Cody Rhodes says the WWE of today grew out of his WrestleMania 40 win over Roman Reigns.
Rhodes told Zach Hirsch on Double Coverage that fans are still talking about the night for a reason.
“It’s such a powerful moment. We’re still talking about it because all of modern WWE stems out of it. It’s new management. There’s new people in the corporate world. There’s new people in the comms department. There’s new people in the photography. The whole company changed at that period of time,” Rhodes said. “So, to be part of that and to be part of that change was just, that’s a real honor.”
Rhodes said he wishes younger wrestlers understood the position they are in now.
“I wish more of our roster and the younger ones, that’s just an old man talking, but I wish more of them knew what an opportunity you had,” he said. “Not everyone was talking about wrestling all the time, you know, not everyone was right there and it wasn’t on ESPN, it wasn’t on Netflix. It is, and it is for a reason, and it all stemming out of that WrestleMania 40 situation.”
Rhodes said that even with his ambition to win more, being part of that night is enough.
“I talked to you about ambition earlier. I’m ambitious. I want more, right? But if I never got more, I was there in that moment. And that’s top five, maybe top moment in wrestling,” Rhodes said. “I was honored to be part of a moment like that that everything changes in our industry.”
He also said he pays close attention to how his biggest moments are remembered.
“One of my biggest fears always was if I did anything significant, is it being rewritten? And I’m real firm on receipts because I watched my dad’s career get uniquely rewritten, and then of course he passes away and everyone says it the right way,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes beat Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match on Night 2 of WrestleMania 40 on April 7, 2024, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, ending Reigns’ reign of more than three and a half years. John Cena, The Undertaker, Seth Rollins and The Rock all played a part in the match.
Rhodes faces Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match at WWE Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 7, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show streams at 12 p.m. ET on the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited plan in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
