Cody Rhodes Discusses ‘Outside Forces’ Being Nothing New For His Fans During WrestleMania Season
Cody Rhodes says ‘outside forces’ are nothing new for him around WWE WrestleMania.
When Pat McAfee aligned with Randy Orton on the April 3 SmackDown, fans of Cody Rhodes were quick to realise the inclusion of the former commentator was the second year in a row a celebrity has aided his WrestleMania opponent in turning heel against him. On top of that, in 2024, ‘The American Nightmare’ had to deal with The Rock factoring into plans for WrestleMania 40, meaning Rhodes hasn’t been afforded a straightforward path to the ‘Show Of Shows’ for three years. Now, the star has reflected on the influence of ‘outside forces’ around WWE’s biggest show.
Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Rhodes reflected on ‘outside forces’ on the road to WrestleMania.
“So, outside forces. You could look at this year and say, ‘Hey, here’s Pat McAfee.’ You could look at the year before and say, ‘Here’s Travis Scott.’ You could look at the year before and say, ‘Here’s The Rock.’ If you are a Cody Rhodes fan during WrestleMania season, it’s a choice. We deal with outside forces. We deal with, ‘Hey, they want to be part.’ We’re about it and I can say this, it’s a spot I always wanted. If you’re gonna be in the big moments, you have to be ready for the big jobs. Pat being part of ESPN and the fact that WWE WrestleMania is on ESPN for the first time ever, it’s actually a natural fit. Does it fit in a 20 year wrestler, student, teacher, mentor, all of that? No, but Pat sure thinks it does and now Pat has the title, so we can tell that story another time. That story has also already been told. Let’s figure out how this unfolds.”
-Cody Rhodes
As Rhodes alluded to, a huge source of fan frustration centred around the feeling that a storyline between ‘The Viper’ and ‘The American Nightmare’ didn’t need any additions given the history that exists between both men. Many were hoping the pair would play off of their time together in Legacy, and how Orton is a legitimate mentor to the now WWE Champion.
Plus, not only were viewers unhappy, but some of WWE’s talent themselves have since come out publicly and spoken against Pat McAfee working with Randy Orton. Recently, it was revealed that the company have no restrictions on their wrestler voicing their opinions on the storyline. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Cody Rhodes as soon as we hear more.
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