Cody Rhodes opens AEW Dynamite history with win over Sammy Guevara in 2019

Cody Rhodes kicked off All Elite Wrestling’s weekly era on 2 October 2019 when he beat Sammy Guevara in the very first match on AEW Dynamite.

What happened on that October night?

AEW Dynamite premiered on TNT at 8 p.m. ET on 2 October 2019, ending a 19-year absence of weekly wrestling on the channel. In the main event of the historic debut, Cody Rhodes stepped into the ring opposite Sammy Guevara for a singles match. Rhodes controlled the contest and left with the victory, etching his name into AEW’s first page of history.

Why this fight still matters to Cody Rhodes

For Cody Rhodes, the win wasn’t just about a debut-it was the launch of a new wrestling league built for the modern fan. The match aired live from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in front of a national audience that had not seen weekly wrestling on TNT since WCW’s final days in 2000. Rhodes’s performance set the tone for AEW’s brand of in-ring storytelling and star power.

Sammy Guevara’s view from the other side

Sammy Guevara told MuscleManMalcolm the moment still feels surreal. “I mean, it’s history. It’s something you dream about as a kid,” he said. Guevara, then best known for AAA and Lucha Underground runs, admitted he wasn’t a household name when AEW called. Yet he seized the spotlight, beating Cody wasn’t the plan-Guevara’s goal was simply to “live up to the moment,” and he believes he did.

Elsewhere in the same interview, Guevara ranked his three TNT title reigns and named the first one as his favorite. The full exchange offers a rare glimpse at how the locker-room veterans viewed AEW’s rocky but electric start.

What comes next for Cody Rhodes in AEW?

Rhodes stayed in AEW through 2022, winning the TNT Championship twice and headlining multiple pay-per-views. Since leaving, he’s returned to WWE, but the Dynamite opener remains a career landmark. For AEW, the match proved the league could deliver on its promise of weekly spectacle. For Cody Rhodes, it was proof that even the first page of a new chapter could carry his signature intensity.