Cody Rhodes

Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born Cody Garrett Runnels; June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current Undisputed WWE Champion in his third reign. Rhodes co-founded All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he served as an executive vice president and wrestler from 2019 to 2022. Rhodes was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 30, 1985, the son of Michelle Rubio and professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes. He is of Cuban descent through his maternal grandfather. He has a sister named Teil in addition to his paternal half-brother and fellow professional wrestler Dustin and a paternal half-sister named Kristin, who is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. He is the nephew of professional wrestlers Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman, and the godson of professional wrestler Magnum T. A., who was present at both Rhodes' birth and baptism. He legally changed his surname to "Runnels Rhodes" as a teenager. Rhodes grew up in Georgia and went to Lassiter High School in Marietta, where he had a successful high school wrestling career. He placed sixth in the 171 lb (78 kg) division as a sophomore. As a junior, he won the Georgia state tournament at 189 lb (86 kg) in 2003 and repeated as champion his senior year. He had planned to wrestle collegiately at Penn State University, but decided to become a professional wrestler instead. During his time in high school, Rhodes also acted as a referee in his father's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion. After graduated from high school, Rhodes moved to Los Angeles and studied acting at the Howard Fine Acting School for a year. Rhodes and his half-brother inducted their father into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007. In September 2013, Rhodes married ring announcer and former wrestler Brandi Reed. They have one child together, as well as a Siberian Husky named Pharaoh, who has appeared alongside Rhodes on both AEW and WWE programming.