Appearing on popular YouTube show Hot Ones, Cody Rhodes proved that he can finish hot wings like he can finish his story. Just over halfway through the episode, as the interview (and the wings) were beginning to heat up, Sean Evans sought to summon the scholar in the American Nightmare.
Rhodes’ wrestling apprenticeship is mighty impressive. Outside of his father, Dusty, and brother Dustin’s contributions, Rhodes learned from some of the very best in the business.
OVW founder Danny Davis, Randy Orton, Al Snow, and Shawn Spears all played significant roles in Rhodes’ early development. So when Evans asked Cody what should be essential viewing for any fan or promising young wrestler, it was unsurprising to see Rhodes point to two matches featuring some of the all-time great technical wrestlers.
“The first one we watch is Sting versus Ric Flair from The Great American Bash. And the second one is we watch Bret Hart versus Mr. Perfect from SummerSlam. Yeah, those two.”
Sting and Ric Flair’s long-running rivalry provided countless memorable matches, chief among them their 1990 Great American Bash. The encounter was a culmination of the storyline that saw Flair’s Four Horsemen betray Sting.
Competing for the NWA World Heavyweight title, a championship Rhodes would go on to win in 2018, Sting defeated Flair to win his first major world title. The victory announced Sting as an undeniable top-tier star in professional wrestling.
Rhodes’ second choice came just a year later, pitting Bret Hart against Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam 1991. The aftermath of the match was similar to that of Flair and Sting’s. Hart, at this point known primarily as a tag team specialist, had the chance to prove himself as a singles competitor against the revered Mr. Perfect.
A masterclass in technical prowess, Hart defeated Mr. Perfect via a Sharpshooter submission. The win gave Hart his major singles title in WWE and the first chapter in his iconic legacy.
Cody Rhodes’ third choice, a decade in the making
For his third choice, Rhodes pointed to arguably his finest match. One that represented the culmination of his creative and professional decisions over the past decade.
“I might say WrestleMania 40, which I’m in. I went from being the guy who was away from there, trash-talking it, started a whole ’nother thing, and to come in, earn my place back, and then them say, ‘Hey, it’s all yours.’ Like literally, like how? How? Yeah, so it might be 40.”
Following his historic WrestleMania 40 win, the American Nightmare defended his title against the likes of Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Solo Sikoa before losing the WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41. Rhodes has the chance to regain the title at SummerSlam this weekend in a street fight rematch against Cena.
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