Cody Rhodes talks about returning to WWE with Triple H at the helm of creative.
Cody Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, and while he was building a lot of momentum, he had to go away for several months due to a torn pectoral muscle. While he was away, WWE underwent many changes, including Triple H becoming the head of creative as Chief Content Officer.
At the post-show press conference following his Royal Rumble 2023 victory, Cody Rhodes spoke about his working relationship with Triple H, saying he's fortunate enough that he doesn't need too much direction as he's a veteran.
"I was very fortunate that, when I came back, I had enough experience that I didn’t always need structure and direction. You guys have seen me without a leash before. I get a little wild. It was great to have that structure, but I’ve had an unbelievable experience, an unbelievable education in wrestling. I’m not meant to do anything else," said Cody. "This is what I do. It was easy then when I came back, and Vince was in charge of that. It’s easy now because, the way I look at it, and I don’t mean this as braggadocious or arrogance, this is something I talked about with one of my kids at the school; if I’m the best, then it doesn’t matter who is showing me where to go and telling me what’s next. If I’m the best, my transaction is simple. These fans pay their money, I make them feel something, and I can do that better than anybody. If I can, then it can be this person or that person. I will say I don’t want to get mushy with it, but Triple H has no reason to be a fan of mine if you really think about it."
Rhodes also spoke about the light-hearted shots he took at Triple H while working for AEW, saying that despite all of it, he always looked at Triple H as a mentor, and he's glad that he is currently the coach in WWE.
"I smashed the throne, I took a lot of shots, always light-hearted, but I think he knew where I was coming from," Cody said. "I was hungry. He’s the one guy, I don’t think he remembers this, but I’ll never forget it. I talked to him in Gorilla when I was really frustrated doing Stardust. I went to walk out, and he said, ‘rattle the cages.’ That could have meant a lot of things. ‘Go talk to the writers.’ I took it literally and went out and rattled (the cages) as much as possible. I’m so glad that relationship gets to develop now. Clearly, you guys see how I model my presentation and performance. I’m clearly a massive Triple H fan. I’m glad he’s the coach, and I get to play. I want to play quarterback. I owe him a lot for how he handled my dad. I don’t want him to look at me and see my dad. I want him to look at me and see me.
"Today, I felt like he saw me," Cody continued. "That’s very important. My last name has done a lot of things for me, but we’re at a point in my career where my first name has to do those things as well. It’s off to a great start. Let’s see where we go from here."
Cody Rhodes is now the fifth person to win the Royal Rumble from the number 30 position, joining Triple H, who won from that spot in 2016. Now, he awaits his first moment in the sun as WrestleMania headliner.
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