Cody Rhodes Says Only a Small Percentage of WWE Stars Actually Draw

Cody Rhodes didn’t hold back when the topic of true star power came up on his What Do You Want to Talk About? podcast—and what he said could definitely stir the pot inside WWE.

While chatting with Damian Priest, Cody got real about the reality of drawing power in the wrestling business. He made it clear that just because someone’s on TV doesn’t mean they’re pulling numbers. In fact, he claims only a small slice of the roster is really bringing in business.

“This is an unpopular thing to share, but I’ll share it. If you look at a roster sheet — in any company, any company — you’d be surprised at the percentage that actually — and I’ll use the term — earn, or draw, for a company.”

“You’d think it’s a lot more. And then you look and it’s a small percentage. Now, it doesn’t mean people won’t, it doesn’t mean people aren’t getting there, it doesn’t mean context makes it so that a few times they do. But there’s a small percentage.”

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Cody didn’t point fingers, but the implication was loud and clear: most wrestlers aren’t moving the needle. Then he brought up Rhea Ripley—who he clearly thinks is.

“And I don’t know if the world knows — and I’m sure they’re finding out in real time — what [Rhea Ripley] does. X’s and O’s-wise, she’s very, very inspiring.”

“She’s also one who makes me want to compete — not in a stab-you-in-the-back type of way, but like, ‘Let’s go. You’re cruising? Cool. I want to be on your level. Let’s go.’”

“Every time she’s on the screen, it’s those moments of like, ‘Jeez, man. What a star. What a star.’”

By spotlighting Rhea as one of the few true draws, Cody didn’t just compliment her—he drew a quiet line between the big names and the rest. The message? WWE has stars, and it has filler. And not everyone’s doing the numbers.

This kind of honesty from a top guy is rare—and you can bet fans and talent alike will have opinions on where they fall in that percentage Cody mentioned.