Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Cody Rhodes Announces Death of Dog Pharaoh, Remembering WWE Fixture and Family Companion

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Cody Rhodes Announces Death of Dog Pharaoh, Remembering WWE Fixture and Family Companion

Q: How did a simple family pet transform into a vital crisis dog that helped a wrestling superstar navigate his most stressful moments?

Pharaoh became a “crisis dog” not through formal branding, but through years of instinctive companionship and steady behavior during Cody Rhodes’ hardest moments. In Rhodes’ own account, the husky consistently moved toward stress rather than away from it. He described Pharaoh putting his nose under his arm in the truck “every time” there was a crisis, and staying beside him when his “world got turned upside down,” including after the death of his father, Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes recalled Pharaoh sitting with him under the Texas sky and pressing his head against him in a way that conveyed comfort and understanding. That role was reinforced by Pharaoh’s natural protectiveness at home. Rhodes said the dog patrolled the pool, barked at strangers and acted as a watchful presence around the family. He also said Pharaoh had “the best training” and retained much of it, which likely helped turn ordinary pet behavior into something more dependable in tense situations. Over time, Pharaoh’s purpose sharpened inside the family. Rhodes said he did not think the husky fully knew his “job” until daughter Liberty was born. Looking back at family photos, he saw Pharaoh constantly near her, “peeking into frame” or standing guard. Rhodes came to believe the dog’s job was to be with her and protect her. So the transformation was personal, not professional: Pharaoh evolved from beloved pet to emotional anchor, family protector and, in Rhodes’ words, the dog who was simply there whenever a crisis came.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 9

Tuesday’s announcement came in a long Instagram tribute, where Cody Rhodes said his dog Pharaoh had died and recalled telling him before he was put to sleep, “you did your job.”
Pharaoh was a regular presence in Rhodes’ life and WWE orbit, appearing with him on programming before matches and, Rhodes wrote, becoming a protector for daughter Liberty in family photos.
Rhodes also remembered Pharaoh as “The Siberian Nightmare,” a fan favorite at the first All In and Starrcast, where supporters chanted his name and a hotel menu featured “Pharaoh’s fries.”
Wrestling figures including The Miz, Nick Jackson, Jacy Jayne, Lillian Garcia and Renee Paquette posted condolences, underscoring Pharaoh’s place in the wider wrestling community.