Before the Friday Night SmackDown event in Columbia, South Carolina, Cody Rhodes, the current WWE Undisputed Champion, had an enlightening exchange with WLTX reporters. During the discourse, he was posed an interesting question about the Superstar he would most desire to test himself against in a wrestling match, be it a wrestling icon from yesteryears or a star of the modern time.
In an answer that came as a surprise to many, Cody chose WWE Hall of Fame inductee, Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Explaining his reasoning, Cody elaborated, “So I oscillate often when I answer this question, causing a stir among fans online, thus I just want to clarify that my answer can vary. However, considering my current identity as a wrestler and my role in WWE, I’ve been contemplating and I am inclined towards having a match with Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. The reason being- the menacing and different sort of a ‘bad guy’ he embodied, very psychological. His approach diverged from the dramatic and loud 80s promos; he was sinister, something I’d say was ahead of his time.”
In a related episode of the “Insight” podcast, WWE’s Karrion Kross came forward to discuss his process of dissecting promos with his opponents, highlighting possible vulnerabilities. Karrion disclosed he never intends to take fellow wrestlers by surprise.
He went on to say, “Oh yes. It’s not in me to exploit by surprise, and I despise such tactics. If confronted with people who apply these tactics, my reaction would be akin to throwing them down a flight of stairs. How one could end up like Logan Paul tumbling down the stairs, I can’t fathom. Certainly, I am not one of those. ‘Look, these are the aspects of your career that we could accentuate in this specific domain and illuminate.’ I think such actions are low and somewhat offbeat. If you’re secure about your worth and what you’re doing, there’s no need to resort to undermining the person you’re working with.”