Cody Rhodes wants to be his true self in WWE.
At WrestleMania 38, Rhodes made his return to the company after six years away, facing and defeating Seth Rollins. The former AEW EVP spent 10 years with WWE (2006-2016) during which time he was a member of Legacy, performed as Stardust, held multiple titles, and so much more.
Speaking at a media scrum the day after his WrestleMania match (video below courtesy Denise Salcedo), Cody said that he wants to present himself without fear. He acknowledges that during his first run he too often tried to play it safe, but now wants to be himself and live and die by what he does.
"If anything, I want to present myself without fear. When I was here (before), I was a kid, I was scared. Look around, there is 50 people monitoring this interview, there is the chairman himself. There are guys like Hunter. There is Stephanie. There are these dynamic figures. Nick Khan. When you're a kid, that's scary. I was a kid. To be able to come here and knowing what works for me and keeping the disruptive things that I do. No matter, this was my place for so long, but I'm an outsider in this moment. I don't know that many people. To work and compete without fear. Here's what happens; if you do something that's off color or not what your producer or boss wanted, you come back and they yell at you. What's the worst that can happen? The alternative is, you go out there and you blow it because you're trying to play it safe, which happened to me so much in the first ten years. I would rather live and die by what I do. I told everyone who helped court me into this, 'I have to do me.' I'm not going to be rude to anybody, but I can't wait until the first writer comes up to me. I can't wait. I'm not going to be rude, but I'll probably just lie to your face. 'Sounds great.' I mean no disrespect. Suspension of disbelief in wrestling. There is nothing fake about what I do. That's one of the hardest things about being me. The heat stays on. There is no gimmick. American Nightmare is a name, but it's just me. I have to do me. That doesn't mean not listening to these individuals who know and have the knowledge, but to work and compete without fear. The worst thing that happens is you say, 'I'm sorry, won't happen again.' If your segment doesn't work, nobody backstage gets credited for how it doesn't work. It's you who sucks. I learned that the hard way," he said.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Cody Rhodes said he felt him and Tony Khan were drifting apart. Click here to read more.
Cody is set to be on tonight's episode of WWE Raw, where he hopes to make his intentions clear. Click here to learn more.
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