WWE Champion reaches one full calendar year this week, making him the 10th wrestler in history to hold WWE's most prestigious championship for at least 365 consecutive days. Rhodes first won the title in the main event of WrestleMania XL on April 7, 2024, by defeating Roman Reigns and ending "The Tribal Chief's" tyrannical reign over the company. Since then, he has successfully defended the title eight times on WWE TV and live events.
And while his championship reign could be in jeopardy when he takes on John Cena at WrestleMania 41 later this month, now is the time to celebrate "The American Nightmare's" first year as the undisputed face of the WWE. Let's take a look at his best matches from that time period.
5 Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns - WrestleMania XL
Finishing The Story
One could make the argument that the highlight of Rhodes' reign was how it began. After the crushing disappointment of losing the WrestleMania 39 main event a year prior and losing a tag team match against Reigns and The Rock the night before, Rhodes had all the odds stacked against him as he took on Reigns in a Bloodline Rules Match. Every member of The Bloodline would wind up getting involved, including The Rock, but Rhodes had backup in the form of John Cena, Seth Rollins, Jey Uso and The Undertaker.
There was a moment where it looked like Reigns would still come out on top as he grabbed a steel chair and started motioning towards a defenseless Rhodes. But the sight of Rollins decked out in his classic Shield attire and the hatred Reigns still held for him proved to be too great of a distraction. Rhodes was able to capitalize and hit three Cross Rhodes in a row to finally end Reigns' championship reign at 1,316 days.
4 Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles - Backlash
Simply Phenomenal
Rhodes' championship feuds tend to follow a particular formula where one match is never enough. As a result, a number of his title defenses on live events tend to be forgettable.
But his first title defense against AJ Styles at Backlash will likely live on in WWE history forever. This was thanks to the 11,000-plus fans in attendance chanting "Il est vraiment phénoménal (He is really phenomenal)!" for Styles so loudly that it caused the cameras in the arena to shake. Rhodes' victory was never in doubt, but it's worth returning to that match for that moment alone.
3 Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa (Steel Cage Match) - WWE SmackDown
Rhodes Vs. The Bloodline Rages On
The jury is still out over whether Solo Sikoa is a viable main eventer in WWE. But most of his singles matches with both Rhodes and Reigns left something to be desired. But the Steel Cage Match he had with Rhodes on the Sept. 13 episode of WWE SmackDown was clearly the best of the bunch.
Rhodes was able to make Sikoa look like a dominant force, his dive off the top of the cage was an excellent climactic moment and the brawl between Sikoa's Bloodline and Reigns set the stage for a much bigger match at the Bad Blood live event. Speaking of which...
2 Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu - Bad Blood
Never Before, Never Again
Normally, the idea of having Rhodes and Reigns set aside their differences to take on the new incarnation of The Bloodline in a tag team match would feel like a filler arc in-between bigger storylines. But WWE managed to make this feel like a big deal every step of the way; from Rhodes & Reigns' pre-taped promos, to the match itself, to Jimmy Uso's return and even a surprise cameo from The Rock.
And while there's still some debate over whether Rock's appearance was ever meant to truly amount to anything, they'd manage to tie it back in with John Cena's heel turn months later. Long-term storytelling can be fun, even when it's not always intentional.
1 Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens (Ladder Match) - Royal Rumble
Sheer Brutality
Kevin Owens has come up short in trying to win the WWE Championship time and again. And while that losing streak continued in three title matches against Rhodes, WWE did an incredible job of making it seem like he'd finally get one over on Rhodes. From bringing back his Package Piledriver finisher to carrying around the classic "Winged Eagle" WWE Championship, the idea of Owens beating Rhodes in a Ladder Match for the title at the 2025 Royal Rumble felt like a legitimate possibility.
Meanwhile, Rhodes was allowed to show off a much more ruthless side as he brutalized Owens throughout the match. The visual of him standing over an unconscious Owens and a concerned Sami Zayn with both of the title belts gave fans a taste of what a heel Rhodes championship reign would look like. We probably won't see Rhodes as a heel for a while, but this was a fun teaser for when that day finally comes.
