Since leaving his mid-card status in WWE, "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes, aka the son of a son of a plumber, has carved out a main event career around the world. He picked up championships in both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as having a very short run with TNA.

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But Cody's greatest legacy will be the founding of AEW alongside his friends and business associates. At this point, Cody has been in the business for 14 years and had numerous incredible matches. But there are still more than a few wrestlers that fans would love to see battle Cody.

10 Sonny Kiss

If you pay attention to wrestling fans on social media, it seems like there's a groundswell of support growing for Sonny Kiss. That's only increased since he started tagging with Joey Janela on AEW Dark. Their natural chemistry is undeniable. Kiss is a talented, unique wrestler that fans want to see more from. Since he's in AEW already, a match between him and Cody should be easy to put together. It would also be a lot of fun to watch, especially if Sonny can get Cody to twerk.

9 Bad Luck Fale

The rugby player turned pro wrestler from New Zealand debuted with NJPW in 2010 and has spent his entire career with them. Alongside Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson and Tama Tonga, he was a founding member of the now legendary Bullet Club in 2013.

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Years later, Cody would also join the famed faction though it would be a much different group at that point. Despite working together in NJPW, Cody and Bad Luck Fale never had a one on one match. It would be an interesting bout as they have contrasting in-ring styles.

8 TJP

As one of the top cruiserweights around, TJP was a natural choice for WWE's Cruiserweight Classic, an event he went on to win. Prior to WWE, TJP wrestled for ROH, NJPW, PWG and TNA, making Impact his main home after his release. Much like Bad Luck Fale, TJP's style contrasts Cody's enough that it wold create a visually engaging match. Though in the case of TJP vs Cody, Cody is the bigger, more powerful wrestler.

7 Orange Cassidy

If you told someone a year ago that Orange Cassidy would become the breakout star of AEW, they might have been shocked. He's always be great, though. AEW just gave him a larger platform to prove what so many wrestling fans already knew.

RELATED: 5 Most Successful AEW Signings (& 5 That Are Still Struggling)

Given Orange Cassidy's popularity and talent, he would make an great choice to face Cody for his TNT Championship. The closest this match came to happening was Cody being pinned by a young fan dressed like Cassidy in 2019.

6 Kenta

When WWE wastes a talented wrestler, they really waste that talent. That was the case with Kenta, who was known in NXT and WWE as Hideo Itami. Keeping in mind that his career kept getting derailed by injuries, Kenta never quite seemed to have backstage management behind him. This was especially evident when he was unceremoniously moved to 205 Live and woefully underutilized. Now back with NJPW as part of the Bullet Club, Kenta is showing WWE what they missed out on. A match with Cody would only drive the point home.

5 Velveteen Dream

Velveteen Dream is one of those guys that seems like he's perpetually on the verge of hitting the next level. His over the top gimmick is a hit with fans and his skill in the ring just keeps growing. But he's always about to win the NXT Championship or about to be called up to the main roster.

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Eventually, one of those two things needs to happen. If not, a move away from WWE is in Dream's future with a landing at AEW is completely possible. That would make a match between him and Cody quite likely.

4 "Hangman" Adam Page

This match seems like it should have happened already but if it has, it was well hidden from the internet. When they were in NJPW together, Page sided with Cody during the Bullet Club civil war which would have been the best chance for that match to happen. Now in AEW, they are technically on the same side as part of The Elite, though there is a fracture in the group that AEW keeps toying with. If they do break up, a match between Cody and Page should be in the cards.

3 Bobby Lashley

During Cody's brief TNA run, this fight darn near happened. At one point, there was a war of words between the two wrestlers that led to Bobby Lashley attacking Cody but nothing ever came of it. Lashley returned to WWE and Cody went on his way.

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Had they both stuck around TNA, this could have turned into a massive feud. Wrestling is a "never say never" type of business, and the opportunity could easily come up down the road.

2 Shinsuke Nakamura

If you want to make a list of the biggest mistakes WWE has ever made, wasting the talent of Shinsuke Nakamura has to be in the top 10. The NJPW and NXT star was met with huge fanfare upon reaching the main roster, though he has been relegated to a mid-card jobber role since then. It's hard to imagine him wanting to hang around WWE when his contract is up. A return to NJPW is likely, but heading for AEW could prove to be even more interesting. There are several incredible matches waiting for him there, including one against Cody Rhodes.

1 Charlotte Flair

In the world of wrestling, there are several key family names that are considered royalty, but Flair and Rhodes are two of the greatest. It would be incredible to watch Charlotte Flair and Cody face off, considering it'd be an ultimate clash between the current generation of wrestling royalty. They're both talented and skilled performers who know how to put on a memorable match. This would never happen in WWE unless they change their views on inter-gender wrestling. But if Charlotte leaves WWE, a trip to AEW could make this a reality.

NEXT: 10 Backstage Stories About Cody Rhodes We Can't Believe