Cody Rhodes is on board with the idea of his daughters, Liberty and Leilani, eventually following the Rhodes wrestling family into the business, telling Us Weekly at the Disney Upfronts in New York on Tuesday that if they decide to wrestle, they’ll have to be the best at it, the same line his late father, Dusty Rhodes, once gave him.
Asked directly what he would tell his daughters if they came to him with a wrestling career in mind, the Undisputed WWE Champion went straight to Dusty.
“I would say the same thing my dad said, which was, ‘Cool, you can go into it, but you have to be the best.’ That’s easier said than done, but I think they could certainly do it, those two.”
Rhodes also opened up on the experience of being a girl dad, which has forced him into territory he hadn’t planned on navigating.
“The best part, I think, is also the worst part. You are confronted by a complete lack of knowledge of what you’re supposed to be doing. It’s a whole new world.”
Rhodes and his wife, Brandi, welcomed their first daughter, Liberty Iris Runnels, into the world in June 2021, and their second daughter, Leilani Ella Runnels, on August 29, 2025. The couple kept the second pregnancy private and surprised fans when Brandi announced Leilani’s arrival on social media.
