Paul Heyman says Cody Rhodes needed to leave WWE.
Cody Rhodes left WWE in 2016 after portraying Stardust which was a character he did not like. In an interview with NBC Sports, Paul Heyman said Rhodes needed to find himself outside of WWE and it reminded him of when Steve Austin showed up in ECW in 1995.
“Cody reminds me a lot of when Steve Austin got out of WCW. In that Steve needed to find himself and when I put him on camera in Philadelphia at 5 o’clock in the morning, after a show, is when a truly pissed off, tired, aggravated Steve Austin found his inner persona that morphed into Stone Cold Steve Austin," said Heyman.
Without leaving WWE, Rhodes would not have found the success he has on the independents according to Heyman.
"Cody has found himself in that very same way in that his angst over not being able to bring forward what he envisioned for himself in WWE has propelled him to new heights outside of WWE. He would have never found that within the company. Kudos to Cody for leaving and for sticking to his vision and to finding that box office appeal that has always lived inside of him," said Heyman.
This Saturday, Rhodes will take on Kenny Omega at Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor XII as the two wrestlers have been feuding since Rhodes joined the Bullet Club.
Fightful Wrestling will have live coverage and a recapping podcast for the event.
The full interview with Heyman can be seen at NBCSports.com.
