WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has said that being a co-founder of All Elite Wrestling won’t be his legacy.
Rhodes founded AEW alongside Tony Khan, the Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega in early 2019 but left in February this year to return to WWE.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sport Illustrated, Cody said that he’s proud of helping to start AEW but wants to be remembered for much more than that promotion.
“I don’t want my wrestling legacy solely to be that I helped start an alternative wrestling company. I’m really proud of that and I want it to be part of my legacy, but what I’ve always wanted is what I’m after right now. I’m getting a second chance at that, and that is my entire focus. I want to do this for my whole family. My wife, my daughter, my sister Teil, my mom. If I can’t hand this title to my dad, it would be wonderful to hand it to my mom.”
“i don’t want my wrestling legacy solely to be that I helped start an alternative wrestling company.”
Cody Rhodes
Rhodes will face Seth Rollins inside Hell in a Cell at WWE’s next Premium Live Event on June 5.
Cody Rhodes’ ultimate goal is to capture the WWE Championship but if he reunites with IC gold, he has big plans for it.
For many WWE fans, Cody’s first Intercontinental title reign is looked back on fondly. During that period, Rhodes brought back the old design of the IC gold with the white strap.
That became the main design before WWE switched things up with a brand new look in Nov. 2019.
Back To Old Glory
There was a time in WWE when the Intercontinental Championship was a big deal. Many top faces in the WWF’s golden era treated it as the world title since Hulk Hogan was a mainstay at the top.
For many years now, the IC Title has been treated as an afterthought. The current champion, Ricochet, wasn’t even featured on the WrestleMania Backlash card.
During an interview with WWE UK, Cody Rhodes said that if he so happens to get his hands on the Intercontinental Title again, he’ll make it his goal to bring it back to past glory (h/t Inside The Ropes).
“The Intercontinental run was a massive, massive deal for me because I felt like it put me in the position to continue up the card. I think if I was to have the IC Title now, I would be less interested in my own selfish climbing up of the card and more putting the Intercontinental Title on a pedestal.
“That’s a bit of a calling card of mine. There’s a saying in the industry ‘the belt can make the man, or the man can make the belt.’ I know that’s not the popular nomenclature that WWE uses, Title, Championship, it’s all the same in terms of what you can do for it. I think I could do wonders for it.
“My goal is the WWE Championship but there’s a lot of roads to get there. No pun intended. If it runs through the Intercontinental Title I would be more than proud to carry one of the industry’s most prestigious Championships.”
Becky Lynch attempted a physical attack on Cody Rhodes after Monday’s WWE Raw went off the air.
Rhodes is currently embroiled in a heated feud with Lynch’s husband, Seth Rollins. When the American Nightmare came out for his dark match main event, Big Time Becks couldn’t contain herself.
Lynch competed against Asuka in the main event of Raw. The winner would become the #1 contender to Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship. Asuka got the victory and Lynch was left with a face full of green mist.
During Rhodes’ ring entrance, he was confronted by Lynch, who attacked him with a flurry of punches and kicks – none of which landed.
You can see footage of the incident here:
Becky Lynch after Raw just before the Dark match not being able to see anything swinging at Cody is absolutely hilarious! She’s so funny. Also fist bump for Bianca from Cody. pic.twitter.com/q7vcwb4ODB
— Gracie the 4HW fan ?????????????? (@Baby_Face_Grace) May 17, 2022
Cody went on to defeat Seth Rollins in the dark match main event of the evening. The third (and likely final) televised match between these two will take place at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, June 5th.
After Becky Lynch made it backstage, she was interviewed by WWE’s digital team. As seen below, she wasn’t in the best mood about how things transpired on Raw:
Cody Rhodes has made it clear since returning to WWE in April that he came back because he felt like he had unfinished business and to become the WWE Champion.
It’s a goal that his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, didn’t accomplish. In order for Cody to achieve his goal, he will have to go through Roman Reigns and beat him to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Rhodes noted he thinks he’s the best wrestler in the world.
“I think I’m the best wrestler in the world. And I think it’s by a large margin. That upsets a lot of people, but I don’t mean it to draw ire. This is all I do. I’m not in charge. I’m here to hone my craft, build my body, and win matches. Every week, I have to be better. That’s the ultimate clarity for me.
I’m on the flagship show. Look at the pyro and grandeur. Hats off to Kevin Dunn and his team for taking the ‘American Nightmare’ and expanding upon it. I know I must be better every week. That’s the only way I can stay the best in the world. Week to week, I’m putting myself under a microscope. Go ahead and put all the microscopes in the world on me. I want Fox to come calling. I did it for Turner Media and I got a great education at my last spot. Bring it on; I want it all.”
When asked whether he believes he is better than Reigns, Cody stated he can’t answer that question until they’re in the ring.
“The difference between the two best wrestlers in the world is that one has both titles to prove it.”
He said the WWE Title is the biggest title in the game and that’s not a knock on any title anywhere else.
Freddie Prinze Jr. seems to be going ahead with his plans for starting his new wrestling promotion.
Prinze has experience in the pro wrestling industry. He entered the WWE from the world of Hollywood and worked behind the scenes at the company in the creative department. He even had a confrontation with John Cena.
Earlier this month, Prinze revealed his plans for his new promotion. He wants to have it up and running in 18 months and wants a two-hour show for it.
Now, Freddie Prinze Jr. went into detail about his process in starting the promotion while appearing on the Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw podcast. Prinze revealed that he’s not looking for a TV deal for his wrestling company in the initial years (as transcribed by WrestlingNews.co):
“My philosophy is this. There’s over 200 dramas on television. There’s over 150 comedies on television, there’s over 400 reality TV shows on television, and there’s three wrestling shows. So there’s tons more room but my plan is a little different. I’m not looking for a TV deal, at first. I want to have a couple of years where we’re still filming everything. But I need time to fail.”
Prinze noted that he’s a year and a half away from his promotion being fully ready. He wants to take his time with it. He even wants his show to be associated with the Screen Actors Guild, with his wrestlers getting all the benefits from it like insurance and retirement.
“I’m about a year and a half away from being fully ready to go. But I want to take my time with it. And then once we’re ready to go, I want to have a fully SAG show. And that year and a half gives me a time for all my wrestlers in my roster to get vouchered so that when we do go, it can be a SAG show. My wrestlers are gonna have insurance, retirement, and everything that comes with the Screen Actors Guild.
“I assure you, it’s not all good [because] there’s a lot of BS with our union as well. But it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time. I don’t know how far down the goal line I’ll get. But I’m going as far as I can go. And if I fail, I don’t care, man, I’m still going all the way,” Prinze explained.
Since running your own promotion and having its own TV show is no small task, Prinze is seeking advice from his contacts in Hollywood. Prinze said that he’s been asking a lot of questions to people relevant in Hollywood and also in the wrestling business.
Prinze revealed that he even asked Cody Rhodes for advice, who served as the executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling as well as a wrestler:
“I asked a lot of questions to a lot of people and I’ve been asking a lot of wrestlers as well and people who have built things you know, I spoke to Cody. And I’ve spoken to Cody multiple times. So it’s a lot to learn, but I feel like I’m going slow and steady and I’m learning it the right way.”
Freddie Prinze Jr. has said before that he is not looking for his promotion to be in competition with WWE or AEW. He has also asked for input on a name for the promotion.
MJF has been the talk of the town and in 2024, he’ll be the biggest story in wrestling.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a top heel in AEW and even though he’s a star now, the 26-year-old hasn’t even scratched the surface. Many see Plainview’s finest as a major player in the industry for years to come.
While AEW has its golden goose for now, things could change in 2024. That’s when MJF’s contract with the company will expire. Reports have claimed that MJF is a bit unhappy with Tony Khan after a chat regarding taking media interviews without permission.
While that ultimately could turn out to be nothing, Maxwell has teased testing the market both on and off-air. It’s left many wondering if MJF will be making the big jump to WWE.
If he does, here are five WWE superstars who would be perfect opponents for him:
The Miz
(via WWE)
You knew this was coming, so might as well get it out of the way now. If WWE signs MJF, he’s bound to have a program with The Miz. Wrestling fans have long made comparisons between the two.
It makes sense. After all, both characters have a sense of entitlement, enjoy the finer things in life, and think they’re better than everyone else.
Heck, CM Punk even referred to MJF as a “less famous Miz” during their AEW feud.
MJF and The Miz have actually exchanged pleasantries. Back in late 2021, Maxwell appeared on SiriusXM’s Throwing Down with Renee & Miesha and he expressed his belief that Miz is “tremendous” as a performer.
Miz returned the favor, telling Peter Rosenberg that MJF is no copycat. Miz also said he feels MJF has done a great job in a short period of time.
Kevin Owens
(via WWE)
When you think of Kevin Owens, you don’t think of the prototypical WWE superstar.
KO is so good that he ended up being a Swiss army knife for Vince McMahon’s empire. You can put Owens in any role and he’s going to succeed.
For a feud with MJF to work, however, there’s no doubt that Owens will have to play the babyface role. Maxwell would thrive in this situation being the snotty, rich brat running down the hardworking Owens who was never meant to grace the cover of GQ Magazine.
As a heel, Owens has a way of making the audience hate him. As a face, he’ll make the WWE Universe love him. He’d be the perfect good guy in this feud.
This would be a home run.
John Cena
(via WWE)
This one is a bit tougher to pull off since John Cena is a busy man these days with Hollywood.
With that said, this would be a fantastic rivalry.
When you think back to Cena’s feuds with the likes of AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and others, he always brought straight heat on the mic. He and MJF would have some memorable verbal battles and the match would also likely deliver.
As he proved during his rivalry with Styles, Cena does a great job handling programs with stars who had been established in another promotion. He knows how to hit close to home with his words and sell the audience on the significance of the match.
If MJF ends up in WWE and Cena’s schedule allows for it, this match is a must.
Roman Reigns
Photo: WWE.com
Roman Reigns is easily the top star in WWE today.
Ever since transitioning to his “Tribal Chief” character, his stock has soared. Reigns has been such a dominant force that he’s running out of legit contenders on TV.
If MJF enters WWE and feuds with Reigns, fans will get the added bonus of witnessing Maxwell and Paul Heyman go at it on the mic. Much like Cena, Heyman knows how to make things more personal and he’d likely do the same for an MJF-Reigns storyline.
The idea behind Reigns’ character is that he thinks he’s in “God Mode.” All of the opposition are supposed to fear him but MJF is quick-witted and would greatly challenge the “Head of the Table” in promo battles.
The question is, will Roman Reigns be around in 2024 if MJF makes the jump?
Reigns has signed a new deal to take fewer dates and some question whether or not he’ll be on his way out of WWE sooner rather than later should Hollywood come calling.
Cody Rhodes
This one is a no-brainer.
There is simply too much history between MJF and Cody Rhodes to ignore. The two had been booked as best friends on AEW TV until Maxwell turned on Cody by booting him in the nether regions.
The two ultimately collided at the AEW Revolution PPV back in Feb. 2020. MJF emerged victorious, putting an end to their rivalry although it definitely felt like there was some unfinished business that would be addressed after some time passed.
Cody made the shocking jump to WWE at WrestleMania 38 back in April. For WWE to book a high-profile feud with two of AEW’s golden boys would probably be a huge feather in the cap of company officials.
There’s no doubt Cody would push for this to happen if WWE snags MJF and he’d likely get his wish.
Cody Rhodes made the shocking transition from AEW back to WWE but many feel he shot himself in the foot due to a booking decision prior to the move.
Cody had served as an EVP for AEW along with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. The group was adamant about not wanting to take away the spotlight from other talent just because they had a position of power.
Rhodes took things a step further, booking himself in an AEW World Heavyweight Title match against Chris Jericho with a stipulation that had a big consequence.
If he lost the match, which he did, then he was not allowed to ever compete for AEW’s biggest prize again.
Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes
A Costly Stipulation
During an edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt expressed his belief that Cody ended up unintentionally limiting what he could do in AEW from a storyline perspective (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“I don’t know if that was him just trying to be unselfish because of the position he was in as an EVP where he was part of management. I do agree, he’s such a big player in pro wrestling and you don’t want to take yourself off the table like that because it really limits what you can do from storytelling.”
Matt also said an opportunity was there for Cody to add to his family legacy before deciding to take the loss with that stipulation in place.
“Especially with the backstory of his dad never winning the title and that’s what he set as his goal, his destiny to win the title his dad never did,” Hardy said. “That’s a great story too.”
Rhodes has since admitted that this may have not been his brightest idea. He said he didn’t want to live and die by the TNT Championship in AEW, so he returned to WWE where he can become a world champion for the big kahuna.
Dustin Rhodes has no plans of ever wrestling his brother Cody Rhodes again.
Back in May 2019 at the inaugural AEW Double or Nothing PPV, Dustin and Cody put on an instant classic. Ultimately, Cody picked up the pinfall and the two embraced. The match took a lot out of the two.
It’s enough to where Dustin promises not to have another singles match with Cody.
(via AEW)
Dustin Rhodes Dismisses Cody Rematch
During a chat with Renee Paquette on The Sessions, Dustin Rhodes said that he won’t ever share the ring with Cody for a one-on-one match again (h/t Fightful).
“I’ve talked about this a lot over the last couple of years.
“Having an opportunity to work with my brother, and not knowing what to expect with the AEW audience and no idea if I’m gonna get any reaction at all, and just the fact that we went out there, and I got a reaction, and the match was like, just for me and him, perfect.
“It was a long time coming that we weren’t allowed in WWE to do. Not Stardust vs. Goldust, I mean just serious brother versus brother.
“It’s hard to do.
“It’s hard to do as you look at all the brothers versus brothers. There’s nothing good to come from them, right? I’ll never do it again. I’ll never wrestle him again. It did a lot to me that night.”
Cody is currently back with WWE, while Dustin remains on the AEW roster. Dustin has said he’s committed to AEW as he believes in the direction the company is heading in.
Dustin has said that he and Cody had pitched the idea of facing each other at WrestleMania directly to Vince McMahon before AEW was even a thought. He claimed McMahon told him the match wasn’t good enough for the event.
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T has two names on his mind when it comes to who he’d like to see dethrone Roman Reigns.
Booker T took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to discuss the matter. Booker named both Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre as the stars he’d like to see take Reigns down when the time is right.
“I’ve got to go with Cody Rhodes. Drew McIntyre, like I said on the kickoff show, being a part of that six-man with RK-Bro, keeping himself real close to the body. Making sure he stays close to the championship.
“It’s good for Drew McIntyre. Letting everyone know, man, I am not far from this picture. But, the guy that’s got the hot hand, the guy that’s got the rocket on him is Cody Rhodes.
“I say you run with that, man until it cools off. I don’t think that’s going to be for quite some time.”
Roman Reigns became the Unified WWE Champion when he beat Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 38 earlier this year. Reigns entered the match already holding the Universal Title, taking the WWE Championship from Lesnar when it was all said and done.
Now, “The Tribal Chief” rules over both RAW and SmackDown as a dual champion. As for Rhodes, he made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38, taking on Seth Rollins as his surprise opponent selected by Vince McMahon.
Rhodes came from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he remade himself into “The American Nightmare,” leaving gimmicks such as Stardust in the past. Now, Rhodes is back with World Title aspirations on his mind, and a matchup against Reigns would certainly be a great one for fans to enjoy.
Finally, McIntyre is a former World Champion in his own right. He topped Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 to become the WWE Champion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, McIntyre is also on a path back to the World Title, however, he might soon be making a pit stop for a feud with Tyson Fury first.
Cody Rhodes will be getting his first championship opportunity since returning to WWE.
While Cody’s ultimate goal is capturing the WWE Championship, going after the U.S. gold along the way doesn’t sound so bad.
That’s exactly what’s happening as WWE has announced “The American Nightmare” will challenge Theory for the title on tonight’s (May 9) episode of Raw.
U.S. Title Also Has Meaning To Cody Rhodes
While Cody’s first title shot in his return to WWE isn’t for the world championship, it still holds significance to his family.
Dusty Rhodes is a former NWA United States Champion, which falls under the same lineage as the WWE United States Championship. Cody’s older brother, Dustin, is a two-time WCW United States Champion.
Cody Rhodes has never held the U.S. hardware in WWE. He’ll have a chance to add it to his mantle tonight and add another piece to the puzzle on the road to the WWE Championship.
Taking to his Twitter account, Cody reacted to the news:
“Time to win the #USTitle – in Hartford – on @USA_Network. TONIGHT! #DoTheWork #DidTheWork @WWE.”
Rhodes is fresh off a pinfall victory over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania Backlash. He grabbed a handful of tights to get the win only after Seth attempted the nefarious tactic himself.
WWE has released a promo video for this year’s Money in the Bank premium live event that sheds some light on how the next “cash-ins” may be handled.
Since the first Money in the Bank ladder match in 2005, the winner has been guaranteed a championship match against a champion of their choosing at any point up to a year.
During WrestleMania Backlash, a commercial aired for Money in the Bank 2022, which takes place July 2nd.
As seen below, Cody Rhodes says the winners of the Men’s and Women’s ladder matches will earn the chance to headline WrestleMania.
“One lucky male and female Superstar will win the chance to main event WrestleMania.”
Cody Rhodes.
Money in the Bank winners have one year to cash in their contracts, including in the main event of WrestleMania. However, WWE has rarely (if ever) invoked “main eventing WrestleMania” when discussing Money in the Bank contracts. Typically, it’s the Royal Rumble winners that earn a shot to main event WrestleMania.
While this should not be taken as a “change” to the Money in the Bank stipulation, it’s interesting that WWE is running with Cody’s comments. This might also provide a hint about how Cody would cash in, if he secures a Money in the Bank contract this year
You can see Cody Rhodes’ comments about cashing in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania in the video below:
WWE Money in the Bank takes place on July 2, from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The venue hosted Summerslam 2021.
Earlier this year, Brock Lesnar was rumored for the event as he featured prominently in the promotional material for Money in the Bank but has since been removed from the image.
This is the same as what WWE did with WrestleMania Backlash, as the promotion advertised Lesnar for the show but had no plans on him appearing.
The decision to promote Lesnar for both events before WrestleMania 38 was done to stop fans from realizing that Brock would lose to Roman Reigns at the event in April.
Cody Rhodes has said he is not interested in facing Seth Rollins again after defeating the former multiple-time world champion at WrestleMania Backlash.
In the opening match of last night’s Premium Live Event, Rhodes defeated Rollins with a roll-up pin and a handful of tights. It was a bit of tit-for-tat on Cody’s part as Seth had attempted to use the tights for leverage first.
This is Rhodes’ second televised victory over Rollins since returning to WWE, after beating “The Architect” at WrestleMania 38.
In a post-match interview shared by WWE, Rhodes said that he is moving forward and does not plan on having another match with Rollins.
“I think we can walk away on this one. Seth is an amazing, amazing Superstar wrestler, I can’t wait to see what he does next. Whatever he does now, good luck. I’m moving forward.”
Cody Rhodes
Rhodes concluded by wishing Happy Mother’s Day to his mother, his wife, and all the mothers in the world.
On the post-WrestleMania 38 Raw, Cody Rhodes said he will fulfill the promise of becoming WWE World Champion that he made to his father Dusty Rhodes.
Since coming back to WWE, Cody Rhodes has feuded primarily with Seth Rollins but has his eyes set on championship gold.
In a promo on the post-WrestleMania 38 episode of Raw, Rhodes said he plans on becoming a WWE World Champion, fulfilling a promise to his late father “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
In the post-WrestleMania Backlash interview, Rhodes again made his goals clear.
“After the match, I did the generic symbol for wanting the belt – because it’s real. That’s what I want.”
Cody Rhodes
Rhodes is expected to challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at some point in the future, which is currently held by Roman Reigns.
When Cody Rhodes entered a WWE live event in Trenton, New Jersey, he probably didn’t expect to see one heck of a Dusty Rhodes impersonator.
Cody has made it clear that he wants to honor his late father by becoming the WWE Champion. It’s a title that Dusty never won. “The American Nightmare’s” first stop on the road to the title has been Seth Rollins.
Clone Of A Plumber
At the house show in Trenton, Cody defeated Rollins. The two will mix it up at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8. Cody already scored a pinfall over Seth on PPV, marking a successful return at WrestleMania 38.
After his match with Seth in Trenton, Cody Rhodes got on the mic and he put a Dusty Rhodes impersonator on the spot. The fan certainly looked the part but did he have the vocal chops?
The answer might surprise you (courtesy of Angel Rivera):
A young fan jumped the barricade this week in the hopes of getting a photo with Cody Rhodes after WWE SmackDown went off the air.
After last night’s episode, Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins in a dark main event ahead of their match this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash.
In a clip shared online, Rhodes can be seen taking a selfie with fans at ringside when he is approached by a child.
Cody speaks to the fan, who points at where he was sitting, while security gently leads the kid back to his seat.
Responding to the video in a tweet, Cody said that he was “popped” to see the young fan ask for a photo, and said that he did take a picture with him later in the night.
Instead, it was a scammer posing as Rollins on social media, who had tricked 24-year-old Elisah Spencer out of gift cards and his money.
In 2019, Zachary Madsen jumped the barricade during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to attack Bret Hart, saying that it “felt like it was the right moment,” during a court appearance. The man ended up being dropped by a punch courtesy of Cash Wheeler.
Fans caught jumping the barricade are usually kicked out of the venue and banned from future WWE events, but the company made an obvious exception this week.
Nearly one month into Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE, the former AEW Executive Vice President is still making big headlines.
It was announced on Friday that Rhodes will join Steve Austin on the Broken Skull Sessions next week. Everyone is expecting some serius discussion during that appearance on why he chose to return WWE.
That topic also came up when Rhodes appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast this week. Rhodes revealed during the conversation that there was a surprising name who helped convince him that a return to WWE was the right move: Matt Cardona.
“A very small circle of people when this initially was brought to me knew, and I told him (Cardona) everything, every detail, everything. And I was really legitimately expecting him to go ‘don’t do it, don’t,’ and man, he went completely the opposite way. He was of your train of thought, Corey, of that’s the ultimate undeniable comeback and land in the fashion that you did. And he inadvertently set all of this in motion. I really thought he was going to say go the other way but man no, he was gung ho (about a WWE return),” Cody revealed.
Cody Rhodes On Concerns Over His WWE Return
Additionally, Rhodes revealed that it was Diamond Dallas Page who was more skeptical of his decision to return to WWE. Rhodes recalled a deep conversation he had with the WWE Hall of Famer prior to this decision.
“I think there was one person that was concerned and that was DDP. He came over to my house, and downstairs we have the Nightmare Bar. He came down there, and I just got one of these Bartesians where you get the instant cocktails and I was really excited to show him the light margaritas. And he drank all the ones that I had in stock, and over the course of the six or seven margaritas he kept slamming down, he was just really tensive.
“He brought up a good point: The last time I did something major leaving the WWE, he was of the same thought process. ‘Well if you believe, if you’re confident, then I’ll be confident with you and confident for you.’ And he gave me some tips on people to speak to and people to let things know before it all went down.
“He was the only one who was a little bit more fatherly and like, ‘Okay, let’s make sure this is really what you want and not just a knee-jerk thing.’ For the most part, everyone who knew in that very small circle was like absolutely go do it, absolutely, which surprised me.”
Rhodes will face Seth Rollins next weekend at WWE WrestleMania Backlash, a rematch from WrestleMania 38 where Rhodes returned to the company and defeated Rollins. The two friends have been working this story on television, while Rhodes has also recently mixed it up with another long time good friend: The Miz.
Should Rhodes emerge victorious at WrestleMania Backlash, it will be interesting to see which direction they take his character next. He seems like a logical contender for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship in the not-so-distant future.
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Cody Rhodes has not only agreed to come back to WWE, but he has also agreed to the full WWE schedule. This means working not only TV tapings but multiple Live Events throughout the week. Back in the day, it would mean that he hardly got to see his family except on a couple of off days. Thankfully things have changed for the better.
The former AEW star recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast. Corey Graves asked Cody what has been keeping him sane among all the press, travel, and multiple nights of wrestling every week since WrestleMania. Rhodes mentioned how the rise of bus culture means that he can now have his family around him all the time. What’s especially kept Cody Rhodes calm is having his dog Pharaoh with him:
“I’ll give you an example what kept me sane this past weekend. I did the loop and just kept me calm and level-headed. You know, you do your Saturday Night’s Main Event, your Sunday Stunner and then you get to Raw. I brought Pharaoh, my husky. He’s 11 years old now. He’s acting like he’s 300 years old. But he came on the bus.
Cody Rhodes continued: “That’s another thing that really has [helped me], the Bus culture. I’m getting used to this. Again, I am not gonna try and take it for granted but what a way to expand your career, physically. In terms of, ‘oh my gosh it’s all here. I can bring my family on the road with me.’ It’s all right in front of me. Not have to do the rental cars and flight every single day. So the bus culture, I am really getting in.”
Becoming the father of a daughter has brought many positive changes in the life of Cody Rhodes. One such change is that he is much calmer now and he has more control over his temper. The American Nightmare recently appeared on After The Bell podcast.
He discussed how the birth of his daughter Liberty has changed his perspective on things. Cody Rhodes also revealed how it has affected his temper:
“It calmed me way down. I have a terrible temper, and it got worse when I left WWE because no one stopped me. I was a lunatic. Because I had that fear that I didn’t speak up when I was at WWE. So now I’ve got to overly speak up.” said Cody Rhodes, “So I’m snapping on people left and right, just a nuisance to work with the first few years until I kind of calmed myself down.
But with her I’ve calmed way down. As long as she’s safe, happy, healthy [it’s all fine]. [If they say] ‘Hey, we’re doing this on TV’ [I am like] ‘That sounds cool. Okay, maybe [it’s] not my cup of tea [but] we’ll make it work, whatever’. But I’ve calmed myself down. So it’s calmed me down, calmed the house down. And it’s gave us a specific thing, I think a goal and future. [Now] our outlook is all about her.”
Cody Rhodes is set to join Steve Austin on the newest episode of Broken Skull Sessions.
WWE has announced that “The American Nightmare” will be WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin’s latest guest on Broken Skull Sessions next week, Friday May 6, 2022, on Peacock. Rhodes certainly has no shortage of stories to tell, and his road back to WWE will give Austin a plethora in regards to questions to ask about.
Rhodes departed from WWE in 2016, establishing himself as “The American Nightmare” while working for promotions such as Ring Of Honor (ROH), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) – the latter of which Rhodes played an instrumental part in helping startup.
After his contract with AEW was up earlier this year, Rhodes decided to return to WWE, finally re-appearing as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes picked up the win in that contest, and followed that up with an excellent promo the following night on Monday Night RAW.
In the promo, Rhodes declared his intentions to challenge for a World Championship now that he’s with WWE. Currently, Rhodes is continuing his rivalry with Rollins as the pair are set to rematch at WrestleMania Backlash.
It will be interesting to see if Rhodes can eventually find his way into the World Title picture in the next few months with Roman Reigns, who reigns as both WWE Champion and WWE Universal Champion, seemingly working both RAW and SmackDown Live.
All of this, and more, is likely to be covered between Steve Austin and Cody Rhodes on Broken Skull Sessions. Will you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments!
Drew McIntyre sees a lot of similarities between he and Cody Rhodes’ journeys back to WWE.
Back in 2014 McIntyre was released from the WWE, forcing him to return to the independent scene; additionally working for promotions such as Evolve, IMPACT Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerilla (PWG), and so many more. In 2017 he was brought back to WWE after proving himself away from the company, eventually earning himself a WWE Title win over Brock Lesnar.
His former Tag Team Championship partner, Cody Rhodes, has had a very similar path. Rhodes left WWE in 2016 and went on to develop his “American Nightmare” gimmick after working for promotions such as IMPACT, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and the then-newly developed All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Now, Rhodes has returned to WWE and has his eyes locked on a World Championship. Rhodes and Drew McIntyre have walked very similar paths in terms of leaving WWE, and returning proven commodities.
For Rhodes’ sake, hopefully he has the same results as McIntyre, earning a World Championship run. Speaking to Cultaholic, McIntyre discussed the similarities between he and Rhodes’ paths, praising his former tag team partner’s growth.
“Personally I’m happy to see him back, and there’s a few of us that have been around for a few years now that are excited to see Cody back just because we’re buddies with him and with his talent he adds to the show, 100%,” said McIntyre.
“And it’s cool to see how much he’s grown as a performer and as a person, much like myself. When I was gone from the company, I had to kinda go find who I was as a performer, kinda grow up as a man, and Cody’s done the exactly the same. And it’s cool. And I’d seen him before he came back and was aware of that. But it’s cool just to see him back in WWE.”
Currently, Rhodes is in the midst of a feud with Seth Rollins on Monday Night RAW. “The American Nightmare” made his WWE return against Rollins as his surprise opponent at WrestleMania 38.
Rhodes came out on top in the matchup, and now the pair will rematch at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8 from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
WWE celebrated 20 years of Randy Orton’s debut on this week’s episode of Raw. The show also saw a reunion between him and Cody Rhodes.
The two former Legacy members reunited during the opening segment of the episode. Riddle introduced the American Nightmare before they were interrupted by Seth Rollins.
Rhodes later teamed up with RK Bro and Ezekiel in the main event of the red branded show. These four defeated Kevin Owens, Rollins & The Usos in an 8-men tag match.
The former AEW star took on his social media after Raw went off air to reflect on this Legacy reunion. Cody Rhodes shared a photo on Instagram and thanked Randy Orton for mentoring him in his early career:
“Randy Orton took me under his wing; perhaps begrudgingly or not, but he did it sincerely. Up in the stands earlier in the day, in the car, in the locker room, on the apron…constantly delivering wisdom and functional advice, and it came from a place of experience and wasn’t just rhetoric.
His passion for our sport is aggressive. Loud and proud. Did it his way and in the process entertained millions. Thank you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CczO2nCu5gL/
Apart from this Cody Rhodes – Randy Orton reunion, the Raw episode also featured 2 big returns and 6 matches. You can check out the complete Raw resultshere.
Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania return was preceded by many speculations. Fans had been discussing potential plans for his WWE return. There was even a rumor that he could make his comeback on the Raw episode from Jacksonville before the Show Of Shows. Though according to Rhodes himself, that was a big no for him because the story was not about him leaving AEW but about his return to WWE.
The former TNT champion spoke to Ryan Satin on Out Of Character. He was asked if there were any other plans considered for his return besides Mania. Cody said that as far as his understanding goes, the plan was always to do it at the Showcase Of Immortals:
“I mean, as far as my understanding the plan was always WrestleMania and nothing was ever considered. At one point, I saw people talking about Jacksonville, and that’s a no.” said Cody Rhodes, “Again, it’s not about leaving. It was about returning and the place to do it was at the Showcase of Immortals.”
He continued: “The biggest stage there is in what we do, undisputed is WrestleMania. There was a lot of synergy and love over the fact that it was Dallas, Texas. That is where I had my last WrestleMania with the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.”
Cody Rhodes is back in WWE, and he has one thing on his mind – a World Championship run.
Rhodes made his highly-anticipated return to the company at WrestleMania 38, introduced as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent. In a stellar matchup that ended up being one of the best of the weekend, Rhodes came out on top when it was all said and done, making quite the statement in his return to the WWE.
Recently, Rhodes joined “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” to discuss everything surrounding his WWE return. During the interview, Rhodes explained a moment back in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) when manager Dan Lambert inadvertently helped him make the decision to return to WWE.
“Dan Lambert handed me the WWWF Championship, he handed me the title that my dad is holding in that picture from 1977, he handed it to me and in that moment, I felt like that decision was almost made for me,” Rhodes said (via Wrestling Inc.).
“I don’t know if he inadvertently caused this industry-changing moment but there were times when it was, this is what has to happen.
The night after WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes returned to Monday Night RAW to cut an emotional promo about his father, the late WWE Hall Of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and how he wants to win a WWE World Championship in his honor. It is a goal that clearly means a lot to Rhodes, and is certainly a possibility given the hype around his name at the moment.
In the meantime, Rhodes will have his hands full with Seth Rollins, who he’ll rematch at WrestleMania Backlash from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhodes Island on May 8.
Cody Rhodes’ decision to leave AEW surprised a lot of people. Not only because he was one of the company’s top on-screen talents but an Executive Vice President behind the scenes as well. Many would not be willing to give up the power that comes with such a position. Though after returning to WWE, Rhodes had claimed that he wasn’t mature enough for the role.
The American Nightmare explained his comments during his most recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out Of Character podcast. He said that while he did well with the role, it was probably not suited for him in the prime of his career:
“I think that role. I did well with it. I was very active. I did start a department. The community department and Brandi did bring KultureCity into the wrestling and sports entertainment space. So we were very active in terms of all the facets and assets of that gig. But I think that job was meant maybe for [someone older]. We wanted a wrestling company brought to you by wrestlers for sure.
That’s a huge part of the mission. But maybe it would have been better served for me at age 45 than it did at age, you know, 33 or whatever it was. I am just now entering the prime of my career. So to make political decisions, like boxing myself out of winning a world championship, those decisions in hindsight, were not the correct decisions and [not] what I should have been doing.”
‘I Am The Best Wrestler In The World’
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes repeated his comments about being the best wrestler in the world. However, the decisions he had to make as an EVP were stopping him from realizing this potential. Per Cody, the role would have probably served him better a little later in his life, when he did not have the desire to be on the top spot on the show anymore:
“I’m the best wrestler in the world. Ryan, I can tell you that without it sounding braggadocious and it’s simply because this is all I do. I train to do it. I live and breathe it. I have a school here with four rings. I treat this like an athlete in the NFL would treat a game and their team. But with that in mind, I needed to go and be that.
I wanted it to be both and it was just too difficult and that’s where I did not have the maturity to balance it. It wasn’t a matter of being one of the boys versus not because I’m no longer just one of the boys. I love it and wish I could be one.” said Cody Rhodes, “But I’ve been in this position before. I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been in these production meetings and things of that nature. I’ve been part of the technical production.
But I just think it would have served me better a little later in my in my life when I could look at a show and say I don’t want to be in the top spot. You need that good competition in your locker room, that positive real competition. If I can’t be the best wrestler in the world on television because I’m afraid I’m going to offend colleagues, because I am also their boss. That was the situation we were in and I just played it in the middle. There was only so much of playing in the middle I could do. Now you know I’m not in charge of nothing, other than me.”
Jim Ross believes Dusty Rhodes would’ve been over the moon when Cody Rhodes appeared at WrestleMania 38.
Cody made it clear after his January TNT Title loss to Sammy Guevara that the reports of him working without an AEW contract were true. At the time, Cody said he didn’t know what the future would hold.
Just weeks later, Tony Khan announced that Cody and Brandi Rhodes were gone from AEW. This led many to speculate that Cody would be on his way to WWE. That hunch was correct as Cody was the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38.
Jim Ross On Cody Rhodes Returning to WWE
There’s been rumblings that if WWE continues to treat Cody Rhodes like a top star, then it may entice AEW talent to jump ship. On the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said it doesn’t really matter who could be next (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“I don’t know who’s next and I don’t give a sh** who’s next. What difference does it make? The show will go on, the games will be played, and you’ll just have people playing with different jerseys. I don’t know, I don’t have any idea. I’m sure at some point in time, there will be others. At some point in time, you run your course.”
JR went on to say that Cody’s WrestleMania moment would’ve made Dusty Rhodes very proud.
“I know Dusty would’ve been very proud to see how Cody did at WrestleMania. He wasn’t wearing polka dots and all that other stuff. He had his AEW act with him, music, and attire. That’s good, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Cody ended up defeating Seth Rollins at the “stupendous” WrestleMania event. The two will have a rematch at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8.
Cody Rhodes might be gearing up to make his first appearance on SmackDown Live since making his WWE return after all.
As of this writing, WWE’s website is listing Rhodes as one of its featured Superstars for the upcoming SmackDown Live episode on Friday, May 6. This is the go-home edition of SmackDown Live before WrestleMania Backlash, where Rhodes is to rematch Seth Rollins.The May 6 SmackDown will go down from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, WWE’s first event at the venue in nine years.
Also advertised for the show are SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and Ronda Rousey. Of course, this is all subject to change. Rhodes made his return to WWE after a great run with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) earlier this month at WrestleMania 38.
He was introduced as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent, subsequently winning the match. The bout turned out to be one of the best of the weekend. The following night on RAW, Rhodes proclaimed his intentions to chase a World Title now that he’s back in WWE, but first, he has granted Rollins a rematch at Backlash.
As for his SmackDown Live status, Rhodes has only been appearing on Monday Night RAW since WrestleMania. He was initially reported to be scheduled for the SmackDown after WrestleMania as well, however, that was later scrapped. It should be noted that Cody Rhodes isn’t officially listed as a RAW or SmackDown brand member on WWE’s website.
