5 non-AEW stars who could challenge Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship - Former WWE Universal Champion, former NXT Champion

Cody Rhodes is the first ever 3-time TNT Champion and with that comes a lot of title defenses.

During his first run, Rhodes held an open challenge for his title. The challenge resulted in a number of non-AEW wrestlers stepping up in pursuit of the title. Some of these wrestlers even ended up signing with AEW, such as the Mad King Eddie Kingston.

While the title likely won't change hands during these matches, it's always interesting to see which indie wrestler takes on the champion. Rhodes will most likely end up dropping the title to an up-and-coming AEW signed wrestler.

Sammy Guevara was the last TNT Champion to bring back the open challenge. Hopefully Rhodes brings the challenge back and should he do so, there are quite a few non-AEW wrestlers he could end up facing.

5. Cody Rhodes could give Warhorse another shot at the TNT title

Warhorse was one of the biggest indie stars to face Cody Rhodes during his first run. While the build-up wasn't as good as it could have been, Warhorse has a major following and a good relationship with AEW.

Warhorse last competed on AEW Dark against Andrade El Idolo in a losing effort. While he has mainly been used in pure wrestling matches, Warhorse excels on the mic as well. His character is driven by his promos and he has used his large Twitter following to promote his matches.

Warhorse unfortunately did not sign with AEW after his match against Cody. The lack of exposure for such an amazing wrestler is near criminal. Hopefully Warhorse fans can make enough noise on social media to get him back in the ring with Cody Rhodes.

4. Cody Rhodes should face Killer Kross

Killer Kross is one of many wrestlers that WWE has recently released that would be a good opponent for Cody Rhodes.

Kross had a dominating NXT run and went undefeated for a substantial amount of time. Unfortunately, he ended up having a lackluster run on the main roster

Even if Kross didn't defeat Rhodes, he could regain his dominating presence through a match in which he showcases his ability and strength. Killer Kross would provide an intense challenge for Rhodes.

AEW could even do the unthinkable and let Kross win and have him sign with them immediately afterwards.

3. Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) could challenge for the TNT Title

The former Monster Among Men now goes by his real name, Adam Scherr. Scherr recently teamed up with former WWE star Derrick Bateman (EC3) in his "Control Your Narrative" gimmick.

Scherr's appearance in AEW would cause a storm, as he was one of WWE's biggest draws and highest paid stars before being released. Cody Rhodes has never gone up against someone as big as Scherr, notably because AEW lacks "giants" on their roster.

Scherr would also be a perfect contender to pick up a win and then sign with AEW.

2. Cody Rhodes could defend his title against Keith Lee

The Limitless One would be an incredible opponent for Cody Rhodes. Keith Lee has a major fan following and has proven to be incredible in the ring.

Lee had a fantastic NXT run, holding both the main card and mid card titles at the same time. He's the only NXT star to have achieved this feat and one of the few WWE stars to have held two belts in recent years.

Lee could give Rhodes a run for his money due to his speed and power. Lee hasn't publicly wrestled since his release but has been teasing some kind of return. Keith Lee would be a noteworthy challenge for Rhodes.

1. A Very Evil, Very Nice challengehausen from Danhausen

If everything goes well, Danhausen will be cleared to wrestle as early as February. Danhausen has been spotted with many AEW stars across the past few months, notably MJF and Orange Cassidy.

Danhausen is one of the top free agents on the market. If you look into the crowd there is almost always someone dressed up as him or holding a signhausen. AEW fans have been clamoring for Danhausen to become All-Elite, and going up against Cody might be the way to make this happen.

Danhausen should definitely answer Cody Rhodes' challenge and sign after for the company immediately after.