ody Rhodes is done playing humble about his spot in WWE. The American Nightmare finally said the quiet part out loud, and he did it while holding the richest prize in the company.
Rhodes made the statement during an interview with Ariel Helwani, while he was backstage at a WWE live event in Sheffield, England. Helwani had already called Cody WWE’s “QB1” earlier in the conversation, and Cody did not run from that label.
“Also, you said QB1. I didn’t say it. You said it. So, I’ll I’ll I’ll roll with it and I’ll pull that thread. That’s the part of this gig. That’s the the fun. You you you’ll miss opportunities like this when uh when it’s all said and done. So, it’s not a nuisance at all. Are you kidding? I’m happy to speak with you.”
Later on, Helwani asked Cody straight up if he is the face of WWE. Cody first gave the diplomatic answer, saying the fans are the ones who decide that.
“Um, I would say the face of WWE is whoever you as a fan and not not Ariel, you as a broadcast journalist or someone in in the the media scope and a fan of wrestling yourself, but specifically you as a fan, whoever you deem the face of WWE is the face of WWE. And the beautiful thing now is the candidates are more than more than two um maybe even more than five.”
Cody continued by saying WWE is loaded with stars right now, which makes the title of “face of WWE” harder to pin on just one person.
“There there’s a lot of people with a great following who uh you see all their merchandise all over the shows but also you can hear their reactions not just in the arenas but amongst our hardcore fans who are out there watching everything we do. So to me the face of WWE is whoever as a fan you think is the face of uh WWE. I am glad if any fans think that and uh I I treat that as a big responsibility.”
Helwani then turned it back on him and asked who Cody thinks is the face of WWE. Cody almost went with a group answer, but then changed his mind and gave the money quote.
“That’s uh that’s tricky and I I don’t want to I don’t want to insult anybody, but I also don’t want to not answer your question. So, could I do a grouping? Could I do a grouping? You know what? Actually, I’ve changed my mind. Yes, I’m not going to do a grouping because confidence is a huge part of uh of what you do and particularly when you have the chip, when you have the WWE Championship, which is still the richest prize in all the game. I’m going to go ahead and say it on your show as someone who’s played darts with you before. Uh I am the face of WWE.”
When Helwani asked if Cody really feels that in his heart, Cody admitted the whole thing is still ironic because of his family’s history against WWE and his own path out of the company and back again.
“I think it’s I I don’t know if I feel that in my heart. I know that uh there are times when it’s so ironic to me, particularly my family, uh having fought against WWE with Jim Crockett promotions, my own personal journey about leaving and then coming back. There’s such an irony in in even being WWE champion for the better part of the last two years.”
Cody also gave respect to several other names who fans could easily put in that spot.
“I I think you’re safe if you say Roman Reigns is, you’re safe if you say Ria Ripley is, if you say CM Punk is, uh Liv Morgan. If you say those names, those seem to be safe names. WWE is in really great hands right now because the roster is so experienced and so connected with our audience, which I can hear Oba Femi is walking to the ring right now and I can hear the people doing the Oba chant with him and that alone that Oba’s fresh just that happening is a beautiful thing.”
Cody gave Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Liv Morgan, and the rest of WWE’s loaded roster their respect. Still, when Helwani pushed him to stop playing it safe, Cody said what a lot of fans already believed: he sees himself as the face of WWE.
That is a big statement from someone who left WWE, helped change the business elsewhere, came back, finished the story, and now carries the WWE Championship. Cody is not just walking around like the top guy anymore. He is saying it.
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