Cody Rhodes Says The Final Boss Reminds Him Of WWE Hall Of Famer's Heel Turn

The Rock's "Final Boss" character has had a massive effect on WWE within only a few weeks, with many fans praising his new edgier promos and his bloody beatdown of Cody Rhodes. In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour," Rhodes compared "The Final Boss" to one of the biggest heel turns in the industry.

Hulk Hogan's heel turn in WCW rattled the industry at the time, and while The Rock has been heel before, Rhodes believes the Hulkster's first heel turn is comparable to "The Final Boss." "I don't think fans expected Hogan to have a whole 'nother thing. We had seen Hulkamania for so long run a wild everywhere and it was very much like McDonald's; it was a franchise thing."

Rhodes still praised The Rock despite being on the receiving end of the worst at the hands of the veteran. "Even though I'm not a fan of The Rock, I can respect the fact that it's been a very unique build on the way to WrestleMania 40." Helwani then asked Rhodes if he was backstage during Hogan's heel turn. "I sat in the seats and I will never forget it. It was just such a unique feeling in that building."

He then recalled going backstage and seeing a man handcuffed to a door who had apparently thrown something at "Mean" Gene Okerlund. "So we had just been talking to this guy that was getting ready to get beat up by the boys or Mean Gene was going to smack him around, but yeah, I was there. Drove home with my dad in the truck and he talked a lot about what we had just seen and the significance."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The MMA Hour" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.