On a recent edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross discussed Cody Rhodes winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Title from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 last weekend.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Cody Rhodes finishing his story: “He came out to my house in Oklahoma to do some vignettes [when AEW was starting], little video stuff. He took it seriously, hiring JR, and I really appreciated that. I love that kid. You know, God Almighty. His ornery little a** was always — when he could out of school and so forth, and Mama Rhodes would allow him to, he would come with Dusty [Rhodes] to TV and things of that nature. Good kid, love the kid. He’s got a heart of gold. And he worked his a** off to get to that point on Sunday night to have the match. I thought the match was really good. Solid, built a great story. Because I was expecting what the end was going to be, like many people — and if you thought that, then you’re right as was I on that one. They were booked into a corner, they had to switch the title, or it would have upset a lot of apple carts.
“So I’m happy for him. He’s gonna make a lot of money. I hope that he’s getting good financial guidance and advice. Now if I were him, my suggestion would be that — if he hadn’t already done it, he probably already done it — hire a certified financial planner. Because that way he can help keep you up for your quarterly taxes. Can you imagine his tax rate Conrad, at what he’s gonna be earning? And it’s not it’s not taxable income, it’s independent contractor money. You have to pay taxes on that every quarter. So you want to be prepared for that because it’s inevitable. It’s gonna come. So that’s the only thing I’d say to any young athlete in Cody’s position to where he’s making more money than he ever dreamed he might. ‘Are you prepared for your wealth?’ I’m sure he will be, he’s a smart kid. He a great addition to the team for WWE. I’m happy for him.”
On a potential Cody Rhodes vs. GUNTHER program and Sami Zayn beating GUNTHER for the Intercontinental Title: “Oh hell yeah. I would love to see Cody defend the title against Gunther. I’m a big Gunther fan. Very basic, very fundamentally sound. He’s a machine, he’s physical. What he does is realistic and tells great stories. And it was a hell of a match. The best match — I can’t tell you Conrad, if I saw a match that I liked that much better than Gunther and Sami Zayn on both nights. They just were tremendous. And I’m a big — like I said, a big Gunther fan. I think he’s doing a great fine, he’s got himself in active shape. I love his physicality. And then at the same respect, Sami Zayn played his role perfectly. Perfectly. The fire was when he needed it, the comeback was golden. That’s what babyfaces have gotta how to do, you gotta comeback.”
