WWE Champ Cody Rhodes Reflects On Amateur Wrestling Background

Cody Rhodes is one of the many wrestlers who donned a singlet even before he stepped in between the ropes. That was because he was a star amateur wrestler at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia. Rhodes was nationally recognized in the sport and had garnered the interest of major college wrestling programs like Penn State. 

Rhodes mentions during an interview on "The Pat McAfee Show" that what drove him to be so good at amateur wrestling was the fact that people in his hometown had the perception that his father Dusty wasn't a "real" athlete. 

"The whole thing, the whole reason I was so obsessed with folk style amateur wrestling is because where I lived, Dusty was kind of Gomez Adams. When we would go to tournaments and stuff, he was just looked upon as he had this freak-like job. And then he was always ridiculed for not being a real athlete, which Dusty looked how Dusty looked. But everything he did, he could hit a baseball as far as anyone, I mean, everything he did, he was a great athlete. But I really wanted people to know when it came to me, the wrestling was as real as it got. It was a weird psychology as a youngster, but it drove me 'cause that run in high school was absurd."

There is no doubt that Rhodes has had a unique journey in pro wrestling. "The American Nightmare" joked that his mother still believes he made the wrong career choice and that she wanted him to go into acting. Funnily enough, Rhodes just finished filming the upcoming live-action Street Fighter movie, playing the role of Guile. 

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