Cody Rhodes Addresses Reaction He Got At WWE WrestleMania 38
In the span of one night, Cody Rhodes went from the polarizing reactions he was receiving earlier this year in AEW to a hero's welcome when he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
In an appearance on WWE's The Bump, however, Rhodes admitted he was expecting, and welcoming, a more mixed reaction.
"I was trying hard not to have expectations, but you have to," Rhodes said. "You're thinking about it so much when you're locked away, training for the time I was away, thinking about it. I was expecting a more polarizing reaction, because of the last bit of wrestling I had done, I was a bit more of a 'Let's go, Cody!' 'Cody sucks!' type, which I love.
"But also, I'm an outsider. I broke the throne, I helped create an alternative promotion. I caused an incredible amount of disturbance in this world. And how beautiful it is. It wasn't a negative return, it was a positive.
"I got the vibe the next day, and I mentioned this with the media, it wasn't about leaving as much as it was about returning. And that felt like a triumphant return. You don't want to tell people, you don't want to give yourself your own theme of 'this is a triumphant return.' But if I really look at it and everything I've been through, everything from the first ten years to the last six years, it felt like a triumphant return and it felt very vindicating to show up as me.
"To see this unique tattoo and this AR filter, moving AR, it just really blew my mind. But I was expecting some detractors to it all, and I would've loved that just as much. But it didn't seem like we got any of that."
Cody Rhodes also went in-depth about his match with Seth Rollins. He believes the match came off as well as it did because of the genuine competitiveness between himself and Rollins.
"In what we do, it's always best when it's real. And there is an element of genuine competitiveness between guys of similar ages who have traveled somewhat similar paths and been around similar mentors to be better than the ever," Rhodes said. "And I think both individuals had something to prove in this match. Seth, having deserved a WrestleMania match and having been someone swinging the championship around just a few years ago back when I was here originally. I think you have two guys going for it and that makes for a really competitive match.
"Also, we're both very violent. I don't know if you saw me afterward, full hamburger meat from the Kawada kicks. As weird as that sounds, I like it a bit rough. If there's going to be another one, it'll be a lot of the same. It's just real. Two guys who want it, right? He couldn't accept sitting there, watching a WrestleMania. And he couldn't accept it, so to have that singles match, to make the real walk, that walk, that just ups everybody's anti. I'm getting excited thinking about it."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription