Cody Rhodes: 10 Legacy Moments In AEW
2. MJF Lashes Out
Early in the company's run, Cody was AEW’s top star and positioned as their top babyface. In his position, it made sense that not only did he set about trying to build new stars, but also face one of those positioned as the hot new heel.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman had come into AEW with a dual reputation. One of immense talent in the ring, but also one of being the most effective heel not on a major promotion. His genuinely vile persona was easy to read and putting him against Rhodes was a slam dunk of a feud.
The promo work from MJF and Rhodes was stellar throughout this feud - especially from MJF as has become the norm, yet special praise has to be reserved for Rhodes who did put himself through some serious punishment after taking 10 lashes - and they were brutal - from MJF, then facing Wardlow in AEW’s first ever cage match.
The blow-off match at Revolution was 30 minutes of quality action too, with MJF coming out on top using his standard dastardly techniques. Cody’s legacy will forever show he put one of AEW’s current top stars on a path to the top.