Cody Rhodes is perhaps the most over wrestler in the world right now. From his humble beginnings in Lassiter High School to creating his promotion AEW, Cody is beloved by the crowd. Fans not only enjoy his magical in-ring work and backstage skits but his grasp of the microphone can be unparalleled when compared to the modern wrestler. Stuck in constraints of preplanned promos and creative back ties, Cody demonstrated to the world that if you let him loose, he is a force to be reckoned with.
Just searching online for anything Cody Rhodes will lead you to videos of the E-VP laying down the mic as no one else can. With so many videos, the cream must rise to the top, so here they are the top 10 Cody Rhodes promos
10 Get The Attitude Out
In his Stardust gimmick, Cody declared war on his Attitude Era coworkers. While never a fan of the gimmick, Cody demonstrated his professionalism and commitment to the character cutting the promo as only a crazed Stardust could. Interviewed by his wife Brandi Rhodes, Cody outlines how he will rid the WWE of the "fat" that has been ruining the company. While still in a feud with his brother Goldust, Cody shares his intent to take out all of the previous generation heroes by starting the hashtag #GetTheAttitudeOut. A hashtag that unfortunately never caught on.
9 Getting Fired From WWE
Kayfabe firings are a dime a dozen. Kevin Owens seems to be involved in one almost every week! Cody, however, faced his demise against Randy Orton after receiving an RKO that launched him out of the company but not high enough to create Stardust just quite yet. Stopped backstage on his way out, Cody was asked if he had any parting words for the WWE Universe.
Annoyed and frustrated at his recent "future endeavors" letter, Cody proceeds to lay down his most scathing promo in the WWE to that point. A small preview of what was to come as the intensity seen here would become a staple for the beach blonde prince. Had WWE realized the diamond in the rough they had here maybe history would've taken a much different tone.
8 All In Post Show
Traded around like an old ECW tape, Cody's post All In promo never made air but has found its niche in this viral marketing world taking the internet by storm only minutes after All In came to a close. Fresh off of winning the NWA Championship, Cody and the rest of The Elite thanked the crowd for the night that birthed AEW.
Spinning out of control and taming the mic as he tends to do, Cody called out the WWE for his release and what he and his friends had accomplished that night, even coining the term "Undesirable to Undeniable" in his intense speech. While nothing can compare to being in-person hearing him speak, smartphone videos have been a great substitute.
7 Cody vs Steve Corino
Fans of classic ECW love a 17-year-old promo resurfaced to haunt the "King of Old School" Steve Corino. Using the classic words in a promo Corino used against his father years before, Cody let out one of the most terrifying and cold promos he has ever done. Corino didn't back down either, going as far to threaten Cody's older brother Dustin and then goading the American Nightmare into a match. It was quick, but most of all an incredible call back to the days of ECW video trading.
6 The US Title Victory Speech
There is little doubt that without Dusty Rhodes, NXT would still be a producer and a promoter pipe dream. The term "Dusty's Kids" had become to be popularized by dirt sheets and online articles alike proclaiming NXT's class to be some of the freshest and most unstoppable talents to come out of WWE in years.
While no one will ever truly know how Cody feels about this term other than his Inner Circle (pun intended), the Cody character made it clear it bothered him and was a moniker Juice Robinson didn't deserve. Sporting the newly won gold and now holding the IWGP US Title, Cody unleashed a fury to the press that showcased his intensity and anger toward his former employer still using his father's name to get superstars over. It made for good TV and even better rumors.
5 The Ring Of Honor Ring
At this point, one of the hottest athletes on the independent circuit, Cody took Ring of Honor by storm. As World Champion, his first task was to replace the icon belt with a newly designed diamond ring he would sport like the ravishing superstar he is. In front of his hometown crowd, he revealed the ring to one of ROH's loudest pops. Relatively simple and more of a fun way to shake up the company, Cody's ring reveal had an underlying tone of self-indulgence for the character. Now that he was a star he could do whatever he wanted and no one could stop him.
4 Stopping Brandi Rhodes
A permanent fixture to the Cody character is his real-life wife Brandi Rhodes. Always joined at the hip in one way or another, the duo took on the world together and made strides where many said they would fail. No matter how strong love is, however, Cody Rhodes's ego has a way of engulfing everyone around him, even his long-time partner.
Debuting on Impact at 2016's Bound For Glory, Cody and Brandi were thrust into championship storylines and the top of the card. Brandi, not known for her in-ring ability, wanted to change the perception and show she was more than a manager. She wanted to showcase her skills as a top contender for the Knockouts Title. However, Cody interrupted her match to pay off her opponent and put the focus back on himself and his ongoing feud with Moose.
3 Kenny Omega Pipe-bomb
Perhaps the hottest story-line in the world at the time of its inception, Cody Rhodes vs. Kenny Omega for control of the Bullet Club set the wrestling world on fire. As any good booker will tell you, a good match with no promos is not worth watching but that was not the case when Cody took to Ring of Honor to ensure the crowd that Bullet Club was fine but its leader was now in the crosshairs of the American Nightmare. Not a good place to be 2018 when Cody was so over.
2 Dustin And Cody
Fans were shocked to see the raw carnage a fight between two brothers could have. Laced with blood and standing on stained canvas, Cody addressed his brother by shutting down rumors of his retirement and calling back to their father Dusty's "The View Never Changes" promo. Cody invoked his true emotions and asked his older brother to join him for another ride. The pure emotion in Cody's voice and Dustin's blood-soaked face looking on made this one of the most incredible moments in wrestling's modern history. Longtime fans of Dustin knew his potential not only as a wrestler but as a person who could invoke a lot of emotions into storylines when he was invested.
1 The Career Announcement
Everyone knew this would top the list. It is not only the best promo of Cody's career but maybe the best modern promo of all time. Channeling his father and the classic promo style of studio wrestling, Cody laid down the most passionate and intense promo of his career, covering his feud with the Inner circle, his WWE past, The Elite, his lineage, and never challenging for the AEW Championship should he lose. Cody covered so much in his less than 7-minute tirade but never lost the crowd at home or live. Solidifying himself as a true legend, Cody's career promo proves just how much he went from undesirable to undeniable.