10 Times AEW's Cody Rhodes Broke The Internet

There's an awful lot to admire about Cody Rhodes, AEW's current TNT Champion and Executive Vice President. Possessing an emotional intelligence rare in the wrestling world, Cody recognizes the importance of not only building on his own legacy but also elevating the talent around him. Now, who does that not remind you of? Time to play a game, anyone?

Cody's made clear that one of his primary goals with AEW is improving wrestling's problematic culture and fostering a more inclusive environment. A herculean task, to be sure, but so far Cody and his AEW brethren seem up to the challenge.

After a year of AEW Dynamite, Cody's proved himself capable of shining a spotlight on his opponents and cutting career-making promos that hold the audience in the palm of his hand. In fact, Cody's beloved status with the AEW audience and wrestling community as a whole means that his every action becomes the subject of discussion and speculation.

From tattoos and hair dye to sledgehammers and steel chairs, Cody can't so much as get dressed without the internet catching wind of it. And we just love him for it..

When Cody left WWE in May 2016, he walked away from the safest bet in professional wrestling. His heart just couldn't stay, and after months of begging WWE writers to end his much-maligned Stardust gimmick and numerous pitches landing on deaf ears, who can blame him?

Yet the online wrestling community was abuzz with intrigue surrounding why Cody left, not to mention the chorus of fantasy bookers left pondering what could've been done differently during his lengthy WWE run.

Wrestling's top critics found fault with WWE's broken creative system, which relegated Cody to lower and mid-card status. But mostly everyone just wished him the best moving forward. Nobody could imagine a competitor like AEW on the horizon. It didn't seem possible.

And throughout his departure, Cody was a consummate professional. Although he expressed appreciation for the opportunities afforded him by WWE and Triple H's abiding respect for his father, Cody was confident enough in his own abilities to stand his ground. He knew he could do better. He was hardly a bench player.