Nightmare Family was a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The group's name derives from "The American Nightmare", the nickname of its de facto leader Cody Rhodes. He described the group as "an ensemble of focused individuals, some who train at the Nightmare Factory (AEW's training facility) together, who just have a singular focus over the sport". In addition to Rhodes, his brother Dustin Rhodes is a member of the stable; both are the sons of the late Dusty Rhodes.
Background[]
Prior to the launch of AEW, Cody Rhodes and his brother Dustin Rhodes previously wrestled with the WWE. On June 21, 2018, Cody launched a YouTube channel titled Nightmare Family, showcasing behind-the-scenes videos of their professional wrestling events.
History[]
All In (2018)[]
On September 1, 2018, at ALL IN, Brandi Rhodes, Diamond Dallas Page, Glacier, and Tommy Dreamer donned their Nightmare Family jackets and accompanied Cody for his NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match against Nick Aldis.
All Elite Wrestling (2019–2022)[]
On January 1, 2019, Cody and Brandi Rhodes joined All Elite Wrestling, a new professional wrestling promotion founded by Shahid Khan and Tony Khan. Cody and Brandi signed contracts as on-screen talent and also as Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer respectively. On April 20, Cody's opponent for AEW's inaugural event Double or Nothing was revealed as his brother Dustin Rhodes. Cody defeated Dustin at Double or Nothing, and the match received a 5 star rating from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. After the match, Cody made a plea to Dustin to reunite as a tag team to face The Young Bucks at Fight for the Fallen. Dustin accepted, reuniting The Rhodes Brothers for the first time in over four years.
On July 13 at Fight for the Fallen, Brandi Rhodes defeated Allie with the help of Awesome Kong. In the following months, Brandi and Kong continued their alliance and recruited Mel and Luther in a faction known as The Nightmare Collective. On January 15, 2020 at Bash at the Beach, Kong was originally scheduled to team with Mel, but was replaced by Brandi because she was not medically cleared to compete. Brandi and Mel went on to lose against Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander. The group disbanded in February 2020 after Brandi left and Kong went on hiatus to film GLOW.
On January 15, 2020 at Bash at the Beach, Diamond Dallas Page teamed with QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes for his first match since 2016.
On December 30, 2019, Arn Anderson signed a contract with AEW as Cody's personal advisor and head coach. On October 30, 2020, Gunn Club (Austin, and Billy) and Lee Johnson joined the group. On February 8, 2021, Aaron Solow and Nick Comoroto joined the group.
On the March 31, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall fought in an unsanctioned Exhibition match with Arn Anderson serving as the referee. After about 7 minutes of in-ring action, a frustrated QT attacked Anderson and left the ring, allowing Aaron Solow and Nick Comoroto, as well as Nightmare Factory trainee Anthony Ogogo, to attack Cody from behind. QT continued to lead the group in a brutal beatdown of Cody and the rest of the Nightmare Family, ending his (as well as Solow and Comoroto's) relationship with the group.
Members[]
| Member | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|
| Cody Rhodes
|
September 1, 2018
|
2022 |
| Brandi Rhodes
|
September 1, 2018
|
2022 |
| Dustin Rhodes
|
May 25, 2019
|
2022 |
| Arn Anderson
|
December 30, 2019
|
2022 |
| Lee Johnson | October 30, 2020
|
2022 |
| Brock Anderson | June 11, 2021
|
2022 |
| Fuego Del Sol | August 3, 2021
|
2022 |
| Red Velvet | August 5, 2021 | 2022 |
| MJF
|
August 31, 2019
|
November 9, 2019
|
| Allie
|
June 16, 2020
|
October 27, 2020
|
| QT Marshall
|
January 15, 2020
|
March 31, 2021
|
| Aaron Solow | February 8, 2021
|
March 31, 2021
|
| Nick Comoroto
|
February 8, 2021
|
March 31, 2021
|
| Austin Gunn
|
October 30, 2020
|
September 1, 2021
|
| Billy Gunn
|
October 30, 2020
|
September 1, 2021
|
| Colten Gunn
|
November 17, 2020
|
September 1, 2021
|
Part-time[]
| Member | Joined | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Dallas Page
|
September 1, 2018
|
January 15, 2020
|
| Glacier
|
September 1, 2018
| |
| Tommy Dreamer
|
September 1, 2018
| |
| Stephen Amell
|
February 29, 2020
| |
| Rosario Dawson
|
September 16, 2021
| |
Sub-groups[]
| Affiliate | Members | Tenure | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brotherhood | Cody Rhodes Dustin Rhodes |
2019-2022 | Tag team |
| Too Fast Too Fuego | Fuego del Sol Fuego II |
2021-2022 | Tag team |
| Nightmare Collective | Awesome Kong Brandi Rhodes Luther Mel |
2019-2020 | Quartet |
| Nightmare Sisters | Allie Brandi Rhodes |
2020 | Tag team |
| The Natural Nightmares | Dustin Rhodes QT Marshall |
2020-2021 | Tag team |
| Gunn Club | Austin Gunn Billy Gunn Colten Gunn |
2020-2021 | Trio |
Championships and accomplishments[]
- All Elite Wrestling
- AEW TNT Championship (2 times) – Cody
- Dynamite Award (1 time)
- Best Moment on the Mic (2021) – Cody accepting Dog Collar match on AEW Dynamite (September 30)
- CBS Sports
- Promo of the Year (2019) – Cody "Silver spoon" promo on AEW Dynamite (November 7)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Match of the Year (2019) – Cody vs. Dustin at Double or Nothing
- Ranked Cody No. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020
- Ranked Dustin No. 137 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020
- Ranked Marshall No. 468 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020
- Ranked Brandi No. 50 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 100 in 2019
