Cody Rhodes has a problem with the way wrestling controversies are being created on social media these days. The WWE star says sometimes the supposed “heat” doesn’t even exist until somebody claims it does online, everyone starts reacting, and suddenly they’ve created a real controversy out of nothing.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Cody admitted wrestling media is much harder to navigate now than it used to be. He joked that he was about to get on his “boomer high horse” before explaining exactly what bothers him.
“Dude, media is hard these days. I bet you just did your Mount Rushmore. They’re already coming for you. They’re already — it’s hard. Like, it’s not what it used to be. And this is specific to the wrestling media.”
Cody believes there are certain wrestling conversations that can appear much bigger online than they actually are. From his perspective, something being discussed heavily on social media doesn’t automatically mean it was already a genuine issue elsewhere.
“I’m gonna get on my little boomer high horse here, right? I’m not a boomer, but I want to be. Okay, so there are conversations that take place online in the wrestling community. Here’s what I just wish that people would know: they only take place online.”
He then gave an example of how quickly that can snowball. Somebody might claim a wrestler is getting heat over something, and suddenly dozens of people are responding to a controversy that Cody says wasn’t actually happening in the first place.
“And I’ll give you a prime example — and this is gonna sound… I feel so bad that I’ve now gone into this rant. Somebody will say something like, ‘I can’t believe she’s getting so much heat for this.’ And then 50 people will reply.”
That’s where Cody thinks social media can actually create the very controversy people believe they’re simply discussing. Once the wrestler involved responds or signal-boosts it, the online chatter becomes something much more real.
“But here’s the lesson in it all: she wasn’t getting any heat for it. There was no conversation. And now the conversation has started. And then once that talent signal-boosted, now it is real, and it wasn’t. So it’s a very — it’s just tough.”
Cody also admitted he’s been guilty of doing exactly that himself. He brought up the previous Matt Cardona discussion that started after Cardona appeared with Van Vliet and Cody later addressed the topic on his own podcast.
“Remember the whole Cardona scandal when you had him on here and then I brought it up on my podcast? And I was wrong to do so. Yeah, it’s tough, man.”
When Van Vliet asked what he meant, Cody immediately became reluctant to even repeat the subject because that would risk starting the conversation all over again. Once Chris mentioned the “best friends” topic, Cody made it clear he’d rather leave it alone.
“Yeah, I don’t want to say it. It turns into a thing. Yeah, it’s tough, man. You and I, you don’t want to be that guy. You don’t want to go down and look at your life at the end and go, ‘Hey, I never answered a question straight. I never…’ You know? But that’s just — you’ve gotten a lot of wrestlers who have found these ways to navigate the questions very political.”
Van Vliet then asked the bigger question: with so much noise surrounding Cody at this stage of his career, how does he decide which opinions actually deserve his attention? Cody admitted his earlier claim that these conversations “only” happen online was too absolute.
“I think probably the most important thing is don’t be absolute. So I just gave you an absolute. I said those conversations are only taking place there. That’s not true. That conversation might be happening, right? But then there might be a conversation over here that’s important, and a mentor or a voice.”
For Cody, the voices that ultimately need to carry the most weight are the fans actually showing up to WWE events. Those are the people giving their time and energy to the product, and he believes their reactions have to be prioritized over all the other noise surrounding him.
“And then there’s, of course, the most important voices — the ones in the arena with us. The ones who are there giving their time and their energy to you to be entertained and to take an escape. I think it’s prioritizing that. That’s what it has to be.”
That’s become especially important for Cody because of just how much attention follows practically everything he does. As he put it, his career has reached a point where separating meaningful criticism from everything else isn’t exactly easy.
“Particularly my career, and as far as a wrestler, has become so filled with noise.”
Cody isn’t saying every wrestling conversation on social media is fake, and he actually corrected himself when he realized he’d gone too far with that idea. His bigger issue is how easily one post can turn something that barely existed into a full-blown controversy, which is why he’s trying to put more weight on the voices he actually trusts and the fans in the building.
What do you think about Cody Rhodes saying wrestling social media can sometimes create controversies that weren’t really there in the first place? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
