Cody Rhodes finished his story by winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 (Night Two).
On a recent edition of the “Pivot Podcast,” Rhodes addressed the topic of working with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the lead-up to WrestleMania 40.
Rhodes dismissed the notion that he would have been comfortable stepping aside for WrestleMania 40 to facilitate a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns as “nonsense.”
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On The Rock being a pro wrestler: “I grew up a huge fan of The Rock. I have a lot of respect for The Rock. Maybe more than anybody in any locker room. When I made eye contact with The Rock for the very first piece of business we ever did, I got an instant understanding of who he is. He’s not a movie star. He’s not a potential Presidential nominee, which would be great at this point. He’s not a businessman with all these partnerships. When I looked at him in the eyes, I saw exactly what he is. He’s a pro wrestler. He’s a pro wrestler who understands the nature, ‘I like this crowd. I’m going to get them really excited. Then really upset. Then as excited as they’ve ever been. Then I’m going to get them to tell their friends to come back.’”
On his respect for The Rock: “At that moment, I had the utmost respect for him because in my heart, that’s how I feel. I could do a bazillion other things, but I’m a wrestler. To see that from the biggest movie star on the planet, it’s a lot of respect.”
On the idea that he’d be “okay” with stepping aside for The Rock at WrestleMania 40: “Where we would butt heads is in the idea that you could just come back in the midst of a story that was taking place and just because you’re The Rock, you can step into the starting lineup and take WrestleMania for yourself. A lot of people said, ‘He’s The Rock. He can do whatever he wants.’ I saw a podcast with two wrestling heads talking and they said, ‘I’m sure Cody is fine stepping aside for WrestleMania and doing it later in the year.’ In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ That’s the Super Bowl of what we do. The last day of WrestleMania, the last match, it’s our literal Super Bowl. The idea that somebody thought I would be cool with it. They don’t know me. That’s nonsense. I worked my whole life for this. Rock should know I wouldn’t be cool with it. Maybe that’s an understanding him and I have. He found out, I’m not cool with it. That’s a good thing. You know who wasn’t cool with The Rock? Steve Austin. They made magic together. They rubbed together so much it created diamonds. I do have a lot of respect for him.”
