Summary
Cody Rhodes returned to WWE on Saturday night at WrestleMania 38, nearly six years after he famously left the business.
Rhodes has competed all over the world during that period and was instrumental in the development of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Tony Khan’s rival wrestling business. Rhodes was a prominent on-screen personality and an executive vice president off-screen for AEW, but he departed the firm in February 2022 after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract.
Rhodes stated in an interview with Variety in the days preceding WrestleMania that his aim is to accomplish what his father, the great Dusty Rhodes, never accomplished. Rhodes has his sights set on the WWE Championship, but he would not say so aloud for fear of jinxing it. Dusty contested for the championship against Superstar Billy Graham in 1977 in Madison Square Garden, but never won it.
“He walked to Madison Square Garden, stood opposite from Superstar Billy Graham, and he held the goal of mine in his hands and it was taken away because that was the background of the match,” Rhodes explained. “As an adult, I realise it, but as a child, that was the only reason I ever desired admission: to have what he did not.”
Additionally, he confirmed that a Dusty Rhodes documentary is in development as part of WWE’s cooperation with A&E under the name “Biography: WWE Legends.” Bret Hart, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin are among the past wrestlers highlighted in the series.
Continue reading the interview in its entirety below.
How does it feel to know that you’re not only returning to WWE, but also returning at WrestleMania?
Everyone who knows me has inquired as to how I’m feeling and whether I’m truly thrilled. The explanation I keep repeating to everyone is that it’s just a really heavy sensation. When I initially began wrestling, I was exclusively in the WWE system, with the goal of reaching the top. Then dreams, like rivers, swerve and alter, as the Garth Brooks song puts it. Then we were able to do what we did with AEW, which I’m really happy of, but being able to revisit the project I set out to do in the first place when I didn’t believe I’d get the chance is just heavy.
Even today, contemplating it is taxing. Thus, all of the emotions — pleased, eager, pressured, and responsible — are present. However, I have no idea how I will feel until I am out there. It appears to be a culmination of my entire career, but I’m not going to jinx it. I’m not trying to be hyperbolic, but it is the largest audience in wrestling. It’s returning as me in something that I created entirely on my own. That, in the end, is the ultimate justification.
You have been missing for over six years. Do you feel as though you’ve transformed into an entirely new performer since you left?
I told Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard, and Nick Khan — this really tiny group of guys — what I honestly feel, which is that I am the world’s finest wrestler. And, to be more specific, I don’t believe there is a close second. With that stated, the potential to demonstrate it now exists, and that is what excites me the most.
It’s as though a different person has returned to the game. It is a distinct brand. It’s someone who has experienced the glories of indie wrestling, of worldwide travel, and of being able to connect with the fans that keep this ship afloat. However, whether I’m a new person or not, I’m still that small child referenced in an AEW advertisement who wants what my father didn’t receive, and I’m not going to say it out loud for fear of jinxing it. But, as you know, he went to Madison Square Garden, stood opposite from Superstar Billy Graham, and he held it in his hands, my goal, and it was taken away due to the match’s context. As an adult, I realise it, but as a child, that was the only reason I desired admission: to have what he did not.
Of course, everyone is curious in the circumstances surrounding your departure from AEW.
I opted to keep my departure from AEW a secret, and I intend to do so. There will be no on-camera interview. There will be no sinister narrative told. There were several theories, but none of them were right. That is, there were issues with money and creative control. They were printed as truth, and it’s taken me two months to realise that, but the reality is that it was only a matter of time. It was a personal situation, and we were unable to go on. I admire Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson], and Kenny [Omega]. Tony Khan has my support. His name will go down in history as a financier and supporter of the entire alternative and revolution that AEW became, but for me, it was time to move on. I’m given another chance at my dream. And you cannot afford to leave any stone uncovered in this case.
Given all you’ve accomplished since leaving WWE, what do you believe is the most important lesson you’ve learned that you’re taking into Saturday night?
I believe that the most illusive aspect of every wrestler’s career is establishing a connection with the audience. You can take on the appearance of Lex Luger. You have the ability to wrestle like Bret Hart. However, what counts most and distinguishes a professional wrestler in my opinion is your ability to capture their imagination. That implies people will leave the concert thinking about you, discussing you, and debating whether the show was good or poor. When you get your hands on it, it’s as if you’re a dog with a bone. You will never be able to let go of it. That link occurred to me in 2015, 2016, during the notorious betting on myself, you know?
I don’t recall the matches from any of the independent programmes. True, I had a good time and met some wonderful individuals, but what I remember most are the lengthy meet and greets, the anecdotes, and the common connecting through my father that so many fans shared with me. That is the attitude I bring to this. I’m in much better shape now. I’m in the finest physical condition of my career. Again, I believe that no one can compete with me bell to bell. That is what I mean. It may seem arrogant, but I am confident in my abilities. However, the most important thing I am capable of carrying is that connection to the audience. Because it is what propels the game forward. And that was something I went out and acquired on my own, and I’m not ready to let go of it.
And will you continue to be referred to in WWE as The American Nightmare?
Yeah. That is, there should be no distinction. To use a phrase from one of these folks who courted me for this opportunity, “it is not broken.” And here was a place that was uninterested in me. And it wasn’t that they didn’t care about me or respect me; it was just that as a wrestler, I wasn’t their most coveted. If anything, I was quite unattractive. That is where the entire motto, the entire promotion of “attractive to indisputable,” comes from: the ability to return on your terms. It’s almost as if you’re in the military and have conquered something or won this fight and are able to stand with your chin parallel to the floor and come off as a bit of a conquering hero. That is how my nightmares depict it.
Incredible. I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me today, Cody.
I also wanted to share with you, because I haven’t been able to, how pleased I am that A&E is producing a documentary on my father. To be able to be the executive producer and not have that questioned, to be able to organise individuals who were truly a part of his life and tell his narrative, that is also a significant part of this trip. To see that and to have that team with us. A portion of his path intersects with mine.
That is awesome!
And I’m looking forward to bringing the WWWF title belt that I obtained a few months ago, the one that Superstar and Dusty battled for. I’m looking forward to carrying that in my luggage.
How did you obtain that?
Whether you believe it or not, I’m sure he doesn’t want me to mention his name, but it’s amusing. Lambert, Dan. He delivered it to me without charging me and stated, “I believed it should belong to you.”