In a recent conversation with Complex, Cody Rhodes expressed his thoughts on striving to walk in his father’s footsteps, or chasing his “Ghost” and his experience of clinching the coveted Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WWE’s WrestleMania 40.
Below, are some noteworthy comments from the interview:
Regarding striving to surpass his father’s accomplishments, Rhodes referred to a scene from The Return of the King, where Théoden dies heroically. He recalls Théoden’s words about being able to face his ancestors with his head held high. Drawing a parallel, Rhodes said, “For me, it has been a journey of constant pursuit of the Ghost. I’m always on the hunt, as an artist and a contender, there’s always this fire within that tells me to move forward, to do better. What’s interesting though, is that the hardest part for me is to match up to my father’s stature as an exceptional father. He dedicated his life to watching me wrestle in my younger years. So, when I speak of following the Ghost, it’s not in a negative way. It’s more a symbol of motivation to me. I realize the giant strides my father has taken before me, and yet, I believe there are still things I can do to catch up– to come up to him and say, ‘I got you.’”
When asked about his victorious moment of winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Rhodes likened it to securing victory in a significant political race. He said, “Imagine you have just won a grand election. The very next day, you have to report to work and implement the policies you promised. My mom has always told me, ‘You are only as good as your last performance.’ WrestleMania 40 was my previous performance until the following day’s event.”
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