Cody Rhodes has shared more details about the scary bus fire he experienced during WrestleMania 40 weekend, including the only two things he grabbed before running out—and the hilarious WWE request that came just two days later.
Appearing on Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals, Rhodes recalled the incident outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. According to Cody, the fire started after an air-conditioning unit exploded, blowing a hole through the ceiling and sending flames into the bus. Despite the chaos, he knew exactly what he needed to save.
“I grabbed my boots because that’s what I need to do my job. Tights can be made really quick, but my wrestling boots cannot. And I grabbed a picture of my family.
And the funny part was, I probably had more time. I probably could have got a full bag packed, but it was popping and the fire was falling through the ceiling. It was like a hole in the ceiling from an AC unit that exploded. And I grabbed those, and I ran to Seth Rollins’ bus, and the fire department came. God bless the Philly Fire Department.”
Fortunately, nobody was hurt, and Cody eventually moved into another bus. But the story didn’t end there. Just two days later, WWE still had a sponsorship commitment that required footage of Cody walking out of his tour bus. Instead of scrapping the shoot, they simply had him use the same bus that had just burned.
“And I think what was funny about that, and I don’t know if anyone ever realized this, I got all my things off the bus and things I cared about, of course, but two days later they had a sponsored shot.
“So I was on a different bus at that point. I walked out of my burnt, hollowed-out bus as if it hadn’t burnt down and we hadn’t talked about it in the media the last two days, just so they could get that sponsored shot.”
“We, WWE, we overdeliver. If you’re coming on board for us, we will make sure we give you what you need. And yeah, but those are the two things I got: boots and a pic of the fam.”
It’s a pretty wild story, but it also sums up Cody’s priorities in the moment. His wrestling boots and a family photo were the first things he thought to save, and now he’s already joking about walking out of a burned-out bus to make sure WWE fulfilled a sponsorship obligation.
What do you think of Cody Rhodes’ story from WrestleMania 40 weekend? 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.
