Ring of Honor World Champion Cody

Free agent pro wrestler Cody (don’t call him “Cody Rhodes”) is feeling awfully “vindicated” these days. Though the WWE alum may not have a permanent place of employment, he has a belt — and it’s coming home with him this weekend.

Bringing the hardware he has back to Atlanta, Georgia “means a great deal,” Cody Runnels told TheWrap ahead of his big bout. After all, “The Ring of Honor World Title is a recognized world title.”

Ring of Honor is one of the two pro-wrestling promotions that Cody currently makes his bones in, with the other being New Japan Pro Wrestling. Those are also where Runnels makes bones, by which we mean street slang for money — TheWrap is quite the hip publication.

Also Read: Why Wrestler Cody Can't Be Pinned Down by His Stage Name

But just how well financially is the former WWE Superstar doing without billionaire Vince McMahon behind him anymore? Pretty friggin’ well, as it turns out.

“I try not to get too specific with it because I don’t want to be tacky, but I’m making way more money than I did when I was Stardust,” Runnels said, referring to his famous face-painted WWE character. “I’ve already reached my best year in WWE and we’re not done with the current year. It is a mind-blowing thing to me.”

“I did not do this for the money… this was for the soul,” he added.

Also Read: WWE Bans Beach Balls After 'SummerSlam' Incident Involving Cesaro

Runnels’ soul will feel a little extra full this Saturday, when Cody defends his title against the winner of a 20-man honor rumble. Not only does he have champion’s advantage, the Marietta native and son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes will have home-ring advantage on his side. Yeah, he’s been in the building a few times before during his dad’s storied career.

“Bringing a world title to a place that I used to go to as a little kid and sit backstage and watch them film WCW, to come in there as the World Champion, it’s one of those that it’ll be business as usual that day. But when I go out the curtain, I will make a point to make sure it’s not business as usual,” he said. “That I look around, that I take a beat, that I let it all sink in because wrestling is a fickle industry. It could be over like that. So, yeah, I want to enjoy it.”

For those who can’t make it to Center Stage on Saturday, Ring of Honor Wrestling is available in more than 500,000 Sinclair affiliate homes, plus NESN in New England, Cox Sports in the South, more 79 million homes via the Charge! TV Network. It can be streamed via the Fite app, and current and archived weekly shows are available online at ROHWrestling.com.

Top 20 Highest-Paid Actors in 2017 Ranked, From Mark Ruffalo to Mark Wahlberg (Photos)

Forbes released its annual highest-paid actors list for 2017 and there are quite a few newcomers on the list. Overall, the list (for earnings between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017) proves that if you star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you're set for a while.
20. Mark Ruffalo
Earnings: $13 million

Ruffalo got a nice payday from his role in the MCU. He'll be appearing next in "Thor: Ragnarok" as Marvel's jolly green giant.
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19. Chris Pratt
Earnings: $17 million

Pratt is also a staple in the MCU, with his starring role in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise. He made 35 percent less than last year, but still manages to make the top 20.
Marvel
18. Chris Evans
Earnings: $18 million.

Look another MCU veteran. Evans plays Captain America and is expected to earn an even bigger paycheck with his role in "Avengers: Infinity War."
Marvel
17. Jeremy Renner
Earnings: $19 million

We sense a pattern. However, Renner is on the list thanks to his role in "Arrival," which earned over $200 million at the box office.
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16. Matt Damon
Earnings: $21 million

Damon is expected to earn a huge paycheck with his upcoming film "Downsizing," but multiple executive producing credits surely help.
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15. Ryan Reynolds
Earnings: $21.5 million

Expectations for "Deadpool 2" are high and his paycheck will be even higher.
Getty Images
14. Ryan Gosling
Earnings: $29 million

"La La Land" and an Oscar nomination really helped Gosling to make it onto the list, plus the upcoming "Blade Runner 2049" didn't hurt.
Warner Bros.
13. Samuel L. Jackson
Earnings: $30.5 million

He gets money from his deal with Capital One but the sheer number of movies Jackson appears in contributes. He starred in "Kong: Skull Island," "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" and "The Hitman's Bodyguard" in 2017 alone.
Getty Images
12. Tom Hanks
Earnings: $31 million

A frequent member of the highest-paid actors club, Hanks raked in paychecks from "The Circle," "Sully," and the third Robert Langdom film "Inferno."
Getty Images
11. Chris Hemsworth
Earnings: $31.5 million

The best Chris? At least the highest-paid one. The Marvel actor saw the biggest increase in money earned this year of anybody else on the list.
Marvel
10. Akshay Kumar
Earnings: $35.5 million

Many inside the United States may not realize it but Bollywood is a big moneymaker. Kumar's films are some of the highest grossing in Indian history.
Getty Images
9. Salman Khan
Earnings: $37 million

Another Bollywood star. Khan has been one of the country's biggest stars for nearly three decades. He starred in the movie "Sultan" in 2016.
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8. Shah Rukh Khan
Earnings: $38 million

They don't call him the "King of Bollywood" for nothing. He had four film roles in 2016 and has three listed for 2017.
Getty Images
7. Tom Cruise
Earnings: $43 million

Like Hanks, Cruise is another frequent flyer on this list. He earned massive paychecks this year for "The Mummy" and "Mission: Impossible 6."
Getty Images
6. Robert Downey Jr.
Earnings: $48 million

Being the highest-paid actor in the MCU will help those numbers. A lot.
Sony
5. Jackie Chan
Earnings: $49 million

He may not be as frequent in American cinemas but he's still the biggest star from mainland China.
Getty Images
4. Adam Sandler
Earnings: $50.5 million

Sandler is making big money from his deal with Netflix. Recently, the streaming service extended that deal for four more films.
Netflix
3. Vin Diesel
Earnings: $54.4 million

The eighth installment in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise, "The Fate of the Furious," made over $1 billion internationally and that doesn't even include paychecks from "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
Universal
2. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Earnings: $65 million

He was the top earner on Forbes' list last year. Despite some box office disappointments, like with "Baywatch," he's still rolling in the dough.
Getty Images
1. Mark Wahlberg
Earnings: $68 million

Wahlberg smelled what the Rock was cooking and took the top spot this year thanks to big paychecks from "Transformers: The Last Knight" and the upcoming "Daddy's Home 2."
Getty Images

1 of 21

Forbes list proves actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are set for a while, too

Forbes released its annual highest-paid actors list for 2017 and there are quite a few newcomers on the list. Overall, the list (for earnings between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017) proves that if you star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you're set for a while.

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Cody on Why Ring of Honor World Championship Makes Him Feel ‘Vindicated’

Top 20 Highest-Paid Actors in 2017 Ranked, From Mark Ruffalo to Mark Wahlberg (Photos)

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