Cody Rhodes is back in WWE and there are faces he knows and new faces that he hasn't worked with before.
Coming from AEW, and helping form the direct competitor to WWE, Rhodes wasn't 100% sure how he would be received in the WWE locker room despite having long-time friends and peers backstage.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Rhodes was asked about the reception he got from his fellow wrestlers.
"I got the chance, after the match, I got to swing by male talent (locker room) and got to see Kofi (Kingston), I got to see (Xavier) Woods and meet some new people. I never really got to talk with (Happy) Corbin and we got to talk a little bit that evening. I was really...I don't know if excited is the word as much as I felt this was my responsibility. Not only is AEW a positive thing that exists in the industry where now people are getting paid and there are options. As someone who is a WWE ride or die or WWE Superstar, there might be those that resent me to a degree over the trash that I spoke. I broke the throne, I poked fun at a lot of things. I'm fully ready for there to be a layer of, not resentment, but maybe I won't be the most popular guy. That's not the sense I got being in the locker room, seeing old friends, making new ones, but also the next day, making the rounds in back of house, my daughter meeting some other babies. Babymania at WrestleMania," he said.
Cody continued, "I got the sense that everyone was excited. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but I did get a sense that there was respect for me that was not there when I was 20 years old and there the first time. That was touching. It's still their house. I don't know if I'll ever earn the right to call it my house. I'm definitely all in and all committed as this contract goes. I was really happy to have that layer of respect, I share that. It's not unlike pro sports. It's a different team. I'm wearing a different jersey and I'm sure there are going to be some speed bumps and elements to rise over to fully integrate myself in it. I'm all about putting out the best product possible, whether that's an interview or match, and I can do that wherever a ring exists. I really can't thank Nick Khan, Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon enough for their efforts to recruit me and the absolute warmth they showed me."
Among the names Rhodes was most excited to chat with, he mentioned Bianca Belair, who wasn't with the company when he left in 2016, as a person he couldn't wait to meet.
"The person I was most excited to meet was Bianca Belair. I got to meet her when she had just come back from tearing the joint down and I was underneath the stage. I could hear it all. You're always happy when you can hear a hot crowd and they set up such a brilliant crowd and put us in a difficult position to follow. She was a total queen when I met her and to be able to be one of the first people to say congratulations, even though I'm brand new, that was nice. I was a big fan of having watched her last year and what she did with Sasha (Banks). Big fan. She was one I was very excited to meet," he said.
Belair and Rhodes both picked up victories at WrestleMania 38 with Belair defeating Becky Lynch and Rhodes defeating Lynch's husband Seth Rollins.
Rhodes and Rollins are set to clash again at WrestleMania Backlash. You can learn more about the rematch by clicking here.
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