Cody Rhodes knows his in-ring career won’t last forever, and while he’s not announcing retirement anytime soon, he doesn’t think it’s as far away as some fans might expect.
Speaking to WrestleTalk, Cody was asked what he learned from being a major part of John Cena’s farewell tour and whether there was anything he’d want to carry over into his own retirement when that day eventually comes.
Rather than brushing the question aside, Cody admitted he actually thinks his own retirement will probably happen “sooner than later.” He quickly clarified that he wasn’t teasing an announcement, but simply acknowledging how quickly time passes in wrestling.
“A lot. But I’ll say it probably will happen sooner than later. And I’m not giving you any type of spoiler. Time goes by. Time goes by like this.”
Cody then shared the personal milestone he’s using to determine when he’ll step away from the ring. Instead of setting a specific year, he revealed that he plans to retire by the time his daughter turns 11 because he doesn’t want to still be taking bumps for a living at that stage of her life.
“When my daughter is 11 years old, I’m not going to be falling down for a living anymore.”
Looking back at Cena’s farewell run, Cody said the biggest lesson he took away was the importance of finality. He admired how Cena made it clear that once he was done, he would truly be done, leaving fans with everything he had rather than trying to come back again later.
“And I think one of the things that I really enjoyed about how John did it is the finality he brought to it. ‘I have given you everything. This is all I have. Anything else wouldn’t be right.’ And when John says he will never wrestle again, he really means it. So that finality was beautiful.”
Cody also praised the way Cena used his retirement run to elevate both established stars and talent still trying to prove themselves. He said he’d like to take a similar approach, giving opportunities not only to obvious future main-eventers but also to wrestlers who simply deserve a chance to show what they can do.
“And then the other thing that he did, that AJ did, that Brock did, that continues to be done, is I hope that I’m not afraid to take a risk, to take a gamble. ‘Hey, he’s doing all right. Let’s do that one, and let’s do that one.’”
“The model he set was not only sure bets—which there never is—or guarantees, there never really is, but guys you could be pretty confident could take the torch, could carry the flame, but also a few in there that, ‘Let’s see.’”
“And that’s one of the most beautiful things about pro wrestling and sports entertainment, no matter where you are, is when you see somebody out there in their ‘let’s see’ moment. Can they go? Can they be the next face, the next person to lead us and bring us together, as wrestling is supposed to do?”
While retirement isn’t around the corner just yet, Cody has clearly given it plenty of thought. Between tying his timeline to his daughter’s age and wanting to leave the business the right way, it sounds like he’s already mapping out what the final chapter of his career could eventually look like.
What do you think about Cody Rhodes’ retirement plans? Do you like the idea of him stepping away while he’s still on top? Let us know your thoughts 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.
