Brandi Alexis Runnels (née Reed), born on June 23, 1983, is an American ring announcer and retired professional wrestler. She is also known for her roles as a manager and ring announcer. She is currently 42 years old.
Brandi Rhodes attends New York Comic Con to promote TNT's All Elite Wrestling. (Charles Sykes/Associated Press)
Early Life and Career
Reed graduated from the University of Michigan and initially worked as a TV news reporter in Michigan for two years. She then transitioned to modeling, working for magazines like Maxim and Hawaiian Tropic. Additionally, Reed spent time in the graduate program at The University of Miami for broadcast journalism.
WWE Career
In March 2011, Reed signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In April 2011, she debuted under the name Brandi accompanying Lucky Cannon to the ring at a FCW house show. On July 12, 2011, she made her WWE debut under the name Eden Stiles on WWE NXT as a ring announcer. She also served as the ring announcer for that week's episode of SmackDown. In November 2013, Reed announced that she is returning to WWE. On July 1, 2014, she made her return to the main roster by becoming the new ring announcer on Smackdown and Main Event. In late-March 2015, Eden made her pay-per-view ring announcing debut at WrestleMania 31, as well as becoming the backup ring announcer for Raw, while Lilian Garcia was recovering from surgery.
On June 3, 2016, it was announced that Rhodes would be in Cody Rhodes' corner in his match against Mike Bennett at "Wrestling Under the Stars" on August 26 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was announced that TMZ found that Stiles signed with TNA. Both she and her husband Cody Rhodes made their TNA debut on October 2 at Bound for Glory as Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
Read also: "American Dream" Legacy
All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
As of 2018, Runnels and her husband are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). While her role on the talent roster includes serving as a valet to her husband, her role in the company includes working as the Chief Brand Officer. Brandi and Cody are, in many ways, the first couple of AEW. They have been instrumental behind the scenes and on camera in making the company into what we see today.
While she has now been in the business for nine years, Brandi did not originally intend on becoming a pro wrestler. Her first goal was to build a career in broadcast journalism after getting her master's degree.
“Broadcasting was always my long-term goal. When I was a kid and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say a TV reporter. I got right into the field and started working as a journalist in Michigan for a while, and unfortunately, I realized I didn't like it. I was a reporter in Flint, Michigan, and I was outside a home with a dead body on Christmas while my whole family was at home enjoying the holiday, and I thought, 'I don't like this. This isn't what I thought it was going to be.'"
“I moved to Florida and started pursuing entertainment. Then I got wind that the University of Miami had a great broadcast journalism program, so I thought I would take my shot. I did very well and got a partial scholarship there. They turned my attitude about journalism completely around, and I was excited about it again. At that time, somebody was scouting for Divas. I went and watched a show and decided, 'This is for me, and it's the direction I'm going to go.'”
Before the Women's Revolution in WWE, the term "Divas" was used for the female performers. Brandi began her training in FCW, which was one of WWE's developmental territories before the company opened its own training facility and rebranded NXT.
Read also: Unveiling Anthony-Rhodes Relationship
Originally hired to be an in-ring performer, she soon found herself working in a completely different role after impressing management with her ring-announcing ability.
“About a week into training at FCW, I went to one of the local shows, and they were asking who could do the ring announcing since the normal guy wasn't there. All the girls were freaking out and didn't want to do it, and I was like, 'You guys know I am a broadcast journalist, right?' So I did it, and the next thing I know, [Senior Vice President of Talent Relations] John Laurinaitis called and said, 'Hey, you're on the road.' I told him I only did it one time at this little show in Florida, and he said, 'It's OK, kid. You'll be good.' The next week I went and announced in front of 10,000 people, which was pretty terrifying.”
After spending a few years announcing for other wrestlers, Brandi began focusing on the physical side of the business. She has had matches in Ring of Honor, TNA Impact, Stardom and, of course, AEW.
During the first few months of Dynamite, she was aligned with Awesome Kong, Mel and Luther in a faction known as The Nightmare Collective. The storyline was cut short when Kong had to undergo back surgery, so Brandi shifted gears and began wrestling more instead of working as a manager.
Despite being a regular fixture on Dynamite and AEW Dark, she has never stopped training and learning from the legends she is around almost every day. She was even on her way to class during this interview.
Read also: Dusty Rhodes' impact on wrestling
“My training has been sporadic over the last five years. Over that time span, the most committed is QT Marshall. His school is here in Atlanta, and he would help me and train me. I'm actually getting ready to head to QT's school right now and train with the guys.”
Unlike a lot of wrestlers who spend time in the indies performing without the pressure of cameras and a national TV audience, a lot of Brandi's early work was televised. She didn't have the luxury of practicing for years in front of smaller crowds, so fans were hard on some of her early in-ring work.
Some of her recent matches have received praise online, with many commenting on how much she has improved over the past few years. Brandi is a member of the Rhodes family and with that legacy comes a lot of pressure.
“It's great to see people recognizing the hard work I have put in; however, it's like a flower. You have to water it and nurture it and let it bloom. You can't expect somebody to go out there their first time and expect them to be The Rock. I'm now part of a family that is awesome and amazing, and everyone is a super athlete. They were born and bred into this. I came in as a Diva, so I have had to work extremely hard.”
“Every week, Dustin [Rhodes] holds a class. I'm there every single time. Jerry Lynn has been amazing when it comes to the matches. After I have a match, I always go to Jerry because he is not going to blow any smoke up my behind. We're all still growing. I watch Cody go to Jerry or Arn [Anderson] after a match, and he is one of the best wrestlers in the world, so if he is doing that, we should all be doing that.”
One of the things Brandi has worked on outside the ring is AEW Heels, a community for women who love wrestling. There are online events, Q&A sessions, games and resources for women in and out of the business.
“The short-term goal for AEW Heels was for it to organically expand and become a community people can rely on where they can communicate and get to know the female talent. The goal is to be able to do these events in person one day. We don't know when that will be, but we are looking forward to it.”
The CBO of AEW has faced a lot of competitors, but there are still plenty of women she has yet to battle inside the squared circle. One person she singled out as being a dream opponent is one of AEW's most recent hires and a veteran of the industry.
“I would love to wrestle Serena [Deeb]. I think she is amazing. Training with her here and there, she is somebody you pick things up from without knowing you're doing it. She's very fluid in the ring, and I think we could have a really nice match.”
Brandi has recently started a partnership with Red Velvet after the two had a match on Dark.
Professional Wrestling Career
On October 10, it was announced that Rhodes will make her singles wrestling debut against Jordynne Grace at Pro Wrestling Magic, defeating her on October 15.
Impact Wrestling
On September 16, 2016, it was reported by TMZ that Rhodes had signed with TNA. Three days later, TNA confirmed Rhodes' signing. At Bound for Glory, Rhodes, alongside her husband Cody, made her TNA debut as a face, attacking Maria and her husband Mike Bennett to begin a feud between the two couples. Brandi made her in ring debut on the October 28 episode of Impact Wrestling alongside her husband Cody against Maria and Mike Bennett in a mixed tag team match. On February 16, Brandi and Moose defeated Decay (Crazzy Steve and Rosemary) in a mixed tag team match. On February 23 Brandi's husband Cody returned, attacking Moose out of jealousy after finding out she had Moose's phone number. On April 6, Rhodes participated in a gauntlet match for being the number one contender to Rosemary's Knockouts Championship, which was won by ODB. Rhodes then parted ways with Impact Wrestling.
Ring of Honor
Rhodes made her Ring of Honor in-ring debut in the Women of Honor division at ROH's July 29, 2017, television tapings at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina.
World Wonder Ring Stardom
Prior to entering World Wonder Ring Stardom's 2018 Cinderella Tournament, it was announced that Rhodes would be joining the Oedo Tai stable. In the tournament, she defeated fellow stablemate Natsu Sumire in the first round, but lost to Io Shirai in the quarterfinals. Rhodes wrestled in three tag team matches alongside Oedo Tai stablemates, winning all three.
The Nightmare Collective: Brandi Rhodes and Awesome Kong
Return to AEW
In 2019, Rhodes became Chief Brand Officer of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), a new wrestling promotion co-founded by her husband. At Double or Nothing, AEW's first pay-per-view, on May 25, 2019, Rhodes appeared during the women's triple threat match between Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, and Kylie Rae and announced that she was adding Awesome Kong to the match, which Baker won, establishing Rhodes as a heel. Rhodes made her AEW in-ring debut at Fight for the Fallen on July 13, defeating Allie due to interference from Kong. At All Out, she wrestled in the Casino Battle Royale and was eliminated by Baker and Allie. During the following months, Rhodes and Kong began cutting off and collecting women's hair. The Nightmare Collective later gained new members Mel and Luther. During the following weeks, she accompanied her husband Cody to his matches, as well as the team of The Natural Nightmares Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall. She also formed a tag team called The Nightmare Sisters with Allie.
At WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024, Brandi was part of Cody's entrance for his match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Other Media and Ventures
On November 2, 2017, Rhodes joined the cast of the E! reality television series WAGS Atlanta. Brandi has appeared in TV commercials for big brands like Budweiser and KFC. She also started her own line of swimwear called "Confection Swimwear."
Brandi has achieved several "firsts" in her career. In 2015 at WrestleMania, Rhodes became the first African-American woman to be a ring announcer for a major American wrestling promotion. She then became the first woman of color to appear in a match at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018. As AEW's Chief Branding Officer, Rhodes became the first African-American woman to hold an executive position in a major North American wrestling promotion.
Personal Life
Brandi married professional wrestler Cody Rhodes in September 2013.
Theme Songs:
- "Goin' In" by Thomas McFarland feat.
- "CBO Flex" by Mikey Rukus feat. Queen Kobra - Single (December 7, 2021 - February 15, 2022)
Brandi Rhodes: Career Highlights
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| WWE Debut | As Eden Stiles, ring announcer on WWE NXT (July 12, 2011) |
| AEW Chief Brand Officer | First African-American woman in an executive position in a major North American wrestling promotion (2019) |
| WrestleMania Announcer | First African-American woman to be a ring announcer at WrestleMania (2015) |