It’s crazy how things go sometimes.
Especially on historic nights.
September 1, 2018 was a historic night.
And something crazy happened heading into that night that almost changed the course of history.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes appeared on the popular “FLAGRANT with Andrew Schultz” podcast this week for an in-depth interview, during which he recalled being in a physical incident while walking his dog, Pharaoh, that got cops called and almost prevented him from working the inaugural ALL IN independent pay-per-view event that ultimately led to the launch of All Elite Wrestling.
“I got into a slight tussle the night before (All In) because I’m walking Pharaoh, my beloved husky who is always part of what I do,” Rhodes recalled. “I had him off a leash. I was in the wrong. Pharaoh is chill. He’s not ever going to be a problem, but this man got in my face over it. ‘You shouldn’t…that’s dangerous.’ Probably right. He’s probably had a bad experience with a dog. You’re probably right. Something about it, maybe I had some caffeine in my system. He got so close that I felt like he had encroached on my space. I did shove him. When I shoved him, he rolled back into the bushes. He took this enormous Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin-style fall. The next thing I knew, I was like, ‘Oh no.’ He had called the cops.”
Rhodes continued, “I decided to stay in the lobby. I’m not going to try and run. Had he said, ‘I’m pressing charges.’ It’s over. The next day was the first day in my career that I had a security detail. My wife [Brandi Rhodes], ‘You do not leave this room without this man.’ His name was Sam. ‘Sam is going everywhere with you.’ Like I was a problem child all along. It was one incident over our dog. They put me on a leash. I got to the building, but it was touch and go.”
(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.)