Cody Rhodes is excited about representing Team USA at Survivor Series, but he’s already realizing WWE may have handed him one hell of a tightrope to walk. With three weeks of Team USA vs. Team Mexico trash talk ahead of him, Cody is wondering how he’s supposed to do any of it without getting himself into trouble.
Speaking on ESPN Radio’s Unsportsmanlike podcast, Cody discussed WWE’s upcoming traditional 5-on-5 elimination match between Team USA and Team Mexico at Survivor Series on November 28 in Houston. Cody will captain Team USA alongside CM Punk and Je’Von Evans, with two more spots still to be filled.
Cody loves the concept, especially after coming out of the much heavier Randy Orton storyline. But once he started thinking about what the actual build would require, things got a little more complicated.
“I’m actually very excited because coming out of Crown Jewel, where we talked about it in a promo backstage, when you’re doing such serious and heavy stuff, it can feel sometimes a little joyless in terms of the story. That was Randy Orton and me eventually punting him and all of that.
“To be able to shift to the John Cena Classic, which is just fan appreciation meets an All-Star Game, you’ve got WWE Club individuals voting on who’s gonna be the champion, male and female. It’s NXT upstart young talent versus established WWE Superstars on the main roster. It’s 100 percent John Cena written all over it.
“Being at the Wide World of Sports, that’s really a positive. And then to kick it over to, let’s do Survivor Series, where we just say, let’s go Team USA versus Team Mexico. Now that’s a positive, but there’s room for some trouble along the way, right? We gotta keep this on the up and up. Team USA can’t be the good guys. We can’t, but are we? Right? I know Punk, it’s Punk right now. I gotta do three weeks of promos talking about how we’re gonna beat Team Mexico. How do you do that without getting in any trouble? How? You can’t, you can’t, you can’t. It’s impossible.”
That’s where Cody sees the potential minefield. Wrestling needs conflict and trash talk, but he doesn’t want a storyline built around national pride to cross into something it was never supposed to become — especially when Rey Mysterio is standing on the other side. And Cody couldn’t help noticing that WWE picked the guy with an American flag tattooed on his neck to captain Team USA.
“So I’m keeping it, I don’t know. I’m lost as to what to do other than just really excited about Team USA versus Team Mexico and Rey Mysterio, and everyone’s amazing, and I love them all. I do. But this is also wrestling, and they’re wanting some trash talk. They want a little, they want it.
“And then I can’t say, ‘Well, you guys talk trash to us.’ The whole thing feels like it’s a trap. It’s a setup. Oh, and the guy with the American flag tattooed on his neck. Yeah, 100 percent, it’s a setup.
“But I’m gonna see how good I can navigate these waters. If I can get to Survivor Series, which is in Houston, Texas. Again, I think Team USA might be the bad guys here. I think we’ll be the better team. I actually know we’ll be the better team. But it’s gonna be a minefield on the way there.”
When the hosts pushed Cody on why he seemed so worried about the whole thing, he didn’t exactly pretend otherwise. He admitted seeing the idea on paper immediately made him question what WWE had gotten him into.
“I’m very nervous. This is, when this was on paper, I thought, ‘What are we thinking?’ … We’ve got a tough road ahead. Tough road ahead.”
That might end up being part of what makes the next few weeks interesting. Cody knows exactly where the dangerous territory is, and now he has to figure out how close he can get to it without stepping on the wrong landmine.
How do you think Cody Rhodes should approach the Team USA vs. Team Mexico rivalry without taking things too far? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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