Cody Rhodes explained why he uses his last name sometimes, but not on television.
In 2015, Cody Rhodes left WWE and moved on to other promotions around the world. Since his departure, he has been seen billed as both "Cody Rhodes" or simply "Cody." In an interview with WSVN-TV, Rhodes emphatically said it is okay to call him by his full name.
"You can say 'Cody Rhodes' all day long," said Rhodes. "I do some radio interviews where they go 'it's just Cody now.' And I usually click right away and wait for them to call back. I play it safe when it comes to television because it is WWE's IP. People are super confused all the time like 'that's not your real name.' It is literally my legal name, like my ID. My name hasn't been Cody Runnels since I was seventeen," he continued.
While Rhodes contends he has every right to the name, he avoids using it on television out of respect to WWE. He also said WWE could use the name and he would not be offended.
"At no point would I ever want to go into a courtroom with a company that I have love and admiration for. I met my wife there, I got my start there, and they're the house that built me. If they want that last name, they can give it to someone in NXT. It's not going to make any difference. No one here tonight said 'oh they didn't say his last name, he's not Dusty's kid' And there's something cool about having a single name. I don't know, like Cher and Madonna. I'm not as over as any of those people," said Rhodes.
Also during the interview, Rhodes discussed advice he received from his brother Goldust and his father Dusty Rhodes. He also claimed again that he is making more money outside of WWE than inside WWE. He has been wrestling mostly for Ring of Honor as their World Champion and New Japan Pro Wrestling as part of the Bullet Club.
The rest of the interview can be found on WSVN-TV reporter Chris Van Vliet's YouTube channel.
