Cody Rhodes has opened up about the pride he felt in how he navigated the main event of WrestleMania 42, a match that came with no shortage of moving parts.
Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night 1 main event of WrestleMania 42, a bout that also heavily featured Pat McAfee in Orton’s corner and Jelly Roll in Rhodes’ corner. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Rhodes said the way he handled the situation behind the scenes meant more to him than almost anything in his career.
“I hope wrestling fans can understand that behind the scenes for me, it was probably the most proud I’d ever been with how I dealt with anything,” Rhodes said. “It was probably the most calm I had been on the day, and it was probably the most calm I’d ever been leaving the ring.”
Rhodes explained that the match arrived during a period of change, and he leaned on the example set by his mentors. “There were a lot of new factors. Companies change, directives change, that’s part of every type of entertainment,” he said. “I really wanted to take a page out of guys who have been mentors for me. I thought a lot about my dad and a lot about Hunter and how they would deal with something that was unique.”
Rhodes detailed the balancing act of working with that many high-profile personalities at once. “You’re wrestling the guy you’ve got 20 years of history with, but here’s this unbelievably bold Pat McAfee character with such crossover appeal and doing great on ESPN, then there’s Jelly Roll coming off winning Grammys,” Rhodes said. “I just wanted to make it work for the night and for everyone to feel we had given them our best efforts.”
For Rhodes, the goal was to honor those who shaped his career while bringing the various elements together. “Internally I was so proud, because you were dealing with a lot of big names, and potentially big egos, and I wanted to do right by the people that raised me in the business,” he said. “I’m gonna make this work, not just make it work, make it sing if I can.”
