WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has expressed that his second tenure with WWE has been more successful than his first. During a podcast conversation with country singer Jerry Roll, Rhodes credited WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio for giving him a pivotal career boost early on. Rhodes revealed that his WrestleMania 27 match happened largely because Mysterio advocated for it with higher-ups at WWE. Back in 2011, the two were involved in a feud that even saw Mysterio accidentally break Rhodes’ nose, which inadvertently helped reshape Rhodes’ wrestling persona to greater effect. Rhodes described a moment when Mysterio pulled him aside and said he was going to arrange for them to wrestle at WrestleMania, which ended up being a game-changing break for Rhodes.
In that WrestleMania bout, Rhodes defeated Mysterio. Years later, Rhodes left WWE in 2022 after co-founding AEW, but they shared the ring again during WrestleMania 38. Interestingly, they had also faced each other in a New Japan Pro Wrestling event in 2018. Rhodes expressed heartfelt gratitude towards Mysterio, calling the WrestleMania moment one of the most crucial of his career. At that point, Rhodes had been with WWE for only four years, and the experience helped catapult him to greater success, including a two-time WWE Championship reign that featured a win over John Cena at SummerSlam.
Fan Take: This story highlights the power of mentorship and seizing opportunities, which resonates deeply with WWE fans. Cody Rhodes’ journey reminds us that moments shaped by respect and support between wrestlers can redefine careers and inspire the evolution of professional wrestling itself.
