Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan and the Most Organically Over Superstars in WWE History

Cody Rhodes will main-event WrestleMania 40 against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, but that wasn't the plan entering Thursday's WrestleMania Kickoff press conference.

Rhodes rode a wave of fan fervor from those who believed the headline spot should have been his in the first place and responded passionately across social media, reacting negatively to the idea of The Rock supplanting him as Reigns' opponent.

Much of that can be attributed to a story that begins with his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, and continues with The American Nightmare, who not only wants to win the title that eluded his Hall of Fame parent but also establish his own legacy.

Fans have invested in Rhodes and his narrative and want to see him finish it on wrestling's grandest stage. In turn, the 2024 men's Royal Rumble winner acknowledged their role in ensuring that happens on Monday's Raw.

It's not the first time organic popularity has forced WWE's hand or seen a Superstar elevated up the card as a result of the fans' reactions.

The company's history is rich with Superstars who have forged relationships with the WWE Universe and benefited from the love and vocal support that results from them.

With Rhodes making headlines for his bond with the fans, enjoy this look at the other most organically over Superstars in WWE history.

Daniel Bryan

At WrestleMania 28 in 2012, Daniel Bryan suffered what could have been a career indignity when he was booked to lose the World Heavyweight Championship in eight seconds to Sheamus.

Instead, the moment sparked the early days of the Yes! Movement, a fan-fueled movement to let WWE know how much they appreciated Bryan and demanded better from the company creatively.

Over the two years that followed, his popularity intensified, culminating in a WWE title victory over John Cena at SummerSlam, until Randy Orton cashed in Money in the Bank and conspired with on-screen authority figure Triple H to take the championship away.

On the Road to WrestleMania 30, it appeared WWE was headed toward a main event pitting a returning Batista against Orton. Intent on ensuring Bryan would pay off a story that began two years earlier and built the prior summer, fans reacted more passionately then ever, forcing the company's hand and creating a scenario in which the biggest matches on the 2014 card would revolve around Bryan.

Bryan defeated Triple H in the 'Mania opener to earn his way to the main event and then overcome a (kayfabe) shoulder injury to defeat Batista and Orton in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, neither of which would have happened had it not been for the fans voicing their displeasure at the treatment of their hero.

They demanded an opportunity for Bryan, and that organic popularity forced WWE to buy into him in the same way they had.

Kofi Kingston

It's easy to take for granted the bond a Superstar has with the WWE Universe, as evidenced by Kofi Kingston's magical early 2019 run.

KofiMania was not a planned storyline for WrestleMania 35 but rather a circumstance of opportunity. Mustafa Ali was originally slated to compete in the men's Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, but an injury forced him to the sidelines and necessitated a replacement.

Enter Kingston, who showed out in a pre-Chamber Gauntlet match, wowing fans with a gutsy performance. Inside the Elimination Chamber, he came within seconds of defeating Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship.

More important than whether he won the match was the fans' reaction. Chants of "Thank you, Kofi" rained from the stands as New Day teammates Big E and Xavier Woods consoled their friend.

The reaction from the audience, organic in its love for the 11-year veteran they had watched grow and evolve as a performer, could not be ignored. Their appreciation of his hard work spawned KofiMania and powered him to a one-on-one showdown with Bryan at WrestleMania 35.

Kingston would capitalize on the opportunity, defeating the self-proclaimed "Planet's Champion" and capturing the company's top prize in one of the most emotional and historically significant moments in WWE history.

Bret Hart

Bret Hart lost the WWE Championship to Yokozuna under nefarious circumstances at WrestleMania IX, and he then watched Hulk Hogan beat the heel seconds later to claim a fifth WWE title.

It was a disrespectful creative decision that forced The Hitman into the background.

He would spend the next six months feuding with Jerry "The King" Lawler in the hottest program in WWE, only for the company to focus its attention on Lex Luger and his cross-country Lex Express tour to SummerSlam and a date with Yokozuna, who had reclaimed the WWE Championship.

No matter how much the company promoted and marketed Luger, the fans' bond with Hart was stronger. He remained the most over guy in the company, no doubt due to the quality of his work between the ropes.

The fans knew Hart was the best, and when you factor in an intensely personal sibling rivalry with Owen that painted Bret as the sympathetic elder brother, his popularity only grew.

Ultimately, it forced WWE to pivot, negating plans for Luger vs. Yokozuna II to headline WrestleMania X at Madison Square Garden and inserting Hart into the mix by way of a controversial tied finish in the 1994 Royal Rumble.

Luger would still challenge for the title and lost by disqualification. The Hitman rebounded from a crushing defeat at the hands of his brother and went on to beat Yokozuna to regain a title he never should have lost a year earlier.

Hart's fanbase ensured his return to the top would be undeniable, even if it took WWE officials time to catch on.

Becky Lynch

The moment Nia Jax broke Becky Lynch's nose and the Irish competitor stood among the fans to close out a memorable pre-Survivor Series episode of Raw gave birth to The Man and altered the course of women's wrestling history.

She had an attitude, a rebelliousness that fans were looking for in any Superstar at that point. She carried herself as an ass-kicking star, unintimidated by anyone or anything. She had grown up from the jig-dancing unknown in NXT and captured the attention of every fan in the industry with a personality that leapt off the screen.

The reaction from the fans toward Lynch commanded the attention of WWE officials, who quickly adjusted the Road to WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

Charlotte Flair turned heel and Ronda Rousey took a backseat to Lynch, who was now clearly the most over star in the industry. On a card that featured Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Batista and Daniel Bryan, it was The Man who arrived at MetLife Stadium as the overwhelming fan favorite.

As a result, she, Flair and Rousey would do what no other woman in WWE history ever had: They main-evented WrestleMania.

The historic match concluded with Lynch pinning Rousey and winning both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships and standing tall to close out the most prestigious show on the calendar.

It was confirmation of the fans' belief that she could be a star and a payoff for their adulation for Lynch.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Steve Austin's iconic "Austin 3:16" speech at the 1996 King of the Ring sparked fan interest and led to an influx of signs and the creation of the biggest-selling T-shirt in WWE history, but it brought little in the way of substantive creative.

It was not until months later and the introduction of a feud with Bret Hart that Austin saw any movement up the card. Fans had been there with him, embracing the attitude and eating up the curse-filled promos, but he needed the feud with The Hitman to prove what he could do.

On the strength of those show-stealing, Match of the Year candidates, Austin became the most over guy on the roster, even as WWE continued to focus on Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker rather than going all-in with The Texas Rattlesnake.

As WWE fought for its life in the Monday Night Wars against WCW, it ultimately had no choice but to listen to the fans. Austin built momentum in 1997 on the heels of an unforgettable submission match at WrestleMania, a match he technically lost. But by the following year's Showcase of the Immortals, it was clear who the new face of the company was.

Austin defeated Michaels in Boston at WrestleMania 14, won the WWE Championship and stood side-by-side with Mike Tyson to close out the event. Within months, Stone Cold would guide the company to its first victory over the opposition and back from the brink of defeat as the anti-authority, rebellious face of the Attitude Era.

Had the fans not supported Austin and demanded the company take a shot on the ass-kicking anti-hero, one can only imagine what the landscape of pro wrestling would look like today because it very possibly would not include WWE.

Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn entered The Bloodline story on the heels of a WrestleMania 38 loss to Johnny Knoxville in a match that was full of creative hijinx.

A reeling villain looking for a lifeline, he pitched Roman Reigns on a partnership of sorts in what was meant to be a short-term ancillary story but evolved into something much bigger, thanks to the fans and their reaction to the antics of The Underdog from the Underground.

Zayn brought both a levity to the storyline, making The Usos, Solo Sikoa and even Reigns himself break character during backstage vignettes, as well as raw emotion that endeared him to the audience.

The fans loved the veteran competitor and wanted to see more of him, and WWE complied. He received a monster push as a key piece of the Bloodline puzzle. He was manipulated by Reigns before finally standing up for himself at the Royal Rumble in 2023 and betraying The Tribal Chief, to set up an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match in his hometown of Montreal at Elimination Chamber.

Zayn may not have won that match, but he did team with longtime friend Kevin Owens to defeat The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 39 in a Match of the Year candidate that paid off his story and resulted in one of those great, emotional 'Mania moments.

The organic manner in which fans got behind Zayn and ensured WWE continued his narrative rather than drop it in short order, as was the initial plan, can still be felt today.

Though the Bloodline element of his story has been over for nearly a year, Zayn is still a focus of WWE Creative , which currently has him positioned to prove himself as a world title contender, with the idea of a championship victory being the endgame.