In the world of pro wrestling, competition is cutthroat. And sometimes, the competition goes beyond kayfabe. Cody Rhodes’ success upon his return saw him garner some heat from his co-wrestlers. So much so that it almost caused a slugfest backstage. The American Nightmare made his triumphant return at WrestleMania 38. Although he had only three outings in 2022, he emerged victorious in all three matches against his on-screen rival, Seth Rollins. During a recent interview, Rhodes revealed he almost went to blows with The Visionary backstage.
Rhodes is slated to face Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship this weekend. Although the fans think that his success was long-overdue, talents backstage may harbor a different opinion. Nonetheless, nobody can deny that Rhodes has earned the opportunities he’s being afforded at this juncture in his career.
Cody Rhodes says he almost went to blows with Seth Rollins backstage
While speaking on the Dan LeBatard Show, The Royal Rumble Winner confirmed that he and Seth Rollins are not exactly friends in real life. Rhodes explained how intense the competition is backstage.
Everybody wants to get to the summit of the mountain. According to Rhodes, he and Roman Reigns headlining WrestleMania did not sit well with people backstage.
The American Nightmare then revealed that he almost had a fistfight with Seth Rollins backstage in front of his peers and the upper management. Thankfully, the situation was brought under control and the duo did not slug it out.
However, Rhodes did confirm that the two men cannot stand each other. Rhodes also added that he would try to “rip his eyes out” if they ever fight for real.
This year, being Roman Reigns and myself, it doesn’t garner a lot of friends. Seth Rollins is the closest I’ve ever had to backstage turning into a fistfight in front of all of our peers and upper management. It didn’t happen. Him and I absolutely can’t stand one another, I’d probably try and rip his eyes out,” said Cody.
Cody Rhodes recalls a backstage skirmish from his early days in wrestling
Speaking further about backstage brawls, the former AEW TNT Champion recalled an incident from the early days of his career. Rhodes refused to reveal the identity he fought with backstage. According to him, the person donned Rhodes’ leather vest started “mocking” him at the talent-viewing position.
“I got an over-under and swept him to the floor. Then I took my jacket and I looked like a complete jerk in front of everybody because he was probably just having a good time and it was probably funny.”
Rhodes stated that he had the inclination to deliver a headbutt at first. However, he used his “folkstyle Greco background” to take the person down and retrieve his vest. In hindsight, he admits that he ended up looking like a “jerk”, as it was all in good humor.
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