The current Ring Of Honor World Champion Cody Rhodes, recently spoke with the Charlotte Observer regarding his accolades since leaving the WWE. Rhodes discussed being the Ring Of Honor World Champion & what it means to him, how did the WWE prepare him for his huge success on the indie scene & much more.
Here are the highlights:
Winning The Ring Of Honor World Title:
“I tried not to, it’s been 31 years since he[Dusty Rhodes] won a world title in our industry. That was a statistic that was brought to my attention prior. I try not to make so much of what happens now about him, because he would’ve hated it. It was everything I expected and it was nothing I expected. We almost went off the air without decisive results. I got my lip busted open in the first 30 seconds of the match, I had to get stitches. There’s a pic of me with my world title on my waist and a doctor with a needle in my arm.”
Not Exclusively Signing To Any Promotion:
“I’m champion, but I’m not exclusive and I have all these dates this weekend and none of those are Ring of Honor shows. Entertainment is changing so much because of the devices we have at our hands. I’m really proud to be on the forefront of that. You don’t have to work one place, it’s our generation. As much as we get knocks against us, we don’t accept non-quality work in our entertainment. We’re no longer force-fed, wrestling is going through that.”
How The WWE Prepared Him For His Current Success:
“I was just talking about this and it’s made the difference. When guys leave, whether they decide to leave or they’re forced out; there’s usually this period of time we see them around the world and they can ride that WWE wave and use it and then it goes away. It loses its luster after a few months. I planned my escape for six months before I left. I loved WWE, but in the end I was unhappy. It was just like planning an escape from a maximum security prison, I’d released a list of potential opponents online so when the 90-day no-compete clause was up, I had matches booked on good faith. I thought about the follow-up.”
Does Rhodes Have A “Good-Luck Charm”?:
“I have this little tiny Dusty Rhodes figure they make in Japan that people always give me in my bag. I set it next to the title and took a picture of it in my bag. That was my big goal in the industry, I wasn’t able to achieve that in his lifetime, but he always believed.”
The G1 Special:
“It definitely superseded New Japan’s expectations as far as the yearning for their product in the U.S. They weren’t expecting the turnout to be as strong as it was. I want them to hit all these markets; Chicago, Atlanta, it gave them confidence to see where they want to go next. It rattled me a bit because the moment I stepped on the stage, I went from being the hero in Lowell, Massachusetts (where he won the ROH title) to being booed off the stage. I see a guy wearing my shirt flipping me double birds, it rattled me in the best way.”
What Is It Like Working In ROH:
“It’s been a love-hate. I love the shows they put on, especially in their efforts for pure wrestling. I think they’ve had trouble with me because I refuse to become exclusive. There’s a myriad of talent; The Young Bucks live is mind-blowing, the Women of Honor. I’m looking forward to the Concord show, Charlotte was the area where Jim Crockett and my dad put their flag in the sand.”
Does Cody Enjoy Working The Indie Scene:
“I cherry-picked the best of the best. I allowed myself to be available to the unknown. Nine out of 10 times, the unknown have been my favorite experiences. Really small cities and towns and places outside the social media bubble, that’s been a challenge. Nine times out of 10, it feels like a political campaign and you’re in the town hall. You see the faces, in WWE, it was the ring, the spotlight and this large body of people you couldn’t put a face to, it’s been educational to me.”
Given What He Knows Now, Would He Take The Same Career Path?:
“I think so. I love the journey my career has taken, I love that I started in Ohio Valley Wrestling and not NXT. OVW is like college, it weeded out those that didn’t like wrestling. I made lifetime friends in WWE, I started long before I was ready to start and grew up on people’s TV sets. I met my wife there and did international press, multiple WrestleMania’s and had wonderful opportunities, I held titles. I give the WWE a hard time on occasion, but the equity they gave me allowed me to go on and do what I’m doing now.”
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