Jim Ross has revealed that there were always high expectations for how far Cody Rhodes could take his wrestling career.
On the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, which focused on WrestleMania 27, the veteran commentator explained that at the time of that event, he knew we were just beginning to see how good Cody could be.
“Well, we all knew that Cody was just beginning to scratch the surface of how good he could be, and that was going to come with more experience, more ring time, more opportunities. But none of us knew how good he would get.”
JR went on to detail how he had always hoped the former AEW TNT Champion could follow in his father, Dusty Rhodes’, footsteps, and how proud of him he is for having done so.
“Now Cody has evolved into a great strategist. He also, much like Jericho, is deeply involved in his own creative. I think everybody had high hopes and plus Cody was so likeable and for some of us, that knew him since he was born, you always hoped he was gonna be able to live his dream and follow the footsteps of his dad, Dusty Rhodes.
“We just didn’t know at that point how good he could be – we know now, he’s a real good hand, really really good and I’m proud that he’s as successful as he is.”
At WrestleMania 27, Cody defeated Rey Mysterio, who had broken his nose several weeks earlier causing Rhodes to wear a protective facemask. JR believes the victory was a great moment for the young star, and would have helped buidl his confidence.
“That really had to be a confidence builder for him, to beat Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania. Anyhow, we always had high expectations for Cody and rightfully so”
Cody Rhodes remained with WWE for several years following WrestleMania 27 and became a two-time Intercontinental Champion and three-time Tag Team Champion. He left the promotion in 2016 and performed in ROH and NJPW as part of Bullet Club before becoming a driving force in the creation of All Elite Wrestling in 2019.