Just days before his Undisputed WWE Championship Street Fight against John Cena at SummerSlam, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes sat down for an extended, deeply personal interview on The Bill Simmons Podcast (watch below), revealing financial risks, career lows, and emotional triumphs that have defined his journey. From a torn pec inside Hell in a Cell to his shocking departure from AEW, Rhodes held nothing back.
Rhodes detailed the precarious financial position he found himself in after first leaving WWE in his early 30s. “I would always tell people, ‘Hey, I’m the one Rhodes who saved his money’… But that wasn’t entirely true,” he admitted. “We were going check to check.” After buying a home in Texas, Rhodes took a leap of faith that led to reinvention in NJPW, ROH, and eventually the creation of AEW.
Rhodes revealed the mental toll of getting injured just after returning to WWE in a main event role. “I was really ashamed… I felt like I’d blown it,” he said. Despite the pain, he insisted on wrestling Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell 2022. “So many lies went into making it so that I could get in that ring,” he recalled. “It hurt more than anything… it would cramp up into the collarbone, and when that happened, it was the worst.”
Rhodes finally opened up about his 2024 exit from AEW, the company he helped build. “Feeling disrespected at something I built with my friends… I wouldn’t stand for it,” he said. “It was one of those ‘F it’ moments… I did way more here than you think. And you’re gonna find out the moment I’m out the door.” His message was clear: “The greatest revenge on Earth is success.”
Cody shared that his first meeting with Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard after leaving AEW was not intended to secure a new deal, but to express gratitude. “I wanted to tell them both, thank you.” That meeting led to a second act in WWE that Rhodes says he’s incredibly grateful for.
He also praised his current bond with Triple H, noting that “he’s probably one of the top three most important people in my professional life,” and emphasized the significance of working closely with someone who had such a strong relationship with his late father, Dusty Rhodes.
In one of the podcast’s most surprising moments, Rhodes floated his personal theory about the Montreal Screwjob. “There’s a documentary crew backstage at a company that never allows that… my position, to me, is always the work within the work.” He cited growing up around Dusty Rhodes as giving him unique insight into layered storytelling.
Cody Rhodes now sets his sights on John Cena in a match that’s personal, violent, and historic. The two face off in a Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Night Two of SummerSlam, streaming live Saturday, August 3, exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and on the WWE Network internationally.
