Cody Rhodes Admits He Didn’t Think He Was “Buff Enough” to Be WWE Champion

Cody Rhodes opened up about the early struggles that shaped his journey to the top of WWE—admitting that for a long time, he didn’t believe he looked the part of a world champion.

During his First Take appearance, Rhodes was asked about a moment from the WWE Unreal Netflix series where he said he always wanted to be the face of the company, but didn’t believe it was possible. Molly Qerim pressed him on what held him back from truly seeing himself in that role. Cody didn’t hold back.

“Oh, slow learner for one. Slow learner. And I had all the great teachers. But this is going to sound real surface level—I also don’t think I was buff enough. I don’t think I was jacked up enough. Yeah, you can’t be the face of the company or champion if you look like you’re bagging groceries. You know what I’m saying? Like… I know that’s a terrible answer by today’s standards, but it’s just real. If I look back at it, I think I needed to fill out a little bit more. Who knows? Probably a lot deeper stuff than that.”

The American Nightmare didn’t blame anyone else. Instead, he owned the perception he had of himself and how it impacted his path through WWE. While it might not be a message that fits today’s image standards, Rhodes was honest about how his mindset evolved.

Now that Cody stands tall as the Undisputed WWE Champion, it’s clear that confidence, growth, and self-image played just as much of a role as his in-ring talent.

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