Cody did win the Intercontinental title twice and held the tag team titles on numerous occasions, but it still didn't quite add up to his potential.
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As far as technical wrestlers go, Cody Rhodes is up there with the best. He has come up with great matches no matter the stage and his skill set is second to none. He is a high-flyer, a brawler and a powerhouse. Of course, he has become this good over the last couple of years. His first stint with the WWE was underwhelming, to say the least. He did win the Intercontinental title twice and held the tag team titles on numerous occasions, but it still didn’t quite add up to his potential.
Things took an upward turn when he left WWE. That’s when he started to come into his own. He returned to the WWE at WrestleMania 38 and defeated Seth Rollins in an incredible match. In this article, we take a look at some of his best rivals during his first run with the company.
Cody Rhodes was Randy Orton’s disciple. The Viper took him under his wings and taught him the tricks of the trade. Cody would end up doing all his dirty work and was basically Orton’s understudy.
However, at the very beginning of his WWE career, Randy and Cody were involved in a bitter feud because the former disrespected Cody’s father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and even slapped him during one backstage segment. Things got heated between the two men and they met for a match which Randy won with ease. They met again and Randy got the better of the upstart again.
Read more: Edge vs John Cena and other Rivalries in WWE
One of the best matches Cody had was against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 27. Mysterio is one of the greatest to ever step foot inside the squared circle and his match with Cody proved it as they had great chemistry throughout the match and the rivalry as a whole.
Rhodes excelled in his role as the heel and Mysterio was the traditional babyface. The match had a good to it and went back and forth with a good flow. Cody got the win by using Rey’s knee guard against him and put an end to this rivalry.
Rhodes got his first taste of success when he feuded with Holly. He caught the attention of Holly after losing to him on three consecutive occasions. Holly liked Rhodes’ willingness to keep coming back and that won him over.
The two men formed a tag team and would go on to win the tag team titles which were Cody’s first championships. Rhodes would, later on, betray Holly by turning on him and teaming up with Ted Dibiase.
