Cody Rhodes shocked the wrestling world when he made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 where he squared off with Seth Rollins. He was an EVP in AEW and it seemed unlikely that he would compete in WWE again. Nevertheless, Cody is back where he started and he is better than ever. Unfortunately, he is currently on the sidelines with a torn pec.
The American Nightmare captivated audiences for many years with some outstanding wrestling matches. In Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has rated some of the best matches in Cody Rhodes' WWE career.
12 Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble 2016 (4 Stars)
The 2016 Royal Rumble match was for Roman Reigns' WWE Championship. Rhodes in his Stardust gimmick was one of the challengers and he joined the fray as the 14th entrant. Stardust endured 14 minutes, but he registered no eliminations.
He was in the background for the majority of the Rumble, and Erick Rowan attempted to dump him over the top rope with a suplex. Stardust managed to hang on but Luke Harper eliminated him with a superkick. Triple H was the 30th entrant, and he went on to become a 14-time WWE World Champion.
11 Money In The Bank Ladder Match For The World Heavyweight Title Contract - Money In The Bank 2010 (4 Stars)
The curtain-raiser at the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010 was the Money in the Bank ladder match for a future World Heavyweight Championship opportunity. Cody Rhodes, Kane, Christian, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Matt Hardy, and Dolph Ziggler were amongst the field.
The bout lasted 26 minutes which was longer than necessary. Rhodes had a decent outing here, but he failed to retrieve the briefcase. Kane prevailed, and he went on to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Rey Mysterio later on in the night to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time.
10 Money In The Bank Ladder Match For The World Heavyweight Title Contract - Money In The Bank 2011 (4 Stars)
For the second year in succession, Cody Rhodes was involved in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank briefcase. This time, Rhodes was up against the likes of Daniel Bryan, Kane, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, Sin Cara, and Sheamus.
This was a fantastic Money in the Bank ladder match and Sheamus powerbombed Sin Cara onto a ladder. Nevertheless, Rhodes, Barrett, and Bryan were the three men fighting at the top of the ladder. Bryan managed to battle past both Rhodes and Barrett to unhook the Money in the Bank briefcase.
9 Money In The Bank Ladder Match For The World Heavyweight Title Contract - Money In The Bank 2012 (4 Stars)
Cody Rhodes was hoping it was the third time a charm when he competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship title contract in 2012. Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler were amongst the favorites to prevail.
This wasn't the best of Money in the Bank ladder matches but it was still a competitive one. Rhodes was the mix to clinch the briefcase, but the Showoff hit Christian with a ladder, and he went on to become Mr. Money in the Bank.
8 Cody Rhodes & Goldust Vs. The Shield - Raw 10/14/13 (4 Stars)
Cody Rhodes and his brother Goldust challenged The Shield's Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a No Disqualification match. This bout was off the charts, and Cody and Goldust dominated the early stages of proceedings.
The action was fast-paced and there was some good action between the two teams. Fans were mesmerized by what they were witnessing and they chanted "This is Awesome." Reigns speared Goldust through the barricade, but Big Show came down the aisle to even up the odds as Dean Ambrose got involved. Show hit Reigns with the KO punch, and Cody pinned Reigns to secure the WWE Tag Team Championship for the brothers.
7 Cody Rhodes & Goldust Vs. The Shield Vs. The Usos - Hell In A Cell 2013 (4 Stars)
At Hell in a Cell 2013, Cody Rhodes and Goldust defended the WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple threat tag team match against The Shield and The Usos. This was the curtain-raiser, and it was a fantastic battle between the three teams.
All three teams were in a rich vein of form and any of them could have walked out as WWE Tag Team Champions. Ultimately, Rhodes put an end to proceedings as he executed Cross Rhodes on Rollins to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.
6 Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble 2008 (4.25 Stars)
The 2008 Royal Rumble match was jam-packed with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels opening proceedings. However, Cody Rhodes competed in the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career as the 13th entrant.
Rhodes equipped himself well here but he failed to eliminate anyone. He lasted 23 minutes which is admirable, but he was eliminated by Triple H. John Cena made his return as the 30th entrant, and he won the Royal Rumble match.
5 Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match - WrestleMania 31 (4.25 Stars)
There was a seven-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship to get WrestleMania 31 underway. Bad News Barrett defended the gold with Stardust, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth looking to take the championship away from Bryan.
Ladder matches and WrestleMania go hand in hand, and this was a superb Intercontinental Championship match. Stardust wasn't one of the favorites to prevail but he had a good performance. Nonetheless, Bryan carried on where he left off by winning a championship at WrestleMania.
4 Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match - WrestleMania 32 (4.25 Stars)
Stardust was involved in the show-opener at WrestleMania for the second year in succession, and it was another ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32. Kevin Owens was the defending champion, and his rival Sami Zayn was one of the challengers.
The ladder match was mainly focused on Owens and Zayn, but the other challengers had something to say about it. Stardust paid tribute to his late father Dusty Rhodes with the polka dot ladder which was a nice touch. This was a fascinating contest, and Zack Ryder captured the Intercontinental Championship for the first time.
3 Cody Rhodes Vs. Seth Rollins - WrestleMania 38 (4.5 Stars)
Six years after competing as Stardust in the AT&T Stadium, Cody Rhodes returned to WWE and he was unveiled as Seth Rollins' mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38. This match was nothing short of extraordinary, and the American Nightmare received a huge pop.
The Visionary was doing some of his best work for some time, and they knocked it out of the park in a magnificent wrestling match. Cody eventually battled past Rollins with a trio of Cross Rhodes to get the job done.
2 Cody Rhodes Vs. Seth Rollins - WrestleMania Backlash 2022 (4.5 Stars)
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins engaged in a hotly anticipated rematch at WrestleMania Backlash 2022 and they opened up the show. There's no surprise that Rhodes and Rollins replicated their WrestleMania battle with another hard-fought contest.
Rollins connected with the Stomp, and Rhodes executed the Cross Rhodes but both showcased their resiliency by kicking out. Ultimately, Rollins was looking to finish off Rhodes with a roll-up, but the American Nightmare rolled up Rhodes for the win.
1 Cody Rhodes Vs. Seth Rollins - Hell In A Cell 2022 (5 Stars)
The third and final installment in Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins' trilogy of matches was a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell 2022. They main evented the show, but the match was in serious jeopardy as Cody revealed that he had torn his pectoral muscle.
Cody has a high threshold of pain, and he deserves a lot of credit for soldering on. The Visionary saw this as an opportunity to get a win over Rhodes as he hit him on several occasions with the kendo stick. Nonetheless, Rollins responded with a couple of Cross Rhodes of his own, and he nailed Rollins with a sledgehammer to secure the win.