Who REALLY Carried WWE Every Year (1985-2026)

3. 2024 (Cody Rhodes)

AJ Styles Cody Rhodes
WWE.com

Cody's 2022 comeback was a neat surprise, albeit one blighted by injuries. Then, in 2023, he failed to "finish the story" by besting Roman at 'Mania 39. Anyone thinking that'd be the end of Rhodes for the gold was sorely mistaken. Cody won the 2024 Royal Rumble match then toppled Reigns at 'Mania 40 to become WWE Champion.

WWE threatened this rematch by booking The Rock to replace Cody initially, but fan rebellion changed that back. Privately, Rhodes must've been delighted by that. The people had spoken, and they wanted to see him beat Roman. He and Seth Rollins lost to Rock and Roman on Night 1 at 'Mania 40, then Rhodes avenged that defeat 24 hours later by beating Reigns.

Later matches vs. AJ Styles at Backlash in France (one of the best atmospheres for any PPV/PLE ever) and Clash At The Castle in Scotland rocked. So did a win over Logan Paul at King & Queen Of The Ring in May between those. On top of all that, Cody's match vs. Gunther at Crown Jewel was another winner, then he somehow convinced Triple H to bring back the old 'Winged Eagle' title for his feud with Kevin Owens deep into the year.

KO stealing that belt at December's SNME was awesome. It smacked of old school WWF shenanigans, which Rhodes was all about. He's a student of the game, a lover of all things retro, and he knew fans would come along for that ride with him.

Cody's second WWE run peaked in 2024. He's had amazing moments since, but 2024 was his year.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.