Cody Rhodes says having his mom in his corner for his WrestleMania 40 victory was the ultimate highlight for him.
The Undisputed WWE Champion appeared on the most recent episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He was there to promote his upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event match against Kevin Owens. Rhodes discussed things such as the new WWE management, being the quarterback of the company, and more.
Fallon brought up a picture of Cody celebrating his WrestleMania victory with his mother and asked him about the significance of the moment. The American Nightmare recounted the story of his dad Dusty Rhodes briefly holding the belt in 1978 and said that he was blessed to share the win with his mother:
“Oh, my gosh, you got me. This title, long ago, 1978, just down the road, Madison Square Garden. My dad came up here and he wrestled “Superstar” Billy Graham. He won the match, but because of the nature of pro wrestling, sports entertainment, it was a count-out. He didn’t get to leave with this.
So at eight years old, you know, not totally understanding the suspension of disbelief in terms of what we do, what is, what isn’t, I just wanted it. It took me quite some time.
By the time I got it…I mean, here she is. She’s this lovely, but I would say mean little Cuban lady. Who’s very, who’s rather….couldn’t ask for a better mom, but not easily impressed. So this was the ultimate highlight for me. She raised a wrestler. She was married to a wrestler. She doesn’t have boots and tights, but she’s a wrestler herself. I was blessed that I could share that with her.”
This Is It: Cody Rhodes
When asked about remembering all these details as an 8-year-old, Cody Rhodes revealed that Dusty had the picture of him holding the title framed in his house. This is how the former AEW star knew that the championship meant a lot to his father:
“They had a picture frame. That’s how I knew it meant something to my dad, because he had done so many things. They had a picture frame with him holding it.
I remember asking him, like, ‘I didn’t know you were a WWE champion?’ And he explained to me that he didn’t leave with the title that night. That was the big, eight years old, ‘This is it. That’s my goal. That’s it.’ And it just took me a while, you know? Slow learner.”
