WrestleMania 42 is long in the rearview after a rollercoaster of a weekend in Las Vegas this past April. To close out WrestleMania Saturday, Cody Rhodes retained his Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton, though not without criticism.
The feud between Rhodes and Orton was a long time coming; 20 years, to be exact, dating back to Rhodes’ earliest years in the WWE. With such a rich history of lore and potential storylines to pull from between the two men, fans were none too pleased once celebrity involvement was added to the mix in the forms of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll.
Speaking Wednesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show” while backstage at a WWE live event in Cardiff, Wales, Rhodes reflected on his most controversial WrestleMania appearance yet.
“I hope wrestling fans can understand that behind the scenes for me, it was probably the most proud I’d ever been of how I dealt with anything,” Rhodes told Uncrowned. “It was probably the most calm I’d ever been on the day, and probably, even though my eye was shot afterward, it was probably the most calm I’d ever been leaving the ring. There were a lot of new factors. Companies change, directives change — that’s part of every walk of life, every type of entertainment. I really just wanted to take a page out of the guys who had been mentors for me.
“I thought a lot about my dad, and I thought a lot about ‘Hunter’ [Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque], and how they would deal with something that was unique. You’re wrestling the guy who you’ve got almost 20 years of history with. But then there’s this unbelievably bold Pat McAfee character with such a crossover appeal, and doing so great on ESPN. Then there’s Jelly Roll, who was just coming off winning these Grammys.
“I just wanted to make it work for the night, and for everyone to feel that we had given them our best efforts,” Rhodes continued. “I have been looking back at it. I may be thinking too internally about it, but internally, I was so proud because you’re dealing with a lot of big names and potentially a lot of big egos. I wanted to do right again by the people who raised me in the business, and hey, I’m going to make this work, and not just make it work, I’m going to make it sing if I can.”
Rhodes, 40, admitted there was a moment throughout the storyline where he lost his cool backstage and had an outburst of sorts. While Rhodes didn’t specify exactly when the moment occurred, he said it was a reaction to him dropping an “F-bomb” on live TV.
“I knew right when I got to my bus — and when I say ‘outburst,’ it’s just like me muttering some curse words like on the ‘Christmas Story’ [movie] and yelling, knocking over some water bottles a la Sami Zayn,” Rhodes said. “Nothing too intense. But I remember getting to my bus and thinking, ‘Yeah, you outgrew that.’ If you want a job in the wrestling space, nobody has a harder job than Triple H right now. There’s never been a booker in the history of the business that has just been beloved and revered the entire time. Nobody has a harder job, and no one can do that job better than he can do it. It’s obviously something that interests me, too.
“So I remember thinking when I got to the bus, I’ve outgrown that. I don’t need to be having temper tantrums. I need to be helping provide solutions.”
Ultimately, Rhodes knows he isn’t to blame for the storyline’s divisive direction. The aforementioned WWE Chief Content Officer, Levesque, tends to take the brunt of any creative critique, though he too is beholden to outside forces within WWE’s parent company, TKO. Nonetheless, Rhodes believes Levesque has been a great leader since he took over the company in July 2022.
“It’s a matter of getting everybody on the field and letting us do our thing,” Rhodes said of Levesque. “For somebody who’s apparently very stressed out, which I never see, one thing he’s big on: ‘What do you think? What’s your gut tell you?’ That’s one of the greatest gifts to be asked when you have the experience. I often always defer because I don’t think I have a great gut when it comes to me personally as a wrestler. But the idea that, ‘Hey, you have the experience. Not only that, can you go pull that guy aside? Can you talk to that girl over there? We need this to change, these details.’ I think he’s a marvelous leader, and I think people will probably criticize any discussion where that’s said because that’s what happens.
“It’s OK to criticize any product. We criticize it because we love it. But being here on the ground and being able to tell stories that we know where they’re going — we’re not getting really lost in the mud. There’s always going to be criticism.
“There has never been a great booker,” Rhodes continued. “Dusty Rhodes, Bill Watts, Vince McMahon, Eddie Graham — there’s never been a great booker who wasn’t greatly criticized. And I try to do right by [Levesque] in terms of, that’s the one guy who ever called me ‘QB1,’ that when he said it, I got goosebumps, and then I walked out when my music hit and knew what it meant. It meant, ‘Cool, that’s a great moment, but actually go be it, go do it,’ and that’s where I’m at with it all.”
Rhodes has been one of the more creatively talented minds of his generation, as highlighted by his run outside WWE following his departure from the company in 2016. After leaving he went on to help form AEW, where he was an executive vice president.
The thought of eventually retiring from professional wrestling in totality is tough to tackle for Rhodes. An eventual move into a more executive creative role within WWE is certainly interesting for “The American Nightmare,” but whether or not he eventually takes a full plunge into that aspect of the business depends on various other interests.
“I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t have an interest in it,” Rhodes said. “It’s just a matter of where the road takes me. I wanted my whole life to be WWE champion. My sister told me, ‘Be careful what you wish for because you might get it.’ I did, and now it’s about, what’s left on the table? … I want to do more film. I want to do more TV. There’s seats on the Georgia political scene that are open. Is that a road? Or is this the road? Staying with something I love so much.
“I don’t know how I’d say bye to this. So, it’s something I’m very interested in.”
For the time being, Rhodes is a fixture not just in WWE, but in the entire professional wrestling world. But like all good things, they eventually come to an end.
With his 41st birthday around the corner on June 30, Rhodes isn’t planning to overstay his welcome. Wrestling in his 50s isn’t an option, he said. Over the next five years, we may see the last matches of Rhodes’ storied career.
“I do think it does take a toll, at a certain point, and I don’t think in 10 years I’ll still be going,” Rhodes said. “I think there will be another ‘QB1’ of WWE at that point. As far as in-ring competition, I don’t think that’s breaking news to anyone. Turning 41 in a week, and I feel the best I’ve ever felt as an athlete, but I do think in 10 years, I will no longer be wrestling bell to bell, no.
“Five years sounds good. Like, if I was to sign a new contract, maybe it would be for five years.”
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