WWE's Ricky Saints Says He Has A 'Competitive' Friendship With Cody Rhodes

The relationship between Ricky Saints and Cody Rhodes extends back several years, with two first working together in All Elite Wrestling. Fast forward to 2026, Saints and Rhodes are now both members of WWE, where the latter reigns as the Undisputed WWE Champion on the "WWE SmackDown" brand.

During an interview with "Complex Graps," Saints opened up about the dynamics of their friendship, specifically following his recent call-up to WWE's main roster.

"Nothing has really changed. If anything, I think it's more of a relationship where I find it to be competitive in the sense of I want to be the best wrestler, the best whatever that I can be," Saints said. "It's good to have somebody that does believe in you, in that sense, back there every week watching you.

"Cody's not the only relationship I have when it comes to a friendship and a support system too. But I will say that it helps that someone who has been around the business for so long is able to give some type of tip, some type of advice through trial and error, so to speak. We talk about somebody that had trial and error. That's definitely one person that has had that, and then of course, his father and the whole family being in the business."

As Saints' alluded to, Rhodes' history in wrestling spans decades as his father and brother, Dusty and Dustin, also competed in the squared circle. In Cody's case, he made his pro debut in 2006 in OVW, which then served as one of WWE's developmental territories. The following year, Cody ascended to WWE's main roster. Saints began his own career on the independent circuit in 2012, making him an overall in-ring veteran at this point as well. Still, that hasn't stopped Saints for using Rhodes as a source of continued guidance.

Elsewhere, Rhodes also remains a source of competition to Saints, with their latest faceoff taking place on the May 1 edition of "SmackDown." While marking his official blue brand debut, Saints confronted Rhodes in the ring, suggesting that he could unseat "The American Nightmare" as Undisputed WWE Champion. In response, Rhodes agreed to wrestle Saints in a non-title match later in the broadcast.

When wrestling names such as Rhodes or CM Punk, Saints asserted that personal friendship is taken out of the equation. In its place sits Saints' drive to prove why he's just as good as he says he is, and moreover, why him being in the same ring as them makes sense.

"It would be a discredit to me if anyone just thought of me as just that, as a friend. I'm my own man. I don't think friendships should be that big of a deal," Saints said. "It's so weird when people be like, 'Oh, that's just your friend.' Yeah, buddy. Do you not have friends? I don't get it. It's so odd when people make such a big deal about it. But at the end of the day, don't forget that I've had my own career. I've done things my own way. So being in the ring, especially for a debut, I'm a very chill person. Obviously, I have my nerves and whatnot, but I'm very chill. That instance and that opportunity was plainly for me to tell people I deserve to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with any of these people."

Rhodes defeated Saints on "SmackDown," courtesy of the Cross Rhodes. At one point, though, Saints seemed on the verge of victory when he laid out the reigning champion with a Revolution DDT for a near fall.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Complex Graps" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.