Black Widow
04-16-2008, 05:42 PM
Cody Rhodes is one of the freshest faces on the Raw roster but has a much longer history in wrestling than his few months in the WWE this year. Son of Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and brother of former WWE Superstar Goldust, the 22-year-old has spent many years of his life in and around the wrestling business.
WWE returned to the UK this month for their Survivor Series tour and while in Birmingham, Cody Rhodes held a press conference to field questions from the European media including skysports.com's Richard Parr
What's the excitement like when you prepare for a tour to the UK?
RHODES:I'm very new to the system but I grew up watching professional wrestling so there are so many instances which I remember such as Summerslam at Wembley stadium in front of 70,000 fans. So when I was preparing for this tour I was thinking how cool it must be to perform in front of those fans, and the sons and daughters of those fans.
World Wrestling Entertainment is not just America's biggest wrestling promotion, it is the world's, and it should do more international things like we are doing now.
How exactly do the WWE prepare you for a tour like this?
RHODES:They just give you a lot of papers. And then more papers but it's all the same paper though telling you what times and days you are leaving. It's very confusing but I try and keep one piece rather than a stack.
In terms of other wrestlers and performers they prepare you in a different way. I must have gone around and asked a lot of the veteran guys what the crowds were like. The majority of them were really excited in coming over because they don't see live wrestling as often as they see televised wrestling so they enjoy the smallest things sometimes.
How long have you been in the WWE?
RHODES:I've been in the WWE for two years. But the first WWE ring I entered in I was three years old. My Dad put my feet on the ground, he never wanted me to wrestle, and showed me that the ground was hard and then he picked me up and took me out.
So your Dad didn't want you to wrestle?
RHODES:My Dad never deterred me from wrestling but he never pushed me to do it. It had to be something that I said. In the past second and third generation wrestlers were shoved too hard into something they didn't want to do but I wasn't. I was sold early on and he knew that but he let it be my decision not his.
It has been a tough year for the WWE. How has the locker-room coped with this?
RHODES:With what happened with the Benoit family it was such a tragedy but in terms of having to still have to get up and work, I think people just wanted to work harder. Pro-wrestling fans aren't going away. I watch a lot of news in the States and wonder why they keep punching on and make jokes about professional wrestling but the truth is no news media in the world is going to sway pro wrestling fans from going away. It's been around long enough. I'm an optimist, and as hard as it's been, I never see pro-wrestling going away because at the heart of it, what it is for is to make people smile. So when a negative light is cast upon it is just a shame.
At the moment you have an entertaining programme with Bob Holly. What are your current short term goals?
RHODES:When I think of where I'd like to go it's a long term thing. I'm so happy to be able to go to work with my Dad and even if he wasn't with this company I am so glad to be a Rhodes in this company wrestling. It feels like what I should be doing and thankfully what I want to be doing. I'm not sweating it. I don't think I need to do this by this time because I honestly think in ten years from now I'm going to still be in this company.
Goal wise: the coolest I think with my Dad was when I finally I told him there is nothing in my life I would rather do. And I didn't even tell him I wanted to be a wrestler. I just told him that. He started crying and there was a big dramatic scene. We were at some barbecue restaurant in our home town and then neither of us said a word for 20 minutes and as we were driving home he said, "well if you are going to do it you are going to do it to be the best". So in terms of goals there is no spot I want to be in than the top spot.
What are your brother's thoughts on you becoming a wrestler?
RHODES:It's great because it has bought me and him even closer together. We're from different mothers and there is a big age gap but he can watch my matches and call me. If I see anything with him I can call him. It's nice because we didn't get as much opportunity to bond growing up but now he is there to criticise my matches and give me reinforcement, negative and positive, as to what I can do to get better and what I can do to make the fans happier.
Would you like him to return to the WWE?
RHODES: Yes. Without a doubt. There is something left here for him. I don't know what and I don't know how but I'd love to be involved
Sky Sports.com
WWE returned to the UK this month for their Survivor Series tour and while in Birmingham, Cody Rhodes held a press conference to field questions from the European media including skysports.com's Richard Parr
What's the excitement like when you prepare for a tour to the UK?
RHODES:I'm very new to the system but I grew up watching professional wrestling so there are so many instances which I remember such as Summerslam at Wembley stadium in front of 70,000 fans. So when I was preparing for this tour I was thinking how cool it must be to perform in front of those fans, and the sons and daughters of those fans.
World Wrestling Entertainment is not just America's biggest wrestling promotion, it is the world's, and it should do more international things like we are doing now.
How exactly do the WWE prepare you for a tour like this?
RHODES:They just give you a lot of papers. And then more papers but it's all the same paper though telling you what times and days you are leaving. It's very confusing but I try and keep one piece rather than a stack.
In terms of other wrestlers and performers they prepare you in a different way. I must have gone around and asked a lot of the veteran guys what the crowds were like. The majority of them were really excited in coming over because they don't see live wrestling as often as they see televised wrestling so they enjoy the smallest things sometimes.
How long have you been in the WWE?
RHODES:I've been in the WWE for two years. But the first WWE ring I entered in I was three years old. My Dad put my feet on the ground, he never wanted me to wrestle, and showed me that the ground was hard and then he picked me up and took me out.
So your Dad didn't want you to wrestle?
RHODES:My Dad never deterred me from wrestling but he never pushed me to do it. It had to be something that I said. In the past second and third generation wrestlers were shoved too hard into something they didn't want to do but I wasn't. I was sold early on and he knew that but he let it be my decision not his.
It has been a tough year for the WWE. How has the locker-room coped with this?
RHODES:With what happened with the Benoit family it was such a tragedy but in terms of having to still have to get up and work, I think people just wanted to work harder. Pro-wrestling fans aren't going away. I watch a lot of news in the States and wonder why they keep punching on and make jokes about professional wrestling but the truth is no news media in the world is going to sway pro wrestling fans from going away. It's been around long enough. I'm an optimist, and as hard as it's been, I never see pro-wrestling going away because at the heart of it, what it is for is to make people smile. So when a negative light is cast upon it is just a shame.
At the moment you have an entertaining programme with Bob Holly. What are your current short term goals?
RHODES:When I think of where I'd like to go it's a long term thing. I'm so happy to be able to go to work with my Dad and even if he wasn't with this company I am so glad to be a Rhodes in this company wrestling. It feels like what I should be doing and thankfully what I want to be doing. I'm not sweating it. I don't think I need to do this by this time because I honestly think in ten years from now I'm going to still be in this company.
Goal wise: the coolest I think with my Dad was when I finally I told him there is nothing in my life I would rather do. And I didn't even tell him I wanted to be a wrestler. I just told him that. He started crying and there was a big dramatic scene. We were at some barbecue restaurant in our home town and then neither of us said a word for 20 minutes and as we were driving home he said, "well if you are going to do it you are going to do it to be the best". So in terms of goals there is no spot I want to be in than the top spot.
What are your brother's thoughts on you becoming a wrestler?
RHODES:It's great because it has bought me and him even closer together. We're from different mothers and there is a big age gap but he can watch my matches and call me. If I see anything with him I can call him. It's nice because we didn't get as much opportunity to bond growing up but now he is there to criticise my matches and give me reinforcement, negative and positive, as to what I can do to get better and what I can do to make the fans happier.
Would you like him to return to the WWE?
RHODES: Yes. Without a doubt. There is something left here for him. I don't know what and I don't know how but I'd love to be involved
Sky Sports.com