The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is not going to let anyone rewrite his story, and he has made it his mission to keep the receipts.
On his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, an emotional Rhodes explained that watching people twist his father Dusty Rhodes’ legacy is exactly why he documents everything he does.
The American Nightmare pointed to an old video of manager Gary Hart talking about Dusty as the moment that crystallized his thinking. Rhodes said he sends it to people every now and then, even if they do not always understand why it matters so much to him.
There’s something that there’s a video, it’s out there. I send it to people every now and then. It’s a Gary Hart of all people, manager Gary Hart, and he’s talking about Dusty. And this video is so important to me and people don’t understand why when I send it to them,” Rhodes said.
The Gary Hart Story That Stuck With Cody
Rhodes recalled Hart describing Jim Crockett Promotions as a wasteland before Dusty arrived. Once business picked up, Rhodes said, the boys started living a different life.
He’s talking about Crockett and how it was a wasteland when Dusty got there. And the next thing you know, guys went from driving, you know, Hondas with matching rims that weren’t matching. They’re lined up at the Mercedes. The next thing you know, they’ve traded in their duffels for Louis Vuittons,” Rhodes said.
The turn, according to Rhodes, came when things went bad and the same people who profited needed someone to blame.
And then all that wealth and prosperity, and when it got bad, the same guy they blame for being good, it’s now his fault. And he specifically said the words no loyalty,” Rhodes said.
Why Cody Documents Everything
That lesson shaped how Rhodes approaches his own career. He said the urge to record everything comes directly from seeing his father’s story get reshaped after the fact.
There’s this bond over it, but it’s also created in me. Maybe it is actually a little bit of the negativity, but it’s created in me. It’s why I try to document everything because I’m not having any motherf**** rewrite my story,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said he has heard people speak about moments they were not present for, and he refuses to take the fall the way Dusty once did.
And when I hear about s*** like y’all weren’t there, I was there. If you need me to be the scapegoat for your bulls***, go ahead. But like you won’t do that to me in the same way you did it to him and he didn’t have the luxury,” Rhodes said.
For Rhodes, the podcast itself is part of the insurance policy. He noted that in the current information age, the receipts exist whether people want them to or not.
One of the reasons I love this podcast, I tell people I don’t, but one of the reasons I love it because it’s out there. I can put this out there. You heard it, you know,” Rhodes said.
The candid commentary fits a pattern for Rhodes, who has repeatedly pushed back on narratives told about him in public. Rhodes is currently the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, having won the title on March 6, 2026.