rings and when it came time for me to cash them in, I find I can’t do so.”
Looking back on the year he has had since then and everything left to come, I think it’s safe to say that Rhodes found a place, several actually, where he could cash in those brass rings after all.
The List of Cody Rhodes… Check Off the Names, Man!
Not wasting anytime following his 90-day non-compete, Rhodes’ tour of the indies and beginning of life post-WWE, took place at Evolve #66 as Rhodes faced and defeated Zack Sabre Jr on August 19. He followed this up by working Evolve #67 the next day and crossing off the first name on his list, Chris Hero.
Next up was Kurt Angle, who he faced twice, first at the NEW Wrestling Under the Stars V event and again at WCPW True Legacy. After Rhodes/Angle I, Rhodes had the opportunity to face Marty Scrull in September, crossing off BOLA and personal ring announcer in the process. Following BOLA, Rhodes took on Pat Buck at WrestlePro Issue #8.
In October, Rhodes then made his way to TNA/Impact Wrestling, to work a program with Mike Bennett. It was also at TNA that he received his first world title match ever, in a losing effort against Eddie Edwards.
November saw Rhodes win his first championship since leaving WWE, as he defeated Sonjay Dutt for the GFW Nex*Gen title. Rhodes ended the year with a bang, as he made his ROH debut at Final Battle against Jay Lethal (and crossed “the streamers thing” off his list), before being named the newest member of Bullet Club, just a week or so later.
Now known as “The American Nightmare,” Rhodes would begin his 2017 with a victory at Wrestle Kingdom XI before teaming with Adam Cole several times. He’d cross Trevor Lee off his list when the two met in February at PWG’s Only Kings Understand Each Other card and Katsuyori Shibata when he teamed up with Adam Page at ROH/NJPW’s Honor Rising Day 1. Rhodes also won another title, the WCPW Internet Title, when he defeated Lio Rush and Mario Bokara at the WrestlePro Sayreville show.
In March, Rhodes had the opportunity to face Moose for the Impact Grand Championship, wrapping up the TNA/Impact portion of his list. And in April, he crossed Dalton Castle off too, when alongside partner Adam Cole, the two defeated Castle and Christopher Daniels at an ROH TV taping.
And while Rhodes has yet to face Cole or the Young Bucks, he has had several matches alongside them as a member of Bullet Club, likely crossing them off the list as well. Only one name remains then, Roderick Strong, and right now that one is a little more difficult. Perhaps one day however, Rhodes will return to the WWE and be able to finish his list, thus finishing the first thing he set out to accomplish when leaving in the first place.
Other notable opponents Rhodes has faced in the past year not mentioned above or on the list include: Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, Drew Galloway, Doug Williams, Steve Corino (in his last pro wrestling match), Bobby Fish, Will Ospreay, Joey Ryan, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, Tommy Dreamer and Michael Elgin.
All of these matches, all of these opportunities and to think, not once said his WWE departure has Rhodes signed on the dotted line for a full-time contract.
Looking Ahead
To say that Cody Rhodes has been winning wrestling for the past year-plus may actually be an understatement. The man who was never seen as world championship material, has now had three world title matches with two more on the way. The man who was reduced to gimmicks involving face paint or paper bags or smoke and mirrors, is now part of the most talked about stable in pro wrestling.
In just over one year, Rhodes has accomplished more in this industry than some could ever dream of. He’s worked for countless promotions, has faced some of the best in the world, and he’s not done yet. Not to mention, he’ll just be turning 32 at the end of this month meaning that age is on his side and he’s just scratching the surface of his athletic prime. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a new list of names and goals at some point soon.
There is no denying that the name “Cody Rhodes” is one of the hottest names on the independent scene or that it sells tickets and PPV/iPPV buys. People want to pay to see “the grandson of a plumber, who is formally known as dashing, undashing and mustachioed, and the star who left them in the dust.” They want to pay to see “The American Nightmare,” a guy who plays dirty and really hates the Revival (in kayfabe only of course)…
When Rhodes left the WWE, he did so on his own volition and the path he has blazed since then is one that no doubt has opened the door for others to leave the company on mutual agreements in the past several months. Rhodes’ success shows that wrestlers, even those who spent their entire careers working for McMahon and co., don’t need the WWE to be stars nor do they need the company to make a name for themselves.
Rhodes is proof that wrestlers can do things on their own terms, that they can establish themselves whether its working in front of 40 people in a high school auditorium or over 40,000 people in the Tokyo Dome.
He is proof that, as he said in his goodbye letter to the WWE, that “cream rises and hard work prevails. My work just needs to be elsewhere.”