American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes

Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling , where he was the inaugural and record three-time AEW TNT Champion and also served as an executive vice president. Rhodes rose to prominence during his first tenure with WWE from 2006 to 2016, where he performed under his real name, as well as under the gimmick and ring name Stardust, an overly deep, dramatic, and sparkling spin-off gimmick of his brother's Goldust character. Rhodes has also wrestled for various other notable promotions, including TNA, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Outside of wrestling, he serves as a judge on the competition series Go-Big Show, and stars with his wife Brandi Rhodes on the reality show 'Rhodes to the Top'. Rhodes is the son of wrestler Dusty Rhodes and the half-brother of fellow wrestler Dustin Rhodes. Joined WWE in 2006, initially being assigned to the company's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After becoming a Triple Crown Champion in OVW, he was promoted to WWE's main roster in 2007 and remained there for nine years, performing under his real name and later under the gimmick of Stardust. During his time with WWE, Rhodes became a two-time Intercontinental Champion and was a prolific tag team wrestler, winning six world tag team championships with four separate tag team partners. Rhodes left WWE after requesting his release in May 2016. Following his departure from WWE, Rhodes began wrestling on the independent circuit, also making several appearances in TNA; he wrestled under the shortened name Cody, due to WWE owning the Cody Rhodes name, until 2020 when WWE surrendered their trademark. In the time frame spanning from early 2016 to early 2017, he competed at WWE's WrestleMania, ROH's Final Battle, and NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom events, as well as appearing for Impact Wrestling at Bound for Glory. In September 2017, Rhodes wrestled in ROH, where he became a one-time ROH World Champion. He would later become a one-time IWGP US Heavyweight Champion and a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion (with The Young Bucks). In September 2018, he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (due to ROH's partnership with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)), with he and Dusty becoming the first father and son to win the title. All totaled between WWE, AEW, NWA, ROH, and NJPW, Rhodes has held 15 championships, including two world titles, and in late summer 2018 held the NWA World, IWGP U.S., and ROH Six-Man titles simultaneously. In January 2019, Rhodes was unveiled as an executive vice president of the newly formed AEW, where he would also serve as a wrestler. During his run in AEW, he became the inaugural holder of the AEW TNT Championship in May 2020, and would win the championship a record three times. After failing to negotiate a new contract, Rhodes relinquished his position as an EVP and he and his wife departed AEW in February 2022. He returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 that April.

Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965; ht. 6'10"), better known by his ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed under a 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 to World Wrestling Entertainment. The Undertaker is one of the most recognizable figures in the history of professional wrestling. His tenure with WWE (formerly WWF) spans 30 years and is the longest of any wrestler in the company's history. His retirement in 2020 left him as the only remaining active wrestler to appear on the first episode of 𝘞𝘞𝘍 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘸 (now 𝘞𝘞𝘌 𝘙𝘢𝘸) in 1993. He began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He end up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous by 1989. When WCW did not renew his contract in 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF later renamed WWE). After debuting as Kane the Undertaker, he shortened it to simply The Undertaker making his television debut at WWF's Thanksgiving themed pay-per-view event the Survivor Series 1990. At the 1990 Survivor Series, The Undertaker would debut alongside The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase as part of DiBiase's team in one of the Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Matches that the annual event is known for. He would eventually go on to be managed by Paul Bearer who would help propel him to the WWF World Title just a year after his debut. During his time with the WWE, he would go on to hold many championships and accolades most notably a 21-match-long winning streak at WWE's biggest annual event, WrestleMania. Respected amongst fans and peers a like, the Undertaker has one of the most celebrated and long-running careers in all of professional wrestling. We can be sure that for time in memoriam he will be considered one of the greatest of all time.

Paul Michael Lévesque is an American professional wrestler, actor and WWE executive, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of his former ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. As well as wrestling on the Raw brand, Levesque is a Senior Advisor to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and Head of WWE's talent development department. Before joining WWE, Levesque began his wrestling career with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, wrestling under the ring name Terra Ryzing and later as Jean-Paul Lévesque. Levesque joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1995 with the on-screen persona of wealthy sophisticate Hunter Hearst Helmsley.  He later abbreviated his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the stable D-Generation X (DX). After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships.  As part of a storyline, Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution,  and in 2006 and 2009, reformed DX with Shawn Michaels. Overall, Levesque has won 23 championships in WWF/E, including thirteen World Championships, having won the WWF/E Championship a record eight times (tied with John Cena), and the World Heavyweight Championship five times (Triple H is also recognized as the first World Heavyweight Champion under WWE's lineage).  He has the highest number of world title reigns of all active WWE wrestlers. In addition, Levesque won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Championship winner. Outside wrestling, Levesque has made numerous guest appearances in film and on television

Kevin Steen is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently working for the American professional wrestling promotion WWE under the ring name Kevin Owens. Prior to joining WWE in 2014, Steen wrestled on the independent circuit under his birth name for 14 years, appearing for promotions including Ring of Honor (where he held the ROH World Championship and ROH World Tag Team Championship), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (where he held the PWG World Championship and PWG World Tag Team Championship), and Combat Zone Wrestling (where he held the CZW Iron Man Championship). Prior to debuting on the main WWE roster in May 2015, Owens wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where he held the NXT Championship.

Richard Morgan Fliehr, known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career that has spanned almost 50 years. He is noted for his tenures with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Much of his career was spent in JCP and WCW, where he won numerous titles. Since the mid-1970s, he has used the monikers "The Nature Boy" and "Slick Ric". Flair is also a founding member of the original Four Horsemen stable alongside Tully Blanchard and The Andersons, managed by JJ Dillon. A major pay-per-view attraction throughout his career, Flair headlined the premier annual NWA/WCW event, Starrcade, on ten occasions, while also co-headlining its WWE counterpart, WrestleMania VIII (8), in 1992, after winning that year's Royal Rumble. PWI awarded him their Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while Wrestling Observer Newsletter named him the Wrestler of the Year (an award named after him and Lou Thesz) a record eight times. The first 2-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee, first inducted with the class of 2008 for his individual career and again with the class of 2012 as a member of The Four Horsemen, he is also a member of the NWA Hall of Fame, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Flair is officially recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion (8-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and 2-time WWE Champion), although the number of his world championship reigns varies by source, ranging from 16 to 25. He has claimed to be a 21-time champion. He was the first holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (which he also held last). As the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion, he became the first person to complete WCW's Triple Crown, having already held the NWA\WCW United States Heavyweight and NWA\WCW World Tag Team Championships. He then completed WWE's version of the Triple Crown when he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, after already holding the WWE Championship and the WWE World Tag Team Championship on previous occasions.

Brandi Alexis Runnels is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality. In wrestling, she currently works for Ring of Honor, while also appearing on the E! reality series WAGS Atlanta.

Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler, and is often referred to as the archetypal wrestling magnate. McMahon currently serves as the Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the professional wrestling promotion WWE and is the majority shareholder of the company, holding approximately 88% of the total voting power and 59% of the outstanding shares within WWE. Upon acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion until the national expansion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor. As an on-camera character, he can appear on all WWE brands (though the majority of the time, he appears on Raw). McMahon plays a character known by the ring name Mr. McMahon, based on himself. In the world of WWE, he is a two-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He was also the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble. Vince is the husband of Linda McMahon, with whom he ran WWE from its establishment in 1980 until she resigned as CEO in September 2009.

Carmelo Hayes, whose real name is Christian Brigham, is a professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was born on August 1, 1994, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Before signing with WWE, he gained recognition on the independent wrestling circuit under the name Christian Casanova. Hayes made his WWE debut in 2021 on the NXT brand. He is a former two-time NXT North American Champion, which he also has the longest combined reign for. He is also the first Superstar in history to win the Cruiserweight Championship, North American Championship, and NXT Championship in their career. Hayes is known for his charisma, mic skills, and in-ring talent. He is also described as a born champion. In addition, he has declared himself as the true face of NXT. On April 1, 2023, he became the current NXT Champion in his first reign, defeating Bron Breakker.

Terry Gene Bollea, known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician best known for his time working for WWE. Hogan enjoyed mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 90s as the all-American character Hulk Hogan in WWE, and as Hollywood Hogan, the villainous leader of the New World Order, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He was signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2010 until 2013, where he was the on-screen General Manager. He is a 12-time world champion being a six-time WWE Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Edge. His six combined reigns make him the second longest-reigning WWE Champion of all time (after Bruno Sammartino) and the longest-reigning of the 1980s, having held the title for 1,474 days from 1984-1988. His six combined reigns in WCW make him the longest-reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion of all time as well, with a 469-day reign from 1994-1995. Hogan won the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991, making him the first man to win two consecutive Royal Rumbles.

Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently out of action due to a knee injury. She is a second-generation professional wrestler, being the daughter of Ric Flair.

Chelsea Anne Cardona (née: Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman, and model. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chelsea Green. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Sonya Deville in their first reign. She is also known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she is a former Impact Knockouts Champion and Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. She is the fourth woman to hold the WWE and Impact Women's Tag Team Championships after Zelina Vega and The IIconics (Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce). Green has appeared extensively on the independent wrestling circuit in North America and Asia. In addition, she has appeared for the National Wrestling Alliance, Ring of Honor, and World Wonder Ring Stardom. During her first run in Impact Wrestling, which is when she won the Impact Knockouts Championship, Green performed under the ring name Laurel Van Ness. She also played Reklusa on the Lucha Underground TV series.

Stephen Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor known for his role on the television series Rent-a-Goalie, as well as his work co-starring opposite Shirley MacLaine and Mischa Barton in the feature length motion picture Closing the Ring. He is best known for his role as Oliver Queen in The CW's Arrow.

Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoaʻi is an American professional wrestler and former professional gridiron football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the current and longest reigning WWE Universal Champion in his second reign. He is part of the Anoaʻi wrestling family, which also includes his father Sika Anoaʻi, brother Rosey, and cousins Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Rikishi, The Tonga Kid, and the late Yokozuna and Umaga. Highly regarded by industry veterans, his heel run has been regarded as one of the greatest character arcs of professional wrestling. After playing college football for Georgia Tech, Anoaʻi started his professional football career with brief off-season stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He then played a full season for the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Edmonton Eskimos in 2008 before his release and retirement from football. He then pursued a career in professional wrestling and was signed by WWE in 2010, reporting to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). Under the ring name Roman Reigns, he made his main roster debut in November 2012 alongside Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as The Shield. The trio teamed together until June 2014, after which Reigns entered singles competition. Reigns is a five-time world champion in WWE, having held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Universal Championship twice. In 2022, he became the longest reigning Universal Champion at 581+ days, which is recognized as the sixth-longest world championship reign in the promotion's history. He is also a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Rollins), the 2015 Royal Rumble winner, and the 2014 Superstar of the Year. He tied the WWE record for most eliminations in a Survivor Series match with four in the 2013 event and also previously held the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12 in the 2014 event. Upon winning the Intercontinental Championship, he became the twenty-eighth Triple Crown Champion and the seventeenth Grand Slam Champion. Reigns has headlined numerous pay-per-view events, including WWE's flagship event WrestleMania five times (31, 32, 33, 34, and 37). Additionally, Reigns was ranked number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2016. From 2014 onwards, WWE attempted to establish Reigns as their next "face of the company", positioning him as a heroic character, which was met with intense disapproval by audiences and critics. However, following his return in August 2020, Reigns was repackaged as a new villainous character, "The Tribal Chief", which has generally been met with acclaim by fans and critics alike. His revamped persona was named Best Gimmick by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2021

Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr., better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker/writer, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, NWA Championship Wrestling from Florida, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), and WWE. Rhodes is considered one of the greatest wrestlers and talkers in the history of professional wrestling. Rhodes was a three-time NWA World's Heavyweight Champion, and during his time in Jim Crockett Promotions' Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, later known as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he was a NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, and multi-time NWA World Television, NWA Tag Team and NWA World 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He also won many regional championships, and is one of seven men inducted into each of the WWE, WCW, Professional Wrestling, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame. His sons, Dustin and Cody, both pursued careers in professional wrestling, performing for WWE and AEW. Following his retirement from wrestling, he made occasional on-air appearances on WWE television and pay-per-views and worked as a backstage booker/writer and producer in WWE's NXT developmental territory. Billed as "the son of a plumber", Rhodes did not have a typical wrestler's physique; his character was that of the "common man", known for the personality exhibited in his interviews. WWE chairman Vince McMahon remarked that no wrestler "personified the essence of charisma quite like Dusty Rhodes".

Randal Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time he is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is one half of the current Raw Tag Team Champions with Riddle in their second reign. Orton is a third generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, father Bob Orton Jr., and uncle Barry Orton were all wrestlers. Before being signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he trained in and wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association and Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling. He was then signed by the WWF and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice. He became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut, which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign, his first championship with the company. He also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans. At the age of 24, Orton became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, they held the World Tag Team Championship. After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night, becoming the second youngest two-time WWE Champion at the age of 27. He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 2008. They disbanded in 2010, and Orton returned to singles competition. From 2013 to 2015, he was aligned with The Authority, who named him the "face of the WWE". In 2016, he joined The Wyatt Family, winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on them in 2017. He won his first United States Championship in 2018, becoming the 18th overall Grand Slam Champion after already having been the 17th Triple Crown Champion. Orton has held the WWE Championship 10 times and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times. He was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship, which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2013. Orton is recognized by WWE as having the third-most world championship victories in history at 14, behind John Cena and Ric Flair (both 16) and tied with Triple H (also at 14). All totaled, Orton has won 20 championships in WWE. He is also the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as a two time Royal Rumble match winner (2009 and 2017) and has headlined multiple WWE pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania 25 and WrestleMania XXX. Following his match at the 2021 Survivor Series, he broke Kane's record for wrestling the most PPV matches in WWE history.

Colby Daniel Lopez is an American professional wrestler, signed to WWE under the ring name Seth Rollins. He was one-third of the stable The Shield, former WWE Tag Team Champions with Shield member Roman Reigns, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and was the inaugural NXT Champion. Lopez previously performed under the ring name Tyler Black. Lopez also was a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion, FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with Richie Steamboat and is the first FCW Grand Slam Champion, the most decorated FCW star in its history. He first gained notoriety in Ring of Honor, where he is a former ROH World Champion. He has competed in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (where he is a former World Tag Team Champion), Scott County Wrestling, AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, the National Wrestling Alliance, and Wrestling Society X. In several promotions, Black was the tag team partner of Jimmy Jacobs, with the team known as Doin' It For Her. He was once a member of The Age of the Fall along with Jacobs, and several other wrestlers.

Matt Massie is an American professional wrestler seen mostly across the independent circuits under the ring names of Gallinero I, Mr. Instant Replay, Max Buck and Matt Jackson. Massie has worked for numerous independent promotions and has toured the globe. He is currently working as Matt Jackson and is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he works as an Executive Vice President as well as being one half of the tag team The Young Bucks with his brother Nick Jackson.

Nicholas Lee Massie is an American professional wrestler currently working under the ring name Nick Jackson. He is best known as one half of the tag team known as The Young Bucks with his brother Matt Jackson. Along with his brother, Nick is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), while also working as an Executive Vice President for AEW.

Tyson Smith is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name Kenny Omega. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is the leader of The Elite. Omega is also a former AEW World Champion and a former AEW World Tag Team Champion. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. In NJPW, he is also a former one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a two-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. He is also a one-time winner of NJPW's premier tournament, the G1 Climax, having won it in 2016 and being the first non-Japanese wrestler to do so. He also appears for the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH).

Dustin Patrick Runnels is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE from 1995 to 2019 under the gimmick and ring name Goldust. The son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and the half-brother of fellow wrestler Cody Rhodes (who later presented a deep and dramatic spin-off character of the Goldust gimmick, entitled Stardust), he is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). Between WWE and WCW, Runnels has won 23 total championships. In WCW, he was a two-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Six-Man Tag Team Champion, and a two-time World Tag Team Champion. In WWE, he is a three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, nine-time Hardcore Champion, one-time WWE World Tag Team Champion, and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion. Runnels has also appeared in the second most Royal Rumble matches, at 13. Rhodes headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF and WCW during the 1990s. He is also a former Sammy Guevara's Vlog champion.