Cody Rhodes has officially caught the Hollywood bug, and he’s not planning to stop with Street Fighter. The WWE Superstar wants more movie roles, but anyone thinking he’s getting ready to walk away from wrestling can forget about it.
During an October 23 appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Rhodes opened up about his growing acting career following his role as Guile in Street Fighter and his appearance in The Naked Gun. When asked whether his recent Hollywood experiences had convinced him to pursue more acting opportunities, Rhodes made it clear that he’s interested. However, WWE isn’t going anywhere.
“Hard have the bug. Hard, hard have the bug, but also I think it’s probably important to say wrestling is my whole life.”
Rhodes isn’t treating wrestling as something he’ll eventually leave behind once Hollywood comes calling. Despite his growing interest in acting, he sees WWE remaining a major part of his career.
“It is the day job, right? I don’t think it would ever not be.”
That doesn’t mean Rhodes plans to turn down future movie opportunities. When asked whether continuing to work in Hollywood was part of his career trajectory, he confirmed that’s exactly what he wants. He also acknowledged that becoming a better actor means getting more experience in front of the camera.
“It’s definitely, it’s my plan. Hopefully it goes according to plan. You know, I don’t, it’s one of those things where if I don’t flex that muscle, if I don’t get reps at it, I’m not going to get any good at this whole thing.”
Rhodes also knows he isn’t the first WWE Superstar to make the jump into Hollywood. He specifically credited Dave Bautista, John Cena, and The Rock for opening doors that weren’t always available to professional wrestlers. Thanks to their success, Rhodes believes actors with wrestling backgrounds are getting a much different reception when pursuing film roles.
“And action, and that’s a ton of fun, and comedy, that’s an easy place for me to plug into. But because of Dave Batista, John Cena, of course, and The Rock, they’ve made it so that we can walk into a lot of these rooms and they know we have something to offer.”
The biggest difference now is that Rhodes doesn’t believe he has to choose between WWE and Hollywood. He pointed out that the wrestling business has changed, allowing stars to take on outside projects without having to abandon their careers in the ring.
“It’s definitely going to work in a sense of with wrestling. It’s not like it used to be where, hey, you can only pick one or the other.”
Rhodes has already experienced that flexibility firsthand. During the same interview, he credited Triple H and Nick Khan for making it easier to work on Street Fighter while remaining an active WWE Superstar. Instead of creating an elaborate injury angle to explain his absence, WWE simply allowed him to film the movie and return when he was finished.
For now, Rhodes appears determined to have the best of both worlds. He’s already sharing the screen with major Hollywood names, and he’s making it clear that more acting opportunities are part of his plans. The difference is that he isn’t looking at movies as an exit strategy from WWE. He wants to keep doing both, and with Street Fighter now under his belt, he’s looking for his next opportunity.
Do you think Cody Rhodes can build a successful Hollywood career while remaining one of WWE’s biggest stars, or will acting eventually become his main focus? Let us know what you think 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.
