Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in what he's described as the worst kept secret in wrestling.
Rhodes being the WrestleMania opponent for Seth Rollins had been teased for weeks with fans chanting "Cody" as Rollins searched his path to the event. It marked the first WrestleMania for Rhodes since WrestleMania 32 when he competed as Stardust.
Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling podcast, Rhodes reflected on his return.
"Everyone kept asking me all day, 'what do you expect?' Of course, I was hoping (the crowd) would be happy, at least, 'yay, boo,' some sort of energy and feeling. I really didn't want to put any expectations on it and I never looked out there. I never walked the ramp, never got to see the crowd. Coming up on that lift was the first time I saw the grandeur, the showcase of immortals, all the things that WrestleMania is. A feeling that I'll chase the rest of my life. If we never get another one, as a wrestler it's always, 'I have to get another, what am I doing next year?' If I don't get another one, I feel so vindicated. To go from nowhere on the card and no desire to have me and no priority, and that's not a knock on anybody, to go out in the wilderness and try everything I could to make noise and change our business, pro wrestling, sports entertainment, whatever you want to call it. I felt like they appreciated it and I appreciated them," he said.
Rhodes received one of the biggest reactions on the night and he and Rollins were able to captivate the crowd with each move during the match.
The finishing stretch saw Rhodes hit a series of Cross Rhodes', break the chain with a tribute to Dusty Rhodes and a Bionic Elbow, followed by one last Cross Rhodes.
Asked about paying tribute to Dusty, Cody said, "It wasn't the elbow so much as it was the jab. The story that we're telling, however you look at the industry, it's physical and when it happens and they respond, you got them. A stadium is a whole other ballgame, (sound) travels, it's bigger and longer and you have to wait. To do something as simple as a jab and for them to get it. The only thing missing in that match was the Von Erich claw."
Cody continued, saying that Triple H was the last person he saw before he was raised into the arena.
"It's no secret Triple H is my favorite wrestler ever even though I destroyed his throne and bad-mouthed him to the end of the earth. He was the last person I saw before I went out there. If he never knew he was my favorite wrestler, now I have to tell him. The pedigree itself. Everything. Even the stuff I messed up, I wouldn't change. That one jab felt good. I had this great education in wrestling, I worked here for 20 to 30 and was under the learning tree of Vince (McMahon), Arn (Anderson), Michael (Hayes), Jamie Noble, the guys who are still here, and then I had my whole life under the learning tree of my dad. I'm not supposed to do anything but this, it's my life's education, I'm not going to do anything but this. It took me a while to put together, but tonight I felt like, 'I figured this thing out, I got it.' I just have to keep getting it," he said.
Elsewhere during the interview, Rhodes discussed his decision to return to WWE after his AEW departure. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
If you missed anything from WrestleMania 38, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
