WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has addressed the influence of social media on professional wrestling, dismissing a report that he once suggested losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre.
During an interview with Zach Hirsch of Double Coverage, Rhodes discussed the criticism WWE receives online and explained why he believes some conversations on social media do not accurately reflect the experiences of fans attending live events.
Rhodes emphasised that he respects fans’ right to express negative opinions, even when those opinions are directed at him personally. However, he believes there is an important distinction between genuine criticism and unverified backstage stories presented as fact. “I’m sure it’ll be misunderstood, but I went on this whole kick of trying to explain that there are certain things you never want to say. You never want to say, ‘Well, that’s not real.’ You never want to say, ‘Oh, that’s a small percentage,’ because I don’t want to dismiss a fan and their opinion. If they hate you, they hate you. If they think you’re fat, they think you’re fat. If they think you suck, they think you suck. There’s no wrong way to be a fan.”
Rhodes went on to argue that certain discussions, particularly those taking place on X, can create a distorted perception of WWE and its performers. He also questioned the reliability of some online reports concerning backstage developments. “But what I can say is the conversations that take place on, say, X specifically, they only take place there. If you could just take that one step back, get out of your bubble and look at the product, none of this is real. You don’t know any of these guys personally. They’re a business that needs content on a daily basis. These stories are wildly made up.”
As an example, Rhodes referenced a previous report claiming that he had pitched the idea of losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre.
Rhodes strongly rejected the suggestion, arguing that championship reigns are too important to a wrestler’s career for a performer to voluntarily propose giving up a title. “Here’s how I knew it had gotten crazy. There was a story that I had pitched to lose the title [to Drew McIntyre], and now I saw somebody referencing this. It was like eight months ago. They were saying, ‘Well, don’t forget when he pitched it.’ If you ever hear a story of a wrestler pitching to lose the title, you should know right out of the gate they’re lying. There’s a difference between an old man figuring out who his last opponent is, but no wrestler has ever said, ‘Yeah, I want to lose the title.’ My gosh, that’s the meal ticket. You never want somebody to take it from you. Don’t pitch it.”
Rhodes expressed particular frustration that the claim continued circulating months later, with some fans referencing it as though it had been established as fact. “I saw that being talked about as if it was actual evidence, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I wish you knew.’ You know, I wish you guys knew that these conversations are just here. They’re just here. Come to a show. Come to a show, and you will see.”
The former Undisputed WWE Champion concluded by encouraging fans to attend live events and experience the atmosphere firsthand, suggesting that the reaction inside arenas often differs from the negativity found in online discussions. “Oh, people are having a great time. They love all of it.”
Rhodes’ comments underline his concerns about unverified wrestling reports gaining credibility through repeated discussion on social media. While he maintained that fans are entitled to their opinions, he made it clear that he believes speculation about backstage decisions should not automatically be treated as fact.
