Cody Rhodes reflects on the process of becoming “The American Nightmare.”
“American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” will premiere on Peacock on July 29. The documentary will highlight Rhodes’ career. Cody left the company in 2016 and bet on himself as he became an even bigger star elsewhere. Rhodes then helped launch AEW and continued to build his brand as “The American Nightmare.” He returned to WWE in 2022, and he has become one of the company’s top stars.
Speaking with 11Alive ahead of the premiere of the documentary, Rhodes described how him being “The American Nightmare” wasn’t possible a few years ago.
“I think “Becoming Cody Rhodes, and the Peacock documentary series ‘Becoming Ric Flair,’ ‘Becoming Cody Rhodes,’ they’re all really in-depth in terms of what it takes to become this character and this brand that you’re putting out there on television,” he said. “In my case, it wasn’t possible until so recently to say, ‘Oh, he’s The American Nightmare.
“‘We’re not just ripping off The American Dream.’ ‘Oh, he’s Cody, and he’s Cody Rhodes, and the name isn’t just his because he can use it. He’s earned it.’ If you had given me the title ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes 10 years ago, wouldn’t have been the same.”
Cody Rhodes Says He Needed Successes And Failures To Become ‘The American Nightmare’
Rhodes then detailed how he needed to experience the journey he has been on in order to become “The American Nightmare” as fans know him today. He stated that taking the brand everywhere he has been is self-affirming. Rhodes then stated that he feels very lucky to be where he is.
“I needed all these failures, these successes, and these individual experiences, with a lot of people who are here tonight, to make up how I’m able to go and do it now, how I’m able to go and play my music how I like and how I’ve been able to take the brand, ‘The American Nightmare’ brand and the logo and all that, everywhere I went,” Rhodes said. “WWE, AEW, Ring of Honor, New Japan, every independent under the sun. That’s incredibly self-affirming.
“So seeing the doc, and I’ve seen it so many times because I’ve been through the process with Matt and Ben, seeing the doc, I find myself in a position where I just have to remind myself I’m very lucky. I’m very, very lucky to be here. I’m very lucky to have lived this type of life.”
Rhodes will face Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam. More information is available here.
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