Cody Rhodes: WWE Career, Family, and Quick Facts

Cody Rhodes, known to fans as “The American Nightmare,” is one of professional wrestling’s most prominent figures. As the son of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, he has built a career that spans WWE, AEW, and now Hollywood. Questions about his family, age, theme song, net worth, and recent film roles make him a frequent subject of online searches.

From his early days in WWE to his return in 2022 and his upcoming movie projects, Cody Rhodes remains a central figure in sports entertainment. Understanding his personal life and career trajectory requires separating verified facts from estimates and fan speculation.

This article brings together the most reliable information available about Cody Rhodes—covering his wife, children, WWE history, theme music, age, net worth, and crossover into film—while clearly marking what is confirmed and what remains uncertain.

Who is Cody Rhodes’s wife?

• Family and personal-life questions are the highest-ranking cluster in search data for Cody Rhodes.
• Career and media questions follow closely, driven by his WWE status and announced film roles.
• Searchers consistently want quick facts: age, net worth, theme song, and current WWE standing.
• The “Guile” keyword indicates a mainstream crossover opportunity that reaches beyond wrestling audiences.
• Top search results are fragmented across different sites; a single consolidated explainer answers multiple intents at once.
• Net worth and theme song details are not covered by authoritative top-five search results.

Cody Rhodes is married to Brandi Rhodes, born Brandi Reed. She is a former wrestler, ring announcer, and backstage interviewer who worked alongside Cody during their early years in WWE. The couple met in 2011 while both were employed by the company, got engaged in 2012, and married on September 12, 2013 in Atlanta, according to multiple reports including People and Sports Illustrated.

Brandi stepped away from in-ring competition in 2022 and later pursued business ventures, opening a yoga studio and a children’s boutique. The couple also starred together in the reality series Rhodes to the Top, which aired on the TNT cable network and offered a behind-the-scenes look at their family and professional lives.

Does Cody Rhodes have children?

Yes, Cody and Brandi Rhodes have two daughters. Their first child, Liberty Iris Runnels, was born in 2021. Their second daughter, Leilani Ella Runnels, was born in 2025. The family has been described in media coverage as private, particularly around the birth of their second child.

The USA Network reported on the birth of Leilani Ella Runnels, noting that the family shared the news through their representative. The couple’s approach to parenting reflects a deliberate boundary between their public personas and their home life, a choice that multiple sources have described as intentional and consistent.

How does fatherhood fit into Cody’s career?

Cody has occasionally referenced his role as a father in interviews and on social media, but he and Brandi have not made their children a regular part of his on-screen character. This separation between his family life and wrestling persona is similar to how many other top WWE stars handle their private lives.

What is Cody Rhodes’s WWE career?

Cody Rhodes began his first WWE run in 2007, performing under his real name and later as a member of the tag team Legacy alongside Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase Jr. Over the next nine years, he won two Intercontinental Championships and six Tag Team Championships, establishing himself as a versatile and durable performer.

He left WWE in 2016 and helped shape All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he served as an executive vice president and performed as a top star. His return to WWE came in April 2022 at WrestleMania 38, where he was positioned as a main-event talent. By 2025–2026, coverage from outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and Sports Illustrated described him as a reigning top WWE star.

What about his time in AEW?

Cody was a founding member of AEW in 2019 and held the TNT Championship three times. His matches and storylines were central to the company’s early growth, though he left the promotion in early 2022 to return to WWE. His AEW tenure is widely regarded as a crucial chapter in his career development and professional identity.

What is Cody Rhodes’s theme song?

Cody Rhodes is widely associated with the song “Kingdom” by the band Downstait. This track has served as his entrance music during much of his WWE tenure, particularly after his return in 2022. The lyrics and anthemic style fit his “American Nightmare” persona and have become a recognizable part of his live appearances.

It is important to note that while “Kingdom” is the song most frequently tied to Cody in fan discussions and live event coverage, the provided research sources do not include an explicit confirmation from WWE’s official website or from Cody himself regarding his current entrance theme. The association is consistent across general knowledge and media references, but it has not been formally confirmed in the source material used here.

During his AEW run, Cody used a different entrance theme, which he has since retired. His WWE theme has remained stable since his 2022 return, and no changes have been reported as of early 2026.

How old is Cody Rhodes?

Cody Rhodes was born on June 30, 1985, in Marietta, Georgia. This places his age at approximately 40 years old as of early 2026. His full name at birth is Cody Garrett Runnels, a detail confirmed by his Wikipedia entry and other biographical sources.

The provided research did not include a direct primary-source birth date from Cody himself or his official WWE profile in the snippets examined, but the June 30, 1985 date is consistently repeated across reliable reference sources and is treated here as established information.

What did Cody Rhodes look like when he was young?

Early photographs of Cody Rhodes from his teenage years and early WWE tenure show him with a noticeably different appearance than his current look. In his early career, he had a leaner build, lighter hair, and a cleaner-shaven face. Over time, he adopted the darker hair, fuller beard, and more muscular physique that now define his “American Nightmare” presentation.

These visual changes, combined with his evolution from a tag-team specialist into a main-event champion, are often cited by fans as markers of his professional growth. His younger appearance remains a common topic in fan forums and image searches, reflecting curiosity about his physical transformation over nearly two decades in the industry.

What is Cody Rhodes’s net worth?

Estimates for Cody Rhodes’s net worth vary, and no official financial disclosures have been made by him or his representatives. Media reports, including coverage from the Times of India, suggest that Cody’s individual net worth is in the range of $8 million to $10 million, with Brandi Rhodes estimated at $1 million to $2 million. These figures would put the couple’s combined household net worth between $10 million and $12 million as of 2026.

These numbers should be treated as media estimates, not confirmed financial facts. Net worth figures for public figures are often calculated based on known contracts, endorsements, business ventures, and real estate holdings, but they are rarely verified by independent audits. The estimates here come from a single media outlet and have not been corroborated by additional sources in the provided research.

Cody’s income streams include his WWE contract, merchandise sales, acting roles, reality television appearances, and business investments. Brandi’s post-wrestling ventures, including her yoga studio and boutique store, also contribute to the household income.

When did Cody Rhodes achieve key career milestones?

1. June 30, 1985 — Born in Marietta, Georgia.
2. 2007–2016 — First WWE run; won two Intercontinental Championships and six Tag Team Championships.
3. 2019 — Co-founded AEW and served as an executive vice president; won the TNT Championship three times.
4. April 2022 — Returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, re-establishing himself as a main-event talent.
5. 2025 — Listed in the cast of The Naked Gun (2025), expanding his acting portfolio.
6. 2026 — Listed in the cast of Street Fighter (2026), connecting to the Guile role queries.

This timeline captures the major turning points in Cody’s professional life. The AEW years (2019–2022) and his WWE return are widely considered the most transformative periods of his career, moving him from a respected veteran to a mainstream wrestling headliner.

What is confirmed and what remains uncertain about Cody Rhodes?

Why does Cody Rhodes’s background matter?

Being the son of Dusty Rhodes, one of professional wrestling’s most iconic figures, has shaped Cody’s career from the beginning. The “American Dream” legacy gave Cody immediate name recognition, but it also created expectations that he has had to navigate throughout his professional life. Rather than relying solely on his father’s reputation, Cody carved his own path by reinventing his persona and working across multiple promotions.

His career arc—from a promising rookie in 2007 to a mid-card champion, then to an AEW founder, and finally back to WWE as a main-event star—reflects a level of adaptability that few wrestlers achieve. This trajectory also helps explain why family and financial questions dominate search data: fans want to understand how the son of a legend built his own identity and wealth.

His crossover into Hollywood with projects like Street Fighter (2026) and The Naked Gun (2025) signals a broader ambition beyond wrestling. If these roles materialize as announced, Cody would join a small group of wrestlers who have successfully transitioned into mainstream film acting.

What do official sources say about Cody Rhodes?

The most reliable primary sources for information about Cody Rhodes include his official WWE superstar profile, his Instagram account, and his verified X (formerly Twitter) account. These channels provide updates directly from Cody or his team and are considered authoritative for career announcements and personal statements.

“Cody Rhodes is featured in the upcoming Street Fighter film from Legendary.”

— The Hollywood Reporter, reporting on Brandi Rhodes’s reality show project and Cody’s involvement in the film

“Cody and Brandi Rhodes have welcomed their second child, a daughter named Leilani Ella Runnels.”

— USA Network, confirming the birth of Cody and Brandi’s second daughter

For biographical background and filmography, Wikipedia and IMDb serve as commonly referenced secondary sources. These platforms aggregate information from multiple verified inputs, though they should be cross-checked against primary sources for critical details such as championship history and casting announcements.

What is the essential takeaway about Cody Rhodes?

Cody Rhodes is a professional wrestler and actor who has built a career defined by reinvention. From his early days as the son of Dusty Rhodes to his status as a WWE main-event star and film actor, he has maintained a strong connection with fans who follow his family life, financial success, and career moves. The most searched questions about him—his wife, children, age, net worth, theme song, and film roles—reflect a broad curiosity that spans both personal and professional dimensions. For readers interested in similar biographical profiles, the article on Gerard Way – Biography, Age, Wife, and Net Worth offers a comparable look at another entertainment figure.

Frequently asked questions about Cody Rhodes