Cody Rhodes is the talk of the town after he returned to WWE for the first time in six years. He showed glimpses of his brilliance in his first run with WWE, and some of his first matches on a WWE pay-per-view were at a high level!It seemed increasingly unlikely that Cody Rhodes would rejoin WWE when he became one of the founding fathers of AEW. However, Cody returned to WWE on night one of WrestleMania 38, and he defeated Seth Rollins in one heck of a wrestling match. Cody seemed destined to reach the top in WWE with multiple WWE World Championship reigns to his name. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out that way for Cody.Nevertheless, Cody is back and he's back better than ever as a main eventer. There was room for improvement in Cody's first run with WWE, but he managed to have some excellent matches. The majority of his first batches on a WWE pay-per-view were Tag Team Championship matches where Cody excelled at.
10 Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Vs. Hardcore Holly - Night Of Champions 2008
Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly were expected to defend the World Tag Team Championship against Ted DiBiase and a partner of his choosing at Night of Champions 2008. However, it was a ruse all along as Cody unveiled himself to be DiBiase's secret tag team partner in a handicap match.
Holly was betrayed, and Cody salivated at the prospect of teaming up with DiBiase. Holly was a veteran and he had seen it all before, but he did not expect Cody to turn on him. Ultimately, Cody and DiBiase made short work of Holly to kickstart their run as World Tag Team Champions.
9 Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly Vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch - Survivor Series 2007
Survivor Series 2007 was the site of Cody Rhodes' WWE pay-per-view debut. He had a golden opportunity presented to him alongside Hardcore Holly. They challenged Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship. The defending champions kept Cody at bay, but Cody managed to tag in Holly.
The match was competitive, and it went back and forth. Cody nailed Murdoch with a missile dropkick and Cade saved Murdoch at the last second. Nonetheless, Cade and Murdoch retained their titles after Murdoch executed a sunset flip powerbomb on Cody.
8 Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Vs. Cryme Tyme - Unforgiven 2008
Cryme Tyme was looking to take the World Tag Team Championship away from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase at Unforgiven 2008. They let their intentions known in the early exchanges with a blistering start to the match. Rhodes and DiBiase battled back and Cody slowed JTG down after applying a submission hold.
Cody attempted a moonsault but JTG rolled out of harm's way. Cryme Tyme had their chances to prevail, but DiBiase intervened by breaking up JTG's small package by rolling him the other way in Cody's favor with Rhodes and DiBiase retaining the titles.
7 Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Vs. The Colons Vs. Edge & Chris Jericho - The Bash 2009
At The Bash 2009, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase were expecting to challenge The Colons for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. However, Teddy Long added Edge and Chris Jericho to the match to make it a triple threat match. Both teams were smart with their approach to the match by not letting Edge and Jericho compete.
Legacy and the Colons slugged it out until Edge lived up to his Ultimate Opportunist moniker. He blind-tagged Cody, and Carlito executed the backstabber on Cody. Edge speared Carlito, and he and Jericho became the new Unified WWE Tag Team Champions.
6 Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Vs. Chris Jericho & Big Show - Night Of Champions 2009
Chris Jericho handpicked Big Show to be Edge's replacement in their Unified WWE Tag Team Championship title defense at Night of Champions 2009. Show was a very good replacement for Edge, and Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase had an uphill battle if they were going to become three-time Tag Team Champions.
Both teams were heels, but it didn't hamper the quality of the match. Rhodes and DiBiase represented Legacy, and they isolated Jericho for parts of the match. Cody managed to break up the Walls of Jericho which he applied on DiBiase. However, in the closing stages, Y2J executed the codebreaker on DiBiase, and DiBiase submitted instantly when Show cinched in the colossal clutch.
5 Team Orton Vs. Team Batista - Survivor Series 2008
Randy Orton led Cody Rhodes, William Regal, Shelton Benjamin, and Mark Henry into battle at Survivor Series 2008. Their adversaries were Batista's team comprised of Batista, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth. Orton's team got off to the worst start possible with Punk eliminating Regal within seconds.
Team Orton weathered the storm and they had an excellent outing. Cody eliminated Punk with a DDT. Moreover, the Animal planted Cody with a Batista Bomb but Orton was the legal man as he blind-tagged Cody. Batista was unaware of Orton slithering like a snake, and he sealed the deal with his patented RKO.
4 Legacy Vs. Triple H, Batista, And Shane McMahon - Backlash 2009
Triple H's WWE Championship was in huge jeopardy at Backlash 2009. The Game defended his title in a six-man tag team match with his brother-in-law Shane McMahon and Batista as his partners. Randy Orton was looking to recapture the WWE Title, and he had his Legacy stablemates Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase by his side.
Legacy worked like a well-oiled machine. On the outside, Cody clocked Shane and Batista with a couple of vicious steel chair shots which the referee failed to see. Orton failed to finish off Triple H with the RKO, but a punt kick was enough for Orton to regain the WWE Championship in an outstanding contest.
3 Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble 2009
Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase's task in the 2009 Royal Rumble match was simple. They had to help Randy Orton succeed in his quest of winning the Royal Rumble match and guaranteeing his place in the main event of WrestleMania 25. The road was a long and arduous one, but it proved to be rewarding.
Cody entered 15th, and he had a brief exchange with his brother Goldust. Cody eliminated Goldust, and he collaborated with Orton and DiBiase to eliminate Kane. Cody's maiden Rumble outing was fantastic as he reached the final four but Triple H eliminated him and DiBiase. That allowed the Viper to sneak up behind Triple H to remove him from the equation to win the Rumble for the first time.
2 Legacy Vs. DX - Breaking Point 2009
The rivalry between Legacy and DX in the summer and fall of 2009 was exceptional. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase squared off with a couple of veterans in Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a unique Submissions Count Anywhere match.
The bout spilled into the crowd and the backstage area. Rhodes and DiBiase held their own and proved they were capable of hanging with DX. With Triple H out of commission in the backstage area, Cody applied a figure four leglock on Michaels around the ring post, and for good measure, DiBiase applied the Million Dollar Dream. The pain proved to be too much for HBK to bear with Legacy earning a monster win over two active legends.
1 Legacy Vs. DX - SummerSlam 2009
DX had a grand entrance at SummerSlam 2009 before they could shift their attention towards a marquee tag team match against Legacy's Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. This was Michaels' match since his epic with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25.
This was the beginning of a blossoming trilogy, and the action was jam-packed. Cody thought that Cross Rhodes on Michaels was enough to seal the deal. However, Triple H intercepted the fall, and HBK's Sweet Chin Music saw DX pick up a narrow victory in a hard-fought battle.