Cody Rhodes makes history; joins John Cena in coveted group

Cody Rhodes had a successful title defense at Wrestlepalooza 2025, where he retained his Undisputed Title against Drew McIntyre. The American Nightmare now has more to celebrate as he not only topped the 2025 PWI 500 list but also became only the fourth wrestler to secure the top spot in consecutive years.

There's no denying that Cody is currently on a kind of run in WWE that's only reserved for generational talents. 2024 marked the first time Cody Rhodes was placed at number in PWI 500 rankings. He repeated this feat by topping the list this year too, and in the process, joined the likes of John Cena, Bret Hart, and Stone Cold Steve Austin as the only stars to top the list in back-to-back years.

While Cena achieved this in 2006 and 2007, Hart did it in 1993 and 1994, and finally Austin in 1998 and 1999. Going by just how firmly he's placed atop the mountain in WWE, it's safe to say it wouldn't be a surprise to see Cody Rhodes continue this wave of momentum and possibly top the PWI list next year, too.

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Vince Russo thinks WWE could pit Jey Uso against Cody Rhodes soon

On a recent edition of Sportskeeda's Legion of RAW, Vince Russo mentioned how Jey Uso, who's been teasing a heel turn, might fully embrace his dark side and go after Cody Rhodes soon. Russo then bemoaned that this might be a result of WWE not having enough contenders left for Cody, forcing them to turn Jey, one of its biggest babyfaces, a heel, just to keep his World Title reign going.

"The fans were booing Jey Uso when he speared LA Knight. And, you know, again, like I said, bro, the fact that they do not have an opponent for Cody, and is that the reason why? So, because you didn't book properly and you didn't have an opponent set up for Cody, all that time and energy you put into yeeting and the entrances and the little kids and the merch and out in the hallway, all that is going to be erased because we don't have an opponent for Cody," Russo said.

Cody's next match is slated to be against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel 2025 next month in Australia.

About the author

Arpit Shrivastava is a journalist who reports on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda. He is also an assistant content manager for the AEW team and has played a pivotal role in building it from the ground up. Arpit graduated in Political Science and Mass Communication. From writing for his college magazine while being a huge wrestling fan to pursuing journalism as a career, he has accumulated five years of experience in the industry.

During the course of his career, Arpit has written nearly 4k articles, garnering over 32 million reads. Besides covering the latest stories in the world of pro wrestling, Arpit mentors several up-and-coming writers and is also responsible for assembling a stellar team for Sportskeeda's All Elite Wrestling division. Arpit gives utmost importance to fact-based reporting as he sources information only from reliable outlets. He believes in providing relevant information to readers, allowing them to form their opinions based on legitimate facts.

Among Arpit's favorite wrestlers is MJF. He admires The Wolf of Wrestling for his cool, anti-authoritative attitude on television. Arpit is also fond of Sami Zayn's never-say-die approach and underdog persona. In the women's division, he looks up to Becky Lynch for her sheer aura.

Outside of pro wrestling, Arpit is a massive history and cinema buff. He spends his leisure time reading and following tennis and cricket.

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Edited by Arpit Shrivastava