Cody Rhodes' 10 Best In-Ring Rivals Post-WWE
7. Kurt Angle
Cody Rhodes vs. Kurt Angle is probably a match many wrestling fans didn't know they wanted to see until it was announced for a Northeast Wrestling show in August 2016.
The matchup marked one of Cody's first since leaving WWE earlier that year and one of Angle's last on the independent scene before his anticipated return to that same company a few months later. With Rhodes determined to steal the show and Angle still having a bit left in the tank at that point, it wound up being a blast.
The American Nightmare and Angle clashed for a second time at WCPW True Legacy that October, and while solid, it didn't have that same magic of their previous encounter due to Rhodes playing up a knee injury that cost him the victory in the end.
Now tied one win apiece, Angle closed out his in-ring career on the indies with a bang by agreeing to face Cody in a rubber match at Northeast Wrestling's WrestleFest event in March 2017. Surrounded by a steel cage, both men went all out and had the crowd eating up everything they did. Cody attempting a moonsault off the top of the cage was the highlight as well as his ultimate win over the WWE Hall of Famer.
Angle helped cement Cody as a star more than anyone during his time on the indies.