Paul Heyman Calls Cody Rhodes 'A Disruptor,' Says He's Already Changed The Game
Tomorrow night at WrestleMania 39, Cody Rhodes will attempt to finish his story when he challenges Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. From WWE to AEW and back to WWE, it certainly hasn't been a straightforward path for "The American Nightmare." Yet since his return to the company one year ago, he's won every single match he's competed in, including the men's Royal Rumble match in January. Now he'll attempt to do what his father Dusty was never able to accomplish, and that's win the world championship. And if you ask Paul Heyman, who was a recent guest on "Out of Character with Ryan Satin," that's what makes this story different from any other.
"Cody's not about acceptance," Heyman began, contrasting Cody's story with that of Sami Zayn. "Cody is a completely different story than has ever been told, and it's the most basic human emotion everyone can relate to."
That emotion Heyman speaks of is jealousy, something that Reigns has attempted to poke at in the build-up to their match this weekend by reminding Cody that Dusty helped shape the superstar Roman has become. "With the recent passing of a parent," Heyman continued, "there's jealousy and there's envy, because what you find out is that you had to share that parent with other people in life."
Heyman believes that no matter how personal things have gotten in recent weeks, not a single thing needed to be manufactured. "We knew the truth was the most compelling, riveting, gripping story we could tell all the way to WrestleMania," he said, adding that the thought of disrespecting Dusty never crossed their minds. "We all love Dusty, and just me saying that, when Cody watches this, something inside him is going to go, 'Ugh."
Paul Heyman Hopes Cody Rhodes Is 'The Guy'
Up until very recently, there hasn't been a whole lot of face-to-face interaction between Rhodes and Reigns. Whether it's been Heyman cutting a promo on "The Tribal Chief's" behalf or whether it's been Rhodes addressing "Mr. Heyman," Solo Sikoa, or even The Usos, they've mostly been kept separated. There's been a reason for that as well, of course, and it all goes back to Roman's first WrestleMania main event — against a Brock Lesnar that had walked out five weeks prior to the "Show of Shows."
"We were tasked with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman in the ring, talking about Roman Reigns' first WrestleMania main event, just the two of us," he said. "Which, as history will now show, these parallels between these two men that carry their family legacies both from the past and into the future. Cody Rhodes' first promo with somebody about his first WrestleMania main event was with me."
But is Rhodes the man to replace Reigns? That's not necessarily the goal. "What would Cody do to transform the industry?" Heyman questioned. "What would Cody do to revolutionize the concept of sports entertainment, WWE?" If there's one thing "The Wiseman" likes about Reigns' challenger this weekend, it's that "He's a disruptor."
"He really is. Look what he did," Heyman said, noting that an unhappy Rhodes left, carved his own path, and arguably came back better than ever. Now he'll get to main event WrestleMania, with the top of the mountain in sight.
"He disrupted this industry. He changed the game already," Heyman concluded. "Can he carry the industry? Well, I hope so."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Out of Character with Ryan Satin" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.