10 Wrestlers Who Changed The Business Forever
1. Cody
Cody Rhodes successfully secured his WWE release on May 21, 2016. After that fateful day, WWE very rarely afforded his disenfranchised colleagues the same treatment.
That is because Cody challenged the monopoly. His very first, furtive step was inspired: in drafting a list of dream opponents, Cody encouraged fans to map his trajectory on an Independent scene he changed forever. He entered it with an endearing humility. He took it as his job to impress the fans, refusing to bask in his ex-WWE star status, firmly aware of the power they held and the lack of prestige his old employer had. Once he impressed them with his earnest reinvention, Cody was in a position to become the cool figurehead he may not have been received as, had he joined Bullet Club with the WWE stench still attached.
His easygoing, over-with-the-boys charm worked beautifully in the context of Being The Elite - so beautifully that his lack of ***** output wasn't a hindrance. Cody brought something new - old - to the scene: an emotional connection forged with his work ethic and excellent grasp of traditional in-ring storytelling.
Cody channelled CM Punk's thirst for industry change and got over huge by actually applying it: as an expert storyteller, his eye for a narrative informed the industry-exploding success of ALL IN, which in turn informed the paradigm shift of AEW.