8 Times Wrestlers Levelled Up INSTANTLY!

6. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes' run on the indies and in NJPW that led to the formation of AEW was sensational stuff. He was cool and charismatic while having a mean streak that made him unpredictable without losing his charm, but popularity can only go so far when there's drastically less exposure than in the mainstream. His run in AEW was solid if unspectacular, and his move to WWE felt like a big moment to people who had followed his career trajectory. 

Rhodes' entrance at WrestleMania 38 felt seismic, but his true levelling up came at Hell In A Cell 2022. Revealing a gruesome torn pectoral muscle, Cody worked through the pain to produce a stunning match with Seth Rollins that let everyone know that he was a legitimate badass.

Once Cody returned from this gruesome injury, he never looked back. WWE gave him the ball, and Rhodes was the most over babyface the company had produced in recent memory. His run all the way to WrestleMania 40 was exceptional, and his first title reign included arguably Kevin Owens' best WWE feud. 

No matter what your view is on Cody Rhodes in 2026, his leap into wrestling's upper echelon has never been in question since that day at Hell In A Cell.