Triple H wanted everyone to see what Cody Rhodes said once the cameras stopped.
Rhodes sat down with Michael Cole on Friday’s SmackDown for his first appearance since losing to Randy Orton at Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6 in Atlanta. That match turned ugly, and Rhodes had Orton set up for a Punt Kick before pulling out of it. Orton played possum, low-blowed both Rhodes and the referee, and hit the RKO for the win. The hesitation pushed the heel turn conversation into overdrive.
On camera, Rhodes mostly held the line. He told Cole he was not interested in changing who he is to satisfy the speculation, and pointed to what being himself had already earned him.
I knew who I was and I was uncompromised. And uncompromised got me back-to-back Royal Rumble wins.
He did leave a crack in it. Asked what happens the next time the two meet, Rhodes said the situation would come up again and that he would not make the same decision he made at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Cole noticed something anyway, remarking on air about the gap between what people say on camera and what they say off it.
Triple H filled in the blank. He posted unseen footage from after the interview wrapped, captioned with a line about needing to keep the camera rolling to get at the truth. In the clip, Rhodes shakes Cole’s hand, leans in and tells him that the next time Orton gets in his way, he is kicking his head off.
Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 and beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL for the WWE Title. He has since held the title multiple times. He has spent the stretch since holding off the darker version of himself. Between what he told Cole on air and what Triple H chose to share, that position is getting harder to sell.
