10 Times AEW's Cody Rhodes Broke The Internet

When Cody took a sledgehammer to the throne at AEW's inaugural Double or Nothing, literature students wet their pants. In a scene rife with more symbolism than The Da Vinci Code, he smashed the proverbial glass ceiling and Triple H's dominant grip on professional wrestling. It was a true coming out party for AEW, and fans couldn't get enough of it.

We picked apart the act's meaning as well as Cody's remarks that his biggest motivation wasn't to insult Triple H, who had earlier referred to AEW as a "pissant company." Classy. Although Cody doesn't seem petty enough to lean on revenge at the expense of good storytelling, the throne's prominent Iron Cross and skulls, all regular Triple H iconography, didn't exactly spell subtlety. Well, hopefully it was a cathartic moment for him.

There's plenty of truth in what he said about the incident. Smashing the throne was Cody's way of establishing himself in AEW as a wrestler first and executive second. Rather than book the action from the comforts of a boardroom, he would dirty his hands in the trenches with his fellow talent. A true general leads from the front, after all.