Cody Rhodes has been making quite the impact in wrestling since he left WWE. In this article, I discuss his ROH run, and why he is such an intriguing character right now.
The Beginning
When Cody Rhodes left WWE, people were largely unsure about how he would do outside of WWE. While certainly a solid midcard talent in WWE, he was unproven on the indy scene. Many questioned if he could keep up with the best of the best, and those questions persist, even until today.
However, it wasn’t long before Cody was wrestling for ROH, Impact, and a countless number of indy promotions all over the world, trying to make a name for himself. His hard work and dedication earned him a spot in The Bullet Club, where he has only grown as a performer by working with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Marty Scrull, and others.
Upon his debut in ROH it became immediately clear that he was going to be working as a heel when he low blowed Jay Lethal to get the win. Their feud was a bloody one that included a Texas Deathmatch that Dusty Rhodes would have been proud of. Cody’s hard work was showing, as he slowly began earning the respect of the ROH audience.
Cody’s heel work, from the beginning, could be described as good. Not outstanding, but very good. He was clearly bringing eyes to ROH, as seen in their increased attendance and ticket sales. Something was working right here. However, for me, while I enjoyed his work, something just wasn’t quite clicking for me. I always enjoyed what I was watching, but never quite to the level I expected to.
I did, however, have a little hope, because I saw flashes of a very interesting story begin to develop at Wrestle Kingdom 11 during the classic match between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada.
The Bullet Club is Fine?
As Kenny was close to losing the match, Cody ran down towards the ring with a towel. He was getting ready to throw it in to save Kenny from further beating. The Young Bucks stopped him from throwing it in. Kenny eventually mounted a comeback and the match continued for a considerable amount of time afterward before Kenny finally fell to Okada’s Rainmaker. In Long Beach, a few months later, Cody had his own shot against Okada. Part way through the match, Kenny came down to the ring, but like how Cody was stopped, Kenny was also stopped from throwing in the towel.
At Dominion, Kenny Omega faced Okada again in what was one of the greatest wrestling matches I have ever seen. Omega took it too Okada like no one else ever has in this match, taking him to his absolute limit, including hitting the One Winged Angel, but was unable to pin him as Okada was near the ropes. Like the first match, Cody came down this time too and was stopped again. This match ultimately went to a one hour draw, and cemented Okada and Omega as the two best wrestlers in the world today.
After this event, everything seemed to be smoothed out between Cody and Kenny (though there was some conflict between Kenny and Tama Tonga during the G1). On Being the Elite, we saw Kenny and Cody develop a friendship rather than rivalry. Indeed, if there was a fourth member of The Elite, one could argue that it was Cody. Around this time, Cody found his own success, defeating Christopher Daniels for the ROH World Championship, also cementing himself as one of the top draws for Ring of Honor and with various independent promotions.
The Bullet Club was on top of the world. Cody was ROH Champion, and Kenny Omega was the IWGP US Heavyweight Champion. In the words of Cody, “The Bullet Club is fine,” except in this case, it actually was. They were thriving all over the world, continuing to grow their fanbase. Meanwhile, Cody was improving steadily and beginning to show that he absolutely belonged at the top of the wrestling world.
Indeed, he was showing that he really was a top tier wrestler and a major draw. His heel tactics were becoming more and more refined as he feuded with the likes of Christopher Daniels and Dalton Castle for the rest of the year. Ultimately, Cody would lose the ROH World title to Dalton Castle at Final Battle 2017 in a solid match that elevated Dalton to being the top guy in ROH. However, while enjoying his work more and more, I still wasn’t completely sold on Cody.
The Bullet Club Divided
As Wrestle Kingdom 12 approached, a very intriguing match was announced by NJPW: Cody vs. Kota Ibushi. This match immediately excited me, as I thought it had a real chance to steal the show and I was eagerly hoping that Cody would thrive in it.
As the show approached, we began to see a slight change in Cody. He began taunting Kota, including yelling in the match that, “He will never love you as much as I do!” at Kota. Something clicked in this match, and Cody became despicable. Before this, he was certainly dislikable as a heel, but something in this match transformed him from a dislikable heel to utterly wretched human. It was a perfect heel transformation where he started to draw major heat.
This was furthered the next night at New Year Dash where Cody went to attack Kota again, but Kenny Omega saved him.
We saw some slight fissures forming in the Bullet Club here, but the payoff would not come until The New Beginning in Sapporo Night 2.
After Kenny Omega lost his IWGP United States title to Jay White, Hangman Page came down to the ring to challenge the new champion. Kenny grabbed the belt from Page and gave it to White, saying it was White’s moment. Cody came down and accused Kenny of hogging the spotlight and stealing the moment from Page.
The Young Bucks and Marty Scrull came down to the ring to try and calm the situation, but Kenny inadvertently shoved Matt Jackson to the ground. The Bucks, who were just trying to keep the peace, left the ringside area. Marty was left as the only one keeping the peace.
Cody and Kenny appeared to make up, but as they were living the ring, Cody grabbed Kenny and hit the Cross Rhodes on him, driving him into the mat. Marty freaked out and yelled at Cody while he picked Kenny up and was going to continue the assault with Hangman Page. Before the assault could continue, Kota Ibushi ran down to the ring to save Kenny, reforming The Golden Lovers in the process.
The New Leader?
From this point forward, Cody began to attempt to further divide The Bullet Club from Kenny. He insisted that he was holding The Young Bucks back by calling them the best “junior” tag team in the world. The Bucks, in response, would move to heavyweight, where they are going to wrestle The Golden Lovers at Strong Style Evolved. The battle to see who really is the best tag team in the world.
Cody also tried to plant seeds of descension with Marty Scrull. He told Marty that he should make The Villain Club a real thing and focus on that instead of Bullet Club. The peace maker, Marty was set aside, and the best friends of Kenny were now suspicious of him. Cody’s working to turn the Bullet Club on Kenny Omega was working. With a smirk and line like Satan in the Garden, he plants seeds of doubt in the minds of Kenny’s friends, further isolating him from the rest of the Bullet Club.
After Honor Rising Night 1, we were treated to a promo from Cody. He said what he has been saying for awhile now: The Bullet Club is fine. Cody, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. After delivering his usual line, Cody added a new one: The Bullet Club is mine. Thus, the coup, in the eyes of Cody, was complete. He was now the leader of the Bullet Club, and Kenny Omega was out.
During Honor Rising Night 2, Cody’s nefarious tactics continued. He assaulted Kota Ibushi, and yelled again that “Kenny doesn’t love you like I do!” Next, he even kissed Kota against his will. Kota did not take kindly to this, and proceeded to kick the crap out of Cody to the delight of the fans. Every time Cody would do something, the crowd in Korakuen Hall would erupt into boos.
After all of this, I was left wondering “Is he the best heel in wrestling?” Upon reflection, I can’t think of many more that I’d consider better. The performances of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi are second to none in this story, but without Cody it would not have the heat it does. He is playing his roll perfectly. He is planting seeds of doubt and descension between Kenny Omega and everyone else in the Bullet Club.
Since the announcement of the main event for ROH Supercard of Honor, Cody vs. Kenny Omega for control of the Bullet Club, ticket sales have shot through the roof. Ring of Honor will definitely beat their highest attendance number. They achieved that last year at Supercard of Honor. Indeed, it seems that well over 5000 people will be attending the show, making it one of the biggest wrestling events outside of WWE in North America in years. Cody has successfully done what every great heel in wrestling does. He makes the audience want to see him get his comeuppance. He has made Kenny into one of wrestling’s biggest babyfaces, and in turn has made himself one of the hottest heel acts in wrestling.
Next: Worked-Shoots Have Their Place, But That Isn't 'All The Time'
Come Supercard of Honor, I will definitely be watching eagerly as two of the biggest stars outside of WWE fight to control The Bullet Club. So, is Cody Rhodes wrestling’s best heel today? I think he is. His performance, especially since Wrestle Kingdom 12, has been nothing short of outstanding. His work has been so great that Ring of Honor has my money. That is the mark of a good wrestler. They have me so emotionally invested that buying the PPV will be easy. Cody has made that happen for me. He is, in my mind, without question the best heel in wrestling today.