Cody Rhodes is thrilled that he has been welcomed back to WWE with open arms (mostly).
Cody Rhodes was interviewed on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio as he spoke about what the backstage reception was for him during WrestleMania weekend and beyond. Cody admits that he does expect there to be some level of animosity over the fact that he may not be the most popular guy in the locker room following his past cheap shots thrown in AEW.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Cody Rhodes on the reception he received backstage: “I got the chance, after the match, I got to swing by male talent (locker room) and got to see Kofi (Kingston), I got to see (Xavier) Woods and meet some new people. I never really got to talk with (Happy) Corbin and we got to talk a little bit that evening. I was really…I don’t know if excited is the word as much as I felt this was my responsibility. Not only is AEW a positive thing that exists in the industry where now people are getting paid and there are options. As someone who is a WWE ride or die or WWE Superstar, there might be those that resent me to a degree over the trash that I spoke. I broke the throne, I poked fun at a lot of things. I’m fully ready for there to be a layer of, not resentment, but maybe I won’t be the most popular guy. That’s not the sense I got being in the locker room, seeing old friends, making new ones, but also the next day, making the rounds in the back of the house, my daughter meeting some other babies. Babymania at WrestleMania.”
On people being excited about his return: “I got the sense that everyone was excited. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but I did get a sense that there was respect for me that was not there when I was 20 years old and there the first time. That was touching. It’s still their house. I don’t know if I’ll ever earn the right to call it my house. I’m definitely all in and all committed as this contract goes. I was really happy to have that layer of respect, I share that. It’s not unlike pro sports. It’s a different team. I’m wearing a different jersey and I’m sure there are going to be some speed bumps and elements to rise over to fully integrate myself in it. I’m all about putting out the best product possible, whether that’s an interview or match, and I can do that wherever a ring exists. I really can’t thank Nick Khan, Bruce Prichard, and Vince McMahon enough for their efforts to recruit me and the absolute warmth they showed me.”
Cody Rhodes on getting to meet Bianca Belair: “The person I was most excited to meet was Bianca Belair. I got to meet her when she had just come back from tearing the joint down and I was underneath the stage. I could hear it all. You’re always happy when you can hear a hot crowd and they set up such a brilliant crowd and put us in a difficult position to follow. She was a total queen when I met her and to be able to be one of the first people to say congratulations, even though I’m brand new, was nice. I was a big fan of having watched her last year and what she did with Sasha (Banks). Big fan. She was one I was very excited to meet.”
Do you think the WWE Superstars are surprisingly more receptive to Cody coming back to WWE than he originally thought? Let us know in the comments section below. As always, stay tuned to eWrestlingNews.com for all the latest breaking news stories, editorials, and results.
