Subhojeet Mukherjee on March 13, 2026
Cody Rhodes is revisiting the infamous Travis Scott slap that blew up across wrestling social media — and he’s now making it clear the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as many people thought.
Rhodes addressed the moment during an interview with Chris Van Vliet, where he pushed back on the idea that Scott seriously injured him during the WWE segment involving The Rock and John Cena. The moment went viral after Scott appeared to catch Rhodes with a stiff shot to the ear during the in-ring chaos.
But according to Rhodes, the narrative around the incident has gotten out of hand. While explaining his relationship with Scott and how the segment actually played out, Rhodes said he never viewed the rapper as someone who hurt him.
“Travis Scott did not hurt me! It looks like he hurt me. I took a photo with Travis Scott at a studio event. I like Travis Scott and I like that he lent us his time and we had moments with him. He took a Cross Rhodes, most people just remember the slap.”
Rhodes also made it clear he’s standing firmly on Scott’s side when it comes to the story — even if some people weren’t thrilled about celebrities mixing it up in the ring: “I’m going to be on this side of history with it. I know it wasn’t everyone’s favorite thing.”
To put the moment into perspective, Rhodes broke down the hardest slaps he’s taken during his career — and Travis Scott didn’t even top the list. Rhodes said the second-hardest shot he ever took came from Hardcore Holly during a match in London.
“That is not the hardest I’ve ever been slapped. That’s number three. Number two is Bob Holly in London. I think someone told him to try and knock me out. But it didn’t because I had a decent jaw.”
The number one spot, however, belongs to someone fans might not expect. Rhodes revealed that Nattie Neidhart delivered the stiffest slap he’s ever taken inside a wrestling ring.
“The number one is Nattie Neidhart. She hit me and it felt like an MLB batter swinging a bat and I walked into it. So Nattie’s number one, Hardcore’s number two, and Travis number three.”
Rhodes also clarified another part of the Travis Scott incident — the black eye and ear injury people saw after the segment. According to him, that damage wasn’t caused by Scott alone. Rhodes added that injuries tend to linger on him longer than they do for most people, which likely made the situation look worse than it actually was.
“I’m going to say that John Cena and The Rock gave me the black eye, and Travis Scott was there as well. So all three of them gave me the black eye and the perforated eardrum. If I dot up here it’s going to run. Some people are quick healers. I’m a really yellow, gross healer where it takes forever. But it was not the worst slap I ever got.”
This comes several months after Cody Rhodes revealed that Scott tried to smooth things over afterwards in his own way. In a TikTok video posted January 17, 2026, Rhodes revealed he later discovered that the rapper secretly left him a pair of his sneakers in his gear bag after the incident.
“Remember Travis Scott? He slapped me in the ear. I didn’t even look in my bag—these were his shoes. I just had them forever. He secretly gave them to me after he slapped me in the ear, to make me feel better. Travis Scott—these were his shoes. He gave them to me because he blew my eardrums.”
Even with the incident still being a topic of discussion more than a year later, Rhodes is making it clear the moment isn’t something he holds against Scott — and in the bigger picture, it wasn’t even close to the hardest hit he’s taken.
What do you think about Cody Rhodes defending Travis Scott after the viral slap incident? Do you think the moment was blown out of proportion, or should WWE be more careful when celebrities get physical in the ring? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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