Cody Rhodes has revealed that he found himself apologizing to Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green following comments made by Kevin Owens during an earlier episode of his What Do You Want To Talk About? podcast.
The situation dates back to June 2025, when Owens appeared on Rhodes’ podcast and the conversation turned to Cardona, who had not yet returned to WWE at the time.
During the discussion, Owens jokingly questioned Cardona’s self-proclaimed “King of the Indies” status, poking fun at the fact that Cardona frequently expressed interest in returning to WWE despite building his reputation on the independent wrestling scene.
Cardona eventually returned to WWE in December 2025, and when he later appeared on Rhodes’ podcast, he made sure to revisit the conversation. The former WWE Superstar playfully confronted Rhodes about Owens’ remarks and questioned why “The American Nightmare” had not defended him during the exchange.
The subject resurfaced during the latest episode of What Do You Want To Talk About?, which featured Cardona’s wife, Chelsea Green.
While discussing previous podcast recordings that had never been released, Rhodes revealed that he had recorded conversations with several WWE personalities, including Alexa Bliss, Big E, and Green herself.
Rhodes mentioned that his interview with Big E had been recorded shortly after the episode featuring Owens, prompting Green to immediately recall the conversation that had caused some playful tension. “I remember the Kevin Owens one,” Green said.
Rhodes acknowledged that Green had good reason to remember the episode, revealing that he had personally apologized to both her and Cardona over Owens’ comments. “Of course you do,” Rhodes responded. “Because I had to apologize to you and Matt over the Kevin one. Matt brought it forward when he came on the podcast.”
Despite the apparent fallout, the exchange between Rhodes and Green remained lighthearted, with both treating the situation as an ongoing joke rather than a serious disagreement.
Cardona has frequently embraced his “King of the Indies” persona throughout his career outside WWE, using the nickname to highlight his success across independent promotions following his original departure from the company in 2020.
His eventual WWE return added another layer of humor to Owens’ original comments, particularly given how openly Cardona had discussed his desire to return to the promotion.
For Rhodes, the situation serves as a reminder that even casual conversations between friends on a wrestling podcast can come back to haunt the host, especially when the subject eventually gets an opportunity to respond.
