Cody Rhodes entered WrestleMania 39 hoping to make history by defeating the long-standing Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event.
After a classic encounter Rhodes ultimately came up short against the ‘Head Of The Table’, with his emotional quest for the WWE’s top crown likely on pause for now as he looks set to enter into a feud with ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar.
Rhodes earnt his shot at WrestleMania by winning the Men’s Royal Rumble back in January, which marked his first in-ring appearance for the company since a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery had forced him from WWE screens in mid-2022.
At the time ‘The American Nightmare’ had been feuding with Seth Rollins, who was also his opponent when he made a shock return to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
And whilst Rhodes could understandably feel downbeat at recent developments, he can take comfort in the fact he is soon to hit an incredibly impressive WWE milestone.
Cody Rhodes one bout away from 1500 as a WWE Superstar
Twitter user @WrestleFeatures recently revealed that Rhodes next match would be his 1500th for WWE.
“Cody Rhodes’ next match in @WWE will officially be match number 𝟭,𝟱𝟬𝟬 of his WWE career.”
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion debuted on the main roster in 2007, shortly after inducting his Father ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes into the WWE Hall Of Fame alongside his brother Dustin, perhaps better known to WWE fans as Goldust.
Initially Rhodes formed part of the faction Legacy, a group of multi-generational wrestlers led by Randy Orton and also including Ted Dibiase Junior. After a run that saw a man event feud with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, the trio would disband and meet in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 26, won by Orton.
A stint as ‘Dashing’ Cody Rhodes would follow, a successful period that saw a memorable feud with WWE Hall Of Famer Rey Mysterio and an Intercontinental Championship run that stretched to 233 days.
Soon after Rhodes would be repackaged as the cosmic inspired Stardust character, a nod to his brother’s former gimmick. A feud with actor Stephen Amell would prove to be the highlight, but after Dusty Rhodes passed in 2015, the future ‘American Nightmare’ made the bold decision to request his release from WWE and make a name for himself elsewhere.
It was to be a well documented next few years for Rhodes, who would appear for the likes of NJPW and ROH before he helped launched AEW and took on the role of Executive Vice President.
He would win the companies TNT Championship on three occasions before departing in February 2022 and his return to WWE has seen him build upon the huge number of matches as he strives to hit the 1500 mark.
H/T: Sportskeeda for the above transcription