Cody Rhodes recently appeared on “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” for an interview covering all things pro wrestling. During the discussion, Rhodes talked about Ricky Starks being shown with him at Royal Rumble.
“Well I’ll take full blunt, my fault. It was a friend coming to see me in a very big, truly emotional moment. To lose your confidence as an athlete, as a fighter, or an entertainer, whatever it is, to get back up off the mat and not just get back up, you’ve got to be at the level you were, I like having people in my circle around me. But I also think that will be the only time anyone from another company is ever present because it creates a conversation that is not accurate. He wanted to be there and support. He should have stayed his butt on the bus, but he did not, and because of that, no friends at work anymore. I’ll make some new friends at WWE so that there’s not random surveillance photos of them and I walking backstage.”
Regarding how the fan base supported Sami Zayn despite plans for Cody Rhodes to challenge for the WWE Title, he said:
“I looked at it as a challenge, is probably the best way to look at it, and not a negative challenge. Sami is doing amazing things. You didn’t just buy yourself some future spot. You’ve got to get back in there and show people exactly what you can do. What a great problem to have when you have two very strong characters. One of the worst things we can do as a community is trying to turn the characters against one another. Sami got his shot in Montreal, in his hometown, and came as close as anyone. Drew may be very similar in terms of being close. Sami and I have a real genuine relationship. I thought, ‘Well, if they love him, and I’m been so lucky that they love me in this moment too, I better make sure I give them the absolute best, and again, leave no doubt.’ I never once looked at it as a problem. I looked at it as a challenge and for WWE as a whole, a great problem to have.”
“Every show is a little more telling, but Brooklyn, in the Barclays Center, that filled me with confidence as far as their belief in what he’s doing and their belief in what I’m doing. There are stories to be finished here for both sides and the worst thing you can do is turn those against each other. As we stood there I thought, ‘Well, I’d love to wrestle this guy.’ I would love to wrestle this guy because you know, Sami wasn’t sweating me when I was Stardust, and rightfully so. He didn’t need too. He was coming up from NXT and on a roll. It’s a different person now. So very much it’s a match that I look forward to when and if it ever happens with somebody like a Sami Zayn. He’s a next level performer and he’s even more of an elite next level human being.”
You can check out the complete interview below:
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
