Brandi Rhodes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brandi Rhodes
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Rhodes in 2011
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| Born |
Brandi Alexis Reed
June 23, 1983 Canton, Michigan, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) University of Miami (MA) |
| Occupation | Professional wrestler • professional wrestling ring announcer |
| Spouse(s) |
Cody Rhodes
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
| Family | Dusty Rhodes (father-in-law) Dustin Rhodes (half-brother-in-law) |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Brandi Brandi Rhodes Eden Eden Stiles |
| Billed height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Billed from | Ann Arbor, Michigan Atlanta, Georgia Canton, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Los Angeles, California Marietta, Georgia |
| Trained by | Norman Smiley Sara Del Rey |
| Debut | April 2011 |
| Retired | February 2022 |
Brandi Alexis Runnels (born June 23, 1983), known as Brandi Rhodes, is an American ring announcer and retired professional wrestler. She is famous for her time in WWE. She was also an important leader at All Elite Wrestling (AEW). There, she helped manage the company and also wrestled.
She started her career in WWE in 2011. She trained at Florida Championship Wrestling. She worked as a ring announcer using the name Eden Stiles. She later married Cody Rhodes. When her husband left WWE in 2016, she also left a few days later.
After leaving WWE, she wrestled for other groups. These included Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and World Wonder Ring Stardom. In 2019, she joined the new company All Elite Wrestling. She left AEW in February 2022. Later, she stopped wrestling professionally.
Brandi was also on the TV show WAGS Atlanta. Before wrestling, she was a figure skater. She also worked as a TV news anchor.
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Early life
Brandi Alexis Reed was born and grew up in Canton, Michigan. This town is near Detroit, Michigan. She has an older brother named Jason Reed.
She was a figure skater for 17 years. She started skating when she was four years old. When she was in college, she stopped skating to focus on her studies. She also wanted to work in broadcasting.
Brandi graduated from the University of Michigan. She had a full scholarship there. She worked as a local news reporter for two years. Then, she moved to Miami, Florida. There, she wanted to try modeling and acting. While in Miami, she earned a master's degree. She studied broadcast journalism at the University of Miami.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2011)
After finishing her master's degree, Brandi was working as a model. In 2011, WWE invited her to try out. She signed a training contract with WWE in March 2011. She was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) to learn.
The next month, she started wrestling under the name Brandi. She joined Lucky Cannon at a live show. On May 12, she began announcing matches on Superstars. On July 11, she also started announcing on NXT. She used the name Eden Stiles then.
She also announced for SmackDown on July 15 and November 11. Her only match was on July 16 at FCW Summer SlamaRama. She was in a special match with many wrestlers. Sonia won that match. In December, Brandi asked to leave WWE.
Return to WWE (2013–2016)
In November 2013, Brandi said on Twitter she was coming back to WWE. Her wrestling name became Eden. She went back to being a ring announcer. Her first appearance was on NXT.
In February 2014, Eden started a video blog. It was on the WWE website until January 2015. In October 2014, Eden became the main ring announcer. She also did interviews backstage for SmackDown and Main Event.
In March 2015, Eden announced at WrestleMania 31. This was a very big event. She also became the backup announcer for Raw. This happened while Lilian Garcia was getting better from surgery. On May 24, 2016, Brandi was allowed to leave WWE. This was just a few days after her husband Cody Rhodes also left.
Independent circuit (2016–2019)
On June 3, 2016, it was announced that Brandi would be with Cody Rhodes. She would be in his corner for a match on August 26. On October 10, it was shared that Brandi would wrestle her first singles match. She defeated Jordynne Grace on October 15.
On July 15, 2017, she defeated Tessa Blanchard. In 2018, she wrestled in the United Kingdom. She won matches against Bea Priestley and Viper. Brandi made a surprise appearance in 2019. She helped Kylie Rae with Britt Baker and Nyla Rose. This led to a match at Double or Nothing.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling/Impact Wrestling (2016–2017)
On September 16, 2016, news came out that Brandi signed with TNA. Three days later, TNA confirmed it. At Bound for Glory, Brandi and her husband Cody debuted. They attacked Maria and Mike Bennett. This started a rivalry between the two couples.
Brandi wrestled her first match in TNA on October 28. She and Cody teamed up against Maria and Mike Bennett. On February 16, 2017, Brandi and Moose won a match. They defeated Decay (Crazzy Steve and Rosemary).
On February 23, 2017, Cody returned to Impact Wrestling. He attacked Moose because he was jealous. He found out Brandi had Moose's phone number. On April 6, 2017, Brandi was in a special match. The winner would get a chance to challenge for the Knockouts Championship. ODB won this match. Brandi then left Impact Wrestling.
Ring of Honor (2017–2018)
Brandi Rhodes wrestled her first match in Ring of Honor on July 29, 2017. She teamed with Sumie Sakai. They wrestled against Jenny Rose and Mandy Leon. Before this, she had briefly appeared in ROH. She introduced Cody for his match in December 2016.
World Wonder Ring Stardom (2018)
Before a tournament in 2018, it was announced that Brandi would join a group called Oedo Tai. In the tournament, she won her first match. But she lost in the next round to Io Shirai. Brandi wrestled in three tag team matches with her Oedo Tai teammates. She won all three. Later, it was found out she had broken her collarbone during this time.
All Elite Wrestling (2019–2022)
In 2019, Brandi Rhodes became a top manager for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Her husband helped start this new wrestling company. At Double or Nothing, AEW's first big show, Brandi appeared. She added Awesome Kong to a women's match. This showed she was playing a "bad guy" role.
Brandi wrestled her first AEW match on July 13. She defeated Allie with help from Kong. At All Out, she was in a big match with many wrestlers. She was eliminated by Britt Baker and Allie. For several months, Brandi and Kong started cutting off women's hair. Their group gained new members, Mel and Luther.
At Bash at the Beach, Brandi wrestled because Kong was not healthy enough. She lost the match. Fans did not like the group very much. In February, Brandi left the group. Kong also stopped appearing on TV.
In the following weeks, Brandi was with her husband Cody for his matches. She also supported the team of Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall. She formed a tag team called The Nightmare Sisters with Allie. On November 18, 2020, Jade Cargill attacked Brandi backstage. She hurt Brandi's arm.
On December 9, 2020, Brandi argued with NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. She threw a glass of water on him. She appeared sometimes in AEW after her daughter was born. She had arguments with Dan Lambert and a fight with Paige VanZant. However, she and Cody left AEW on February 15, 2022.
Sporadic appearance in WWE (2024)
At WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024, Brandi was part of Cody's entrance. This was for his big match against Roman Reigns. After Cody won, she went into the ring to celebrate with him.
Other media
Brandi Rhodes has been in TV ads for Budweiser and KFC. She also started her own line of swimwear called "Confection Swimwear".
On November 2, 2017, Brandi joined the TV show WAGS Atlanta on E!.
In 2015, at WrestleMania, Brandi made history. She became the first African-American woman to be a ring announcer for a major American wrestling company. In 2018, she was the first woman of color to wrestle at Wrestle Kingdom. This is a big event in Japan.
As a top manager at AEW, Brandi became the first African-American woman to hold such a high position in a major North American wrestling company. She helped AEW work with KultureCity. This group helps make big events welcoming for people with special sensory needs.
In 2021, she starred with her husband Cody Rhodes on the reality show Rhodes to the Top.
Personal life
Brandi Reed married professional wrestler Cody Rhodes in September 2013. They have one child together, a daughter named Liberty.
Championships and accomplishments
- DDT Pro-Wrestling
- Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 50 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the PWI Women's 100 in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Brandi Rhodes para niños
