10 Things Fans Should Know About Cody Rhodes' Life Outside WWE

Cody Rhodes has managed to work his way up to becoming one of the most popular names in WWE today. After leaving WWE and making a name for himself in the likes of ROH, NWA, and AEW, he returned to WWE in 2022 as a self-made star who is primed for huge things in the future.

Fans will already know a lot about Rhodes’ life when it comes to the wrestling business and his time in WWE, with him notably being the son of legend Dusty Rhodes, with him also having several titles to his name at this point after a lot of success. However, there are more things fans should probably know about his life outside of WWE, both in other promotions and in his personal life.

10 Cody Rhodes Is A Trained Actor

Cody Rhodes is someone who is multi-talented, and once his professional wrestling career comes to a close, he will undoubtedly have several other fields to venture in if he feels inclined that way.

Prior to professional wrestling and joining WWE, Rhodes trained as an actor at the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles. His first try at acting came during an episode in the Warehouse 13 series. Rhodes will have no doubt used his acting training when it comes to professional wrestling too.

9 He Played The “Stardust” Character In The TV Show “Arrow”

When it comes to Rhodes’ acting career, his most prominent role came in the TV show, Arrow. Rhodes played a character called Derek Sampson, who had the nickname “Stardust”.

Rhodes’ friendship with the main lead, Stephen Amell, would lead to several cross-promotional appearances for both, with Amell even becoming an honorary Bullet Club member back when Rhodes was a part of the stable.

8 First Match Outside WWE Was In Evolve

Cody Rhodes decided to leave WWE in 2016, opting to try his hand at becoming a bigger star elsewhere, as he wasn’t making many strides in WWE at the time. Rhodes is someone who started his career in WWE developmental territories, so 2016 marked his first ever non-WWE match.

This bout came in Evolve where he took on Zack Sabre Jr in what was a decent match, although it was clear that he was shaking off the rust from having to work a certain style for so long.

7 His Sister Was A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders — @DCCheerleaders on Twitter

The Rhodes family has a lot of success in its blood, and that isn’t just reserved for the professional wrestling business. Cody Rhodes has two sisters, with one of those, Kristin Ditto, being a former member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

They are perhaps the most notable set of cheerleaders in the USA, so it is quite a big deal to be a part of them, with her showcasing that following in certain footsteps when it comes to a successful family isn’t always the only way to achieving big goals.

6 Cody Rhodes Is A Comic-Book Fan

If Cody Rhodes’ appearance in the comic-book inspired Arrow wasn’t enough proof, Rhodes has made clear time and time again that he is a self-professed nerd, loving comic-books, sci-fi, and certain video games.

In fact, Rhodes has used comic-books to influence several parts of his wrestling career such as attire. In an interview with Lexy Nair, he revealed that dying his hair black in AEW, for example, was influenced by the Death of Superman comic.

5 Cody Rhodes Helped To Found AEW

When it comes to Cody Rhodes’ work outside of WWE, his most notable venture came when he and The Elite helped to create AEW - the most major promotion created since the fall of WCW back in 2001.

Rhodes helped to build it from the ground up, with him being a prominent on screen talent too, becoming the very first TNT Champion and having several notable feuds against the likes of Chris Jericho and MJF.

4 Cody Rhodes Is Part-Cuban

Whilst it has become somewhat of an internet joke when it comes to Cody Rhodes’ patriotism when regarding some select promos, with fans often talking about how “Cody Rhodes solved racism”, he is actually someone whose heritage comes from other parts of the world.

On his maternal grandfather’s side, Rhodes is part-Cuban, which is why he was featured in AEW’s promotional material when it came to Hispanic Heritage Month.

3 Cody Rhodes Has Judged On The Go-Big Show

With AEW being on TNT and TBS, it has meant for a lot of crossover, and one of those saw Cody Rhodes being featured as a judge on the Go-Big Show, which is essentially yet another talent show along the same lines of “Got Talent”, only the acts do things on a grander scale.

This led to the likes of Snoop Dogg and Rosario Dawson having appearances on AEW Dynamite due to Rhodes’ spot as a judge.

2 Cody Rhodes Is A Multi-Time World Champion

In WWE and AEW, the height of Cody Rhodes’ success was the midcard belts. However, outside of those two big promotions, Rhodes found a lot of gold - even winning multiple world titles.

Rhodes won the ROH World Championship by defeating Christopher Daniels, which was his very first world title win. He would later then win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship by defeating Nick Aldis at the All In PPV in 2018.

1 Married To Brandi Rhodes, With One Child

Cody and Brandi Rhodes on a rollercoaster

Cody Rhodes’ personal life has been very front and center throughout his career, but even still, fans of Rhodes should probably know that he is married to Brandi Rhodes, who was a former WWE ring announcer and interviewer.

Outside of WWE, she would also dip her toes into in-ring action too. In recent years they have had a child named Liberty, with the pair also featuring in their own reality TV show, Rhodes to the Top.