Cody Rhodes reflects on briefly stepping aside when The Rock came back and says it’s insane to think he would be cool with it.
Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble, but he stepped aside as WWE pivoted to a potential match between The Rock and Roman Reigns. The company shifted back to the rematch between Rhodes and Reigns when fans led the “We Want Cody” movement. Rhodes then beat Reigns for the title at WWE WrestleMania 40.
Speaking on The Pivot Podcast, Cody Rhodes shared his thoughts on The Rock and noted that he had respected him because he was a wrestler at heart.
“I grew up a huge fan of The Rock. I have a lot of respect for The Rock,” Cody Rhodes said. “Maybe more then anybody in any locker room because I made eye contact with The Rock for the very first piece of business we ever did, I got an instant understanding of who he is. He’s not movie star, he’s not potential presidential nominee, which would be great at this point, I’m all about anything else. He’s not this businessman with all these partnerships. When I looked at him in the eyes, I saw exactly what he is. He’s a pro wrestler.
“He’s a pro wrestler who understands the nature of, I’d like this crowd to be really excited, then I’m going to get them really upset, then I’m going to get them as excited as they’ve ever been, then I’m going to get them telling their friends to come back. So in that moment, I had the utmost respect for him. Because in my heart, that’s how I feel. I could do a bazillion other things, but I’m a wrestler. That’s what I am, and to see that from the biggest movie star on the planet, a lot of respect.”
Cody Rhodes On Stepping Aside
Cody Rhodes continued by saying that he and The Rock didn’t see eye to eye with the idea that The Rock could come back and take WrestleMania for himself. He stated that the idea that he would be cool with stepping aside was insane.
“Where we could butt heads is in the idea that you could just come back in the midst of a story that was taking place and just because you’re The Rock, you can step into the starting lineup and take WrestleMania for yourself,” Cody Rhodes said. “A lot of people will say, ‘He’s The Rock, he can do whatever he wants.’ I even saw this really fun podcast with two wrestling heads talking back and forth and they said, ‘I’m sure Cody’s fine stepping aside for WrestleMania and then doing it later in the year.’ In my mind, I’m thinking, that’s insane. That’s the Super Bowl for what we do.
“To get to the Sunday, the last day of WrestleMania, the last match, is our Super Bowl. I used to be financially, to get to that match was the big money match, when the pay was all different. The idea that somebody thought I would just be cool with it, they don’t know me. That’s nonsense.”
Cody Rhodes then said that The Rock should have known that he would not be cool with it. However, he noted that sometimes not being on the same page led to making magic.
“I’ve worked my whole life for this. Rock should know I wouldn’t be cool with it. I think maybe that’s an understanding that him and I had, he found out I’m not cool with it,” Cody Rhodes said. “That’s a good thing. Because you know who wasn’t cool with The Rock was Steve Austin, and they made magic together. They rubbed together so much, they created diamonds, they made magic together. So I do have a lot of respect for him.”
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