Cody Rhodes has pushed back against the narrative that WWE’s roster being older is a negative development, framing it instead as a natural and valuable phase that mirrors the most celebrated era in the company’s history.
Speaking to The Breakfast Club, Rhodes was asked about the WWE roster being older than ever, with all four men competing in the world title matches at WrestleMania 42 being over the age of 40. Rather than viewing that as a concern, he placed it in historical context.
“Well, it goes in phases,” Rhodes said. “In like the golden 80s, we used to joke wrestler prime for the man was 35 to 42. That’s in the golden 80s, and that’s because they needed all that experience psychologically. They worked this town to town, the live crowds are everything. How do you work with a live crowd? How do you involve them? We’re not doing this just for each other and we’re not doing this just for the camera.”
Rhodes said the current moment feels like a return to that standard after a period where youth was prioritized over seasoning. “A few years ago they brought in what I’d say is like all freshmen on a varsity team,” Rhodes said. “There’s this famous picture of me and CM Punk and Matt Cardona and we’re all babies and we had won the big titles, but we didn’t have a clue really at that point. We didn’t have that experience. So now I think you’re getting back into where you’ve got, I know exactly who we’re talking about here, Roman, me, Punk, Randy, the main events of WrestleMania. I just like to say it’s a very experienced crew.”
Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the Night 1 main event of WrestleMania 42 on April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Breakfast Club with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
