Cody Rhodes knows all about navigating chaos on the road to WrestleMania.
“The American Nightmare” is gearing up for a high-profile clash with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, but as has often been the case this time of year, the situation isn’t exactly one-on-one. Orton’s recent alignment with Pat McAfee has added another wrinkle, continuing a trend of outside influences surrounding Rhodes during WrestleMania season.
From dealing with Travis Scott last year to The Bloodline’s involvement in previous Mania builds, Rhodes has become accustomed to the spotlight bringing added complications.
Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show (see video below), Rhodes reflected on that pattern and gave credit to his fanbase for sticking with him through it all.
“So, outside forces,” Rhodes began. “You could look at this year and say, here’s Pat McAfee. You could look at the year before and say, here’s Travis Scott. You could look at the year before and say, here’s The Rock. If you are a Cody Rhodes fan during WrestleMania season, it’s a choice. We deal with outside forces. We deal with, hey, they want to be a part of it. We’re about it and I can say this, it’s a spot I always wanted. If you’re gonna be in the big moments, you have to be ready for the big jobs. Pat being part of ESPN and the fact that WrestleMania is on ESPN for the first time ever, it’s actually a natural fit. Does it fit in a 20 year wrestler, student-teacher, mentor, all of that? No. But, Pat sure thinks it does and now Pat has the title so we can tell that story another time. That story has also already been told, let’s figure out how this unfolds.”
It’s part of the territory.
Rhodes didn’t stop there, as he also teased the possibility of a major shift in his on-screen persona after everything he’s endured over the years.
“We’re getting to this point now where you go through so much as a wrestler, like I mentioned the previous WrestleMania’s and all of that,” he said. “Maybe it’s time for me to change. That’s a new layer of paint for Randy Orton, he’s associated with Pat. He doesn’t need that by any means but that’s what he’s doing. Maybe I change. Maybe you walk that other side. I’ve been saying for so long, oh, I don’t think I could do heel stuff. After a while, it starts to feel like it’s almost expected to lose it at some point. You know, he is going to snap and how does that look? It’s WrestleMania though, it’s the best thing we do. It’s the postseason. It’ll be great with Pat McAfee or without Pat McAfee.”
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Championship and Pat McAfee’s future in WWE is scheduled to serve as the main event for night one of WrestleMania 42, which takes place on April 18 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.
