Happy Wednesday Everyone!
We’ll be getting back to rebooking in a couple of weeks as I’ve put some time into doing another arc, which I hope you’ll enjoy. In the meantime though I saw that WWE was hocking a Best of Cody Rhodes DVD over here in the UK for the paltry price of £10, featuring matches from his debut in 2007 all the way up to his torn pec match in the Cell.
Seeing as I’ve quite enjoyed Cody’s antics since his initial debut in WWE, I thought I’d pick the DVD up and give it a reviewing. There’s two discs, so we’ll split this over two weeks.
I was thinking this would make a nice tie in to Cody winning the belt at Mania 39, but then WWE decided to WCWify that all up. Oh well.
Link for the DVD is below if you’re interested
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WWE-American-Nightmare-Best-Rhodes/dp/B0BRT5ZPR9
16th July 2007
Monday Night Raw
The Legend Killer Randy Orton Vs Cody Rhodes w/ The American Dream Dusty Rhodes
Cody initially showed up to defend the honour of his dad Dusty when Orton was feuding with the elder Rhodes. I’m not sure if he was meant to stick around following that or not, but he certainly did. This really is just a collection of matches without any stuff linking it together. This match took place on the go-home show for Great American Bash 2007, where Orton would defeat Dusty in a bull rope match.
Cody mostly sells here whilst Orton works him over, with Cody doing a good job of being where he needs to be and making the occasional brief comeback attempt before being snuffed out again. Cody does eventually make a comeback and gets a nice looking dropkick from the top for two, in a near fall that some of the crowd were actually buying. Orton decides he’s had enough of this following that though and snaps off an RKO for the win after a good effort from Cody.
WINNER: RANDY ORTON
RATING: **
Thoughts: This was a solid TV debut for Cody, as they didn’t have him do anything he couldn’t do and the crowd responses weren’t bad either. Orton was clearly the bigger more established star and the result was never in doubt, but they did just enough to make you think Cody might be a star down the line
Orton tries punting Cody following the match, but Dusty sees it coming and Orton backs off, deciding instead to wait for the pay per view.
29th June 2008
Night of Champions
Raw Tag Team Titles
Champs: Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes Vs Ted Dibiase Jr and a Mystery Partner
Holly had become a gruff mentor for Cody in his early WWE career, leading to them eventually winning the tag belts together. Ted had debuted and was doing the whole disrespectful youngster routine, with him teasing that he had a partner for this match. Ted gets an extraordinarily flat response to his entrance, not helped by his low energy entrance music, which they ended up improving in the coming weeks until ruining it again.
Ted says before the match starts that his partner isn’t here yet, so he’ll start the match and the partner will eventually arrive. This is of course a swerve, as it turns out that it is in fact Cody who is the mystery partner, putting Holly in a handicap situation. Cody delivers a DDT to Holly and Ted follows up with a Cobra Clutch Leg Sweep to get the three count and the belts.
WINNERS AND NEW CHAMPIONS: RHODES & DIBIASE
RATING: N/A
Thoughts: This was more an angle than a match, but it achieved its goal of establishing the new team and breaking Cody away from the millstone around his neck that Holly was becoming
4th October 2009
Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell Match
The Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr) Vs D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels)
This was the rubber match between the two teams, as DX had won at SummerSlam and Legacy had gotten them back at Breaking Point. Legacy attacks DX on the way to the ring, leading to all four brawling outside the ring. It’s good action, with all four of them taking some pretty unpleasant looking bumps, including when Cody BOUNCES off the announce table on a double suplex at one stage. Cody then takes another horrid bump by getting back body dropped from the crowd into the ringside area, where he accidentally bangs his leg against the cell.
Eventually Legacy manage to take Triple H out in the entrance way with a Double DDT and a Cross Rhodes before locking Shawn alone in the cell with them. This means that Shawn has to bravely survive whilst Tri tries to get in there to help him, which gives Shawn a chance to sell big whilst Triple H gets to stand around looking angry. Shawn and Tri are both good at doing those respective things and Legacy do a solid job working Shawn over, so this works well as a way to build tension and make it look like DX are going to lose.
The crowd instantly understands the story and the precarious position Shawn is in, so they alternate i chanting for both DX members, hoping that Shawn can survive whilst also hoping that Triple H can find a way to get into the cell and rescue his buddy. It’s something a bit different from the usual HIAC match as well, which helps prevent it feeling too samey to previous cell bouts. Shawn is allowed the occasional attack to show that he’s still in this, but he’s invariably cut off again before he can really get going due to the numbers game.
Triple H eventually leaves to try and find something that he can prise the door of the cell open with, leaving Shawn with more selling to do, which he does a magnificent job at. Legacy looks moments from winning when they lock Shawn in a Cobra Clutch/Figure Four hold using the ring post, which is how they won at Breaking Point, but Tri returns with some bolt cutters and FINALLY makes it into the cell, leading to DX making the comeback.
Triple H gives Ted a Pedigree on the floor at the cellside area before dumping him through the door and locking it back up, meaning that Cody is now at a disadvantage. They made sure that the bolt cutters were inside the cell there as well, to explain why Ted can’t just use them to get back inside and help out. Cody gets Pillmanised around the neck via a Shawn elbow drop, which leads to Triple H finding his trusty sledgehammer. A combined Chin Music and hammer shot follows, and that’s enough for DX to pick up the win.
WINNERS: D-GENERATION X
RATING: ****
Thoughts: This was an excellent match, as they told a really good story and all four wrestlers played their respective roles well. I like how the Heels ended up getting hoist by their own petard at the end as well, as wrestling is supposed to be the ultimate morality play at the end of the day so seeing the villains get undone by their own scheme was a satisfying conclusion
28th March 2010
WrestleMania XXVI
Cody Rhodes Vs Ted Dibiase Jr Vs The Viper Randy Orton
These three were all in a faction together, but that group ended up disintegrating and now they’re all going at it to settle things. Cody and Ted were generally more aligned together than with Orton, with the suggestion being that this will resemble more of a glorified handicap match at points. That gets played out in the early going, with Orton trying to keep both of his opponents at bay until they are eventually able to knock him down and work him over, drawing boos from the crowd.
Cody and Ted look good on offence and Orton does a good job of selling it all, with the crowd clearly being into Orton and hoping that he can find a way to win. Eventually Cody and Ted’s alliance falls apart when it comes to who gets to win, which gives Orton a window back into the match and finally turns the bout into an actual Triple Threat match after the initial faux handicap match stage. Orton is great at slowly getting to his feet and building anticipation for his comeback, with him then running wild on both of his opponents whilst the crowd loves it.
By far the biggest pop of the match comes from Orton giving both of his opponents the draping DDT, with an opponent under each arm. The crowd was HOSS for that. Cody ends up taking a Punt from Orton and then Ted gets RKO’d OUTTA NOWHERE to give Orton the crowd pleasing win after a breezy effort.
WINNER: RANDY ORTON
RATING: ***
Thoughts: They didn’t have a lot of time to work with here, but they did a decent job with what they had and the match ended up being entertaining as a result. It helped that the crowd was really into Orton, as it gave the match a decent atmosphere and that added to the enjoyment
Cody sure has lost a lot on his DVD thus far hasn’t he?
3rd April 2011
WrestleMania XXVII
Cody Rhodes Vs Rey Mysterio Jr
The story here was that Cody was working a “Dashing” gimmick where he would brag about his good looks, but an errant 619 busted him open and he started wearing a protective mask and acting like a disaffected villain. Cody was entertaining in the role and the new evil mix of his formerly chipper Dashing entrance music is a nice touch. Rey’s special WrestleMania outfit tonight is Captain America themed.
This is a good match, with Rey being an excellent gutsy babyface and Cody playing his role of being a calculating meticulous villain really well also. Interestingly Cody gets his fair share of cheers from sections of the crowd, with fans seemingly digging his character work. Cody keeps using his mask as a weapon, which is apparently allowed because the WWE commission have signed off on him wearing it in matches, with him cutting Rey off with a head butt at one stage before following up with a delayed Superplex in a nice sequence.
Rey sells for the majority of early part of the bout, with Cody working heat right from the off and Rey never really getting a proper babyface shine. Rey does eventually start putting some offence together in the second half though, with Cody selling all of that well and Rey’s stuff looking good. Rey tries to go for the 619 again, but Cody has it scouted and blocks it before taking off Rey’s knee brace, which is what had caused Cody’s initial injury (albeit inadvertently on Rey’s part).
Rey responds by going after Cody’s mask in a classic game of tit-for-tat, which leads to Rey getting the 619 and then following up with a PK to the face of Cody for two. Rey puts Cody’s mask on and starts using it as a weapon to get some payback and then heads up with a diving head butt for two. If Rey were going over then that would have been the perfect finish, but they’ve decided to go with Cody here instead, as he bails to the floor and clocks Rey with the knee brace whilst the ref isn’t looking and follows up with the Cross Rhodes for the three count.
WINNER: CODY RHODES
RATING: ***1/4
Thoughts: Hey, Cody gets to win one! This was a very good match, with both wrestlers playing their respective roles well and the match itself having solid wrestling. There’s a great story that Cody gave in an interview where he said that Rey basically left the planning of this feud to Cody himself and then essentially kicked Vince McMahon’s door down to request they get to do it
One thing I’ll say about this DVD so far is that it would be nice to have a quick video package or something before each match just so we can get the backstory, because I can imagine newer viewers who have only seen Cody since he returned in 2022 having no clue why he spent a period of his career wearing a wacky mask and coming out to a slow brooding entrance music.
4th November 2011
Smackdown
Street Fight
WWE Intercontinental Champ Cody Rhodes Vs The Viper Randy Orton
This was essentially the end for Cody’s “Phantom of the Opera” styled gimmick, as he had an intense rivalry with Orton and eventually came back as “normal” Cody once it was over, with this being the deciding match of their feud. Cody was doing a thing here where he had assistants giving out paper bags to the crowd and I think one of those assisting him is a young Cash Wheeler, but don’t hold me to that. Would he have been in development by this stage in his career?
They actually work holds here in this street fight in the opening stages, until the fight eventually spills outside. Orton is getting the better of that, but he gets distracted by one of the paper bag men and that leads to Cody getting some shots in, before the fight spills into the crowd itself. There’s a decent energy to the brawl, with possibly Cash Wheeler taking a back body drop on the floor at one stage when Cody tries to use him as a shield. Cody tries to use the other bag man for the same purpose, but Orton takes out that one with an RKO.
We take a break following that, and when we come back the two wrestlers are fighting down the ramp up to the stage, as they continue to have an energetic scrap here and the crowd seems to be into Orton. Cody tries to suplex Orton off the stage at one point, but Orton blocks it and then delivers a suplex of his own onto the stage, which looked about as fun for Cody as trying to complete Rise of the Robots on the Super Nintento. Orton gets a Superplex inside the ring following that, as Cody’s innards are taking a rearranging tonight, but Cody manages to kick out from the resulting pin at two.
They haven’t done really any weapon stuff here, instead just focusing on brawling, and it’s worked quite well. Orton seems to have come up bleeding from the top of his head somehow, and as he pummels Cody outside of the ring, Cody takes off his mask and clobbers Orton with it as we take another break. When we come back, Cody is well on top and takes Orton into the ring for a Gourd Buster. Orton sells well now he’s on the defensive, whilst Cody shows off some good intensity whilst working Orton over.
Cody targets Orton’s leg and tries to pick up the win with the Figure Four, but Orton refuses to tap out, so Cody hits Orton with his mask again, as that has been the only weapon he’s used thus far, and it’s done a good job of getting the gimmick over as Cody hasn’t needed to rely on anything else. Orton eventually manages to grab control of the mask himself though and clatters Cody with it before making the comeback, as the crowd is very into this.
We hit the finishing stretch following the comeback, with Cody getting a near fall from a Disaster Kick. Cross Rhodes looks to follow that, but Orton fights it off and takes Cody to the outside for a DDT on the floor. The RKO is academic back inside and that’s enough for an Orton three count after an enjoyable brawl.
WINNER: RANDY ORTON
RATING: ***1/3
Thoughts: This was good fun, with Cody showing some good intensity in a losing effort, whilst Orton was a pretty effective bad ass who managed to survive what Cody was throwing at him until picking up the victory
Orton puts a paper bag on Cody’s head following the match, which is revenge for Cody doing similar to him in the build-up to this match.
31st August 2012
Smackdown
Cody Rhodes Vs Rey Mysterio Jr
I’m not sure what caused this rivalry to kick off again. A cut-in promo from Cody suggests that he wants to wrestle Rey here because he’s got an obsession with masked wrestlers, feeling them to be false idols. Well, as a reason for a match with someone, that certainly is one. Cody gets the better of the technical battle to start, but Rey unleashes the high flying to put Cody on the back foot, leading to Cody having to head to the floor and then smashing Rey’s face into the commentary table for the cut off.
Rey sells well whilst on the defensive, with Cody doing a solid job of working the heat, leading to the crowd getting behind Rey in the hopes that he’ll fight back. They work the mask obsession into the match storyline, as Cody gets distracted with trying to remove it, which gives Rey an opening to make the comeback and get a near fall with a kick to the face. Cody replies with a knee to the face for a near fall of his own, as these two really are smooth together as opponents. Rey tries going for the 619, but Cody blocks it, only to get caught in a pin counter for three.
WINNER: REY-REY
RATING: **1/2
Thoughts: This was a fun TV outing, although I question why it was included on a “Best Of” set as it really was just a random TV match and they could have instead included some more important matches, such as Cody and Drew McIntyre winning the tag belts or one of his IC Title defences
Cody tries a beat down on Rey following the match, but Sin Cara makes the save and Cody gets a Sin Cara mask placed on his head.
2nd September 2013
Monday Night Raw
Cody is fired if he loses
WWE Champion Randy Orton Vs Cody Rhodes
The story here is that Orton is now the Heel WWE Champ and aligned with The Authority, whilst Cody has made the mistake of getting on the wrong side of the Heel bosses, so he’s in a match here with Orton and his career is on the line. This early stage of the Authority storyline was actually done quite well and if they’d just had a better payoff for it than “Big Show gets fired and then comes back to feud with Randy Orton until John Cena wrestles Orton again whilst Daniel Bryan is relegated to feuding with The Wyatt Family” then it might have been more fondly remembered as they did a great job of getting the heat on The Authority in those first months and then didn’t have a proper end game for it because they were reluctant to push Daniel Bryan to the Main Event, and by the time they course corrected Bryan was injured and had to vacate the WWE Title.
The commentary team talk about Cody’s impending marriage in this one, egging the pudding that a loss for Cody would be even more tragic here due to his upcoming nuptials. I find that a bit hard to suspend my disbelief on that to be honest. I mean, come on, as if WWE would ever fire someone on or around their wedding day. What sort of sociopathic monsters do you take them for?!?! Anyway, they trade the momentum in the early going, with Cody holding his own and taking the fight to Orton, with the action being good and the crowd being into Cody in his quest to retain his career.
Orton eventually manages to catch Cody with a back breaker and that appears to be the cut off as we take a break, but when we comeback from the ads, Cody is up fighting Orton again, leading to Orton bailing to the floor and then throwing Cody onto the ringside barricades, which does appear to be the cut off this time. Orton works Cody over following that, with Cody selling it well, as we see that wrestlers in the locker room are watching the monitor hoping he will win.
Cody eventually makes the comeback and gets a nice springboard dropkick for two, as well as the Disaster Kick for another near fall, as they’re doing a good job making Cody look like he’s on Orton’s level here whilst still showing that Orton has that little something extra that makes him the Champion, such as when he calmly sidesteps a Cody Moonsault attempt and follows up with the Draping DDT. Orton tries for the RKO following that, but Cody counters it to the Cross Rhodes for two in another good near fall, as the crowd is really into him here.
Cody keeps going for pin attempts, but his leg goes out on another Disaster Kick attempt and that gives Orton an opening for the RKO OUTTA NOWHERE for the three count after a game effort from Cody. I like how they opened the Disc with Cody bravely fighting Orton and not really getting close to winning and then juxtaposed it with this match from 6 years later where Cody really pushed Orton until eating the loss. It was a nice example of how Cody grew as a performer from his debut to this stage in his career.
WINNER: RANDY ORTON
RATING: ***3/4
Thoughts: This was a darn good TV match, with plenty of drama and solid work from both wrestlers. The crowd was into Cody and they bought into the story.
Triple H joins us following that and teases that he might not fire Cody after all, but of course he does, because he’s a Heel and all. Cody does a great job of selling the drama of it and gets a nice applause on leaving.
In Conclusion
There were some good matches on here, although I don’t think we needed four matches involving Randy Orton and two with Rey. We didn’t really get to see any matches from Cody’s “Dashing” phase here or any of his stuff from his tag teams with Drew McIntyre and Damien Sandow. If they’d added Dashing Chosen One’s or Rhodes Scholars matches in and maybe some Dashing Cody Rhodes skits as a DVD extra, then this release would have done a better job of covering the 2007-2013 period of Cody’s career.
As it is though, there’s plenty of enjoyable wrestling on this and it mostly works as a way of recapping Cody’s early WWE years. It just would have been nice to see a bit more variety in the choice of opponents.
Hopefully you’ll join me all for Disc 2 next week!