In the concluding event of WrestleMania 40 (Night Two), Cody Rhodes grasped victory grabbing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns. In a recent episode of the “Pivot Podcast”, Cody touched upon his collaboration with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in preparation for WrestleMania 40.
He shrugged off the insinuation that he would have been okay with stepping down to allow a match between The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He referred to such an idea as “nonsense.”
Below are some highlight pointers from the podcast discussion:
Cody Rhodes’s view on The Rock as a professional wrestler: “I have always been an ardent admirer of The Rock. I have immense respect for him, perhaps more so than anyone else in any locker room. The very first time our eyes met while discussing business, I instantly got a word of who he truly is. He is not just a film star or a potential candidate for presidency or a businessman with multiple associations. He is a genuine pro wrestler; someone who comprehends the environment saying, ‘I am going to engage this audience, entertain them, upset them and in the end, excite them to the extreme that they would call their friends to return.’”
Cody’s regard for The Rock: “In that moment, my respect for him rose because we shared the same sentiment. I could do numerous other things, but at my core, I am a wrestler. To see such a sentiment coming from the foremost movie star in the world, it was truly commendable.”
Cody’s take on the idea of him being “okay” with stepping aside for The Rock at WrestleMania 40: “The conflict would arise when someone comes along believing that just because he is The Rock, he could swoop right into a storyline already in place and claim Wrestlemania as his own. There were people who said, ‘He’s The Rock. He can do as he pleases’. I heard two wrestling enthusiasts on a podcast speculate, ‘Cody is probably fine with stepping aside for WrestleMania and can make his move later in the year.’ My response to that is, ‘That is absurd.’ WrestleMania is our Super Bowl. There’s no way that I would be okay with it. They obviously don’t know me. It’s complete nonsense. This is something I have strived for my entire career. The Rock should understand that I wouldn’t be okay with it. There were disagreements between The Rock and Steve Austin too, but they created magic together. They clashed so much it produced something amazing. Despite all this, I have a deep respect for The Rock.”