10 Things Cody Rhodes Achieved From The List
8. Mike Bennett (IMPACT Wrestling, October 2016)
Cody Rhodes and Mike Bennett's clash from the 13 October 2016 IMPACT Wrestling broadcast was good. It served well as an IMPACT in-ring debut for the former, while Bennett didn't look out of place across from Cody. The Miracle sold the Cross Rhodes with blissful perfection, getting across the vibe that it's a legitimate match-ender.
It wasn't their only outing together, though; simply put, it was their most notable.
The first Rhodes vs. Bennett encounter went down two months prior for the aforementioned Northeast Wrestling promotion. As part of the Wrestling Under the Stars tour, Cody was victorious in just his fourth match since leaving WWE, with Bennett again serving as a solid adversary for him.
In March 2017, Cody won his third singles bout vs. Bennett, beginning his reign as NEW's Heavyweight Champion when he pinned Mike at that year's March Mayhem show. This 12-minute match would be Bennett's fifth-last before arriving in WWE at that June's Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
There could have been something to a credible feud between the pair had Cody's stint in IMPACT not been as short-lived as it was. Bennett was quickly becoming a top-tier name in the company at the time Rhodes arrived, and would have flourished exponentially against an opponent of his calibre. Nonetheless, their handful of matches together were decent.