These days, Cody Rhodes is the Executive Vice President of All Elite Wrestling, and also an on-screen talent, one of the faces of the first major promotion to challenge the dominance of WWE in years. But before that, he was an underutilized midcarder in WWE, where he was recognized for his family name but rarely got big opportunities.
Rhodes finally departed WWE in 2016, working all over the indies and Japan before co-founding All Elite Wrestling. A return to WWE seems very unlikely anytime soon, so let’s take a look at his last 10 pay-per-view matches, starting with the worst one.
10 The 2015 Royal Rumble
One of the most hated Royal Rumbles of all time, the 2015 Rumble ended with Kane and Big Show -- representing corrupt WWE management -- throwing out every popular babyface before Roman Reigns emerged as the winner, much to the chagrin of the live crowd and the entire internet. As far as it relates to Cody Rhodes -- or in this case, Stardust -- he was thrown out after 12 minutes and 0 eliminations by Roman Reigns. Controversial finish aside, it’s not exactly a fun Rumble to watch.
9 Goldust vs. Stardust (Fastlane 2015)
It seemed like the moment Cody and Dustin Rhodes started teaming up in 2013, fans were fantasy booking an epic brother vs. brother showdown at a WrestleMania. For about four years, the best fans got was a severely disappointing singles match at Fastlane that lasted about nine minutes with the unfulfilled promise of the feud continuing. Thankfully, their Double Or Nothing match in 2019 was the emotional battle that fans were hoping for.
8 Goldust & Stardust vs. RybAxel (Money In The Bank 2014)
After Cody Rhodes and Goldust lost to RybAxel at Payback 2014, Cody reinvented himself as “Stardust” to match his brother’s energy, leading to this rematch against Curtis Axel and Ryback at Money in the Bank, wherein the Rhodes boys got a win over the heels.
While the Stardust persona was still fresh, this bout was a totally average and forgettable tag match that mostly functioned as a cooldown after the barnburner MITB ladder match. If nothing else, it set the team on the right foot to challenge for the Tag Titles months down the line.
7 Goldust & Stardust vs. The Usos (Hell In A Cell 2014)
After losing the Tag Team Titles to the “Dust Brothers” at Night of Champions (see below), Jimmy and Jey Uso got a rematch at the following month’s Hell in a Cell PPV in a ten-minute bout where Cody and Dustin retained. While the match was a perfectly competent tag team wrestling early on the card, it overall failed to excite fans, as the two groups may have clashed one too many times on the way to this rematch.
6 King Barrett & Stardust vs. Neville & Stephen Amell (SummerSlam 2015)
The lead-up to SummerSlam 2015 involved Stephen Amell, pro wrestling fan and star of The CW’s Arrow, who entered a feud with Stardust that also incorporated King Barrett and Neville (a.k.a. PAC). The big SummerSlam tag match lasted less than eight minutes, with Amell acquitted himself well in his first-ever pro wrestling match as Neville scored the win for his team with a Red Arrow onto Barrett. It’s a fun, frivolous kind of match, and one of the better celebrity in-ring efforts in wrestling history.
5 Goldust & Stardust vs. The Usos (Night of Champions 2014)
Cody Rhodes’ reinvention into Stardust would mean nothing if he and Goldust were unable to recapture the Tag Team Title they lost earlier that year, so they ended up defeating The Usos in the opening match of Night of Champions to do so. Fans seemed to enjoy this well-wrestled, very old school heels vs. faces tag team match, which ended with Stardust countering a top rope maneuver from Jey Uso, rolling Uso up for a pinfall.
4 Damien Mizdow & The Miz vs. Los Matadores vs. Goldust & Stardust vs. The Usos (Survivor Series 2014)
Two months after winning the Tag Team Title, Goldust and Stardust would end up losing them at Survivor Series in a 15-minute four-way match that opened the show thanks to Damien Mizdow tagging himself in and stealing a pin for the win.
While it was a shame to see the brothers lose so early in their reign, the match itself was a blast, and it’s hard to argue with the decision to put the belts on The Miz and his “stunt double” Damien Mizdow, who was growing in popularity with the fans.
3 Bad News Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper vs. R-Truth vs. Stardust (WrestleMania 31)
As WWE seemed to give up on the Goldust/Stardust feud, the latter decided to move on to the Intercontinental Championship scene, taking part in the seven-way ladder match for the IC strap that opened up WrestleMania 31. It was a great, exciting way to kick off the ‘Mania card, with lots of violent ladder spots as well as Stardust bringing out his own sparkly ladder. Daniel Bryan would end up grabbing the belt for a reign that would be cut short due to his retirement.
2 The 2016 Royal Rumble (Royal Rumble 2016)
One of the better Royal Rumbles of the 2010s, the 2016 edition offered a lot of great moments including the debut of AJ Styles and Triple H winning the match along with the WWE Championship. As for Stardust’s role in the match itself, he would last a respectable 14 minutes and a less-respectable zero eliminations before being eliminated by Luke Harper. While that was disappointing, he would once again open WrestleMania to great acclaim months later.
1 Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder (WrestleMania 32)
Cody Rhodes’ last pay-per-view match for WWE was another seven-way ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, but one that surpassed the previous effort. As to be expected, the match -- featuring a murderer’s row of underappreciated talent -- was full of crazy ladder spots and violent hijinx as well as Stardust pulling out a polka dotted ladder in honor of his late father Dusty Rhodes. Even the finish is notable, with Zack Ryder scoring a surprise win to set the crowd on the right positive note.