Cody Rhodes has opened up on his reasons for returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38, six years after he parted ways with the company.
On a night of surprises, twists, and turns, one of the biggest things to happen at WrestleMania 38 was the reveal of Cody Rhodes as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent on ‘The Grandest Stage Of Them All’.
With Rollins waiting impatiently in the ring, the AT&T Stadium went dark before the proclamation that “Wrestling has more than one royal family” rang through the venue and ‘The American Nightmare’ rose up from under the stage to one of the biggest reactions of the night from the fans in attendance.
Now, in an interview with Variety, Cody Rhodes has explained his decision to return to the company where his career began, saying that provides an opportunity for him to prove he is the best wrestler in the world.
“I told Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and Nick Kahn — this very small circle of individuals — I told them what I truly believe and it’s that I’m the best wrestler in the world. And to go further with it, I actually don’t think there’s a close second. But with that said, the opportunity now exists to prove it, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
The former AEW EVP went on to explain that he is a completely different person to who he was when he left WWE.
“It’s a completely different individual returning to the game. It’s a different brand. It’s someone who’s experienced all the wonders of independent wrestling, of travelling internationally, of being able to get on the ground with the fans that make this whole ship move.”
Cody Rhodes then revealed that he has a huge goal in mind, to capture the WWE Championship that his father was never able to win.
“But different person or not, I’m still that little kid that I mentioned in an AEW promo that wants what my dad didn’t get, and I’m not going to say it out loud because I don’t want to jinx it.
“But, you know, he went to Madison Square Garden, stood across from Superstar Billy Graham and he held it in his hands, the goal of mine, and it was taken away because that was the context of the match. I understand that now as an adult, but as a kid, that was the only reason I ever wanted to get in, so that I could get what he didn’t get.”
Cody Rhodes began his wrestling career with WWE back in 2006, initially appearing in developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling. After remaining in OVW for a little over a year, Rhodes made his main roster debut in July 2007.
The second-generation star remained with the company until May 22nd 2016, when he was released after asking to leave.