Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet to discuss a wide range of topics, including life after ‘finishing his story’ at WrestleMania 40, what The Rock gave him the following night on WWE Raw, if he’s ever tempted to return to the dark side and portray a villain character, his time in AEW and more. Here are the highlights:

His Time With AEW

CVV: Through all of this over the last few years, you’ve never said anything bad about AEW and you’ve never said anything bad about your time in AEW.”

Cody: “Yeah. You want to change it? Say something bad?”

CVV: “Well, you know, why have you taken the high road?”

Cody: “Yeah, I don’t know if I consider it the high road, but maybe it is. How could I not, right?”

The American Nightmare was a driving force behind the genesis of All Elite Wrestling. His abrupt departure from AEW and WWE return have completely altered the landscape of the industry. Rhodes obviously left AEW because he felt it was no longer the right place for him and where he wanted to take his career, but you still won’t hear him taking any pot shots at his former home.

“How AEW ended was terrible, really, and people are going to write books later on, and these stories are going to get out there, and then it’s going to be a whole new ballgame. But the actual experience and everything we did, I mean..

You ever seen the end of The Dark Knight? I think that’s, again, it’s super convoluted and I’m not comparing myself to Batman, but there’s a piece of it that’s really important. To certain fans from the AEW fandom, they need the story to be, they didn’t want me, they pushed me out. They need, he was bad. “They need that story.. They need me to be the villain. I was always fine with accepting that because of the respect I have for it in the first place.”

Nothing But Love for AEW

Breakups can be extremely painful, but Rhodes has thankfully arrived at a place of acceptance and gratitude regarding his time with AEW. He was “all in” while he was there, and at this stage of his life, he can look back and say that All Elite Wrestling was a chapter in his story and he’s content with that.

“So regardless of any petty squabbles, I will always have a love for [AEW]. I got to wrestle Brodie Lee’s final match. I got to lead people, young people behind the scenes. I’ll always have a love for it. So the idea that I’m sure there’s some negative stuff, like, oh, this sucked or what, but I just don’t, I just remember it lovingly.

WWE Was The End Game

Rhodes likens his time with AEW to Hulk Hogan’s run in the AWA (1981-1983). Hulkamania was popularized in the World Wrestling Federation, but it was born in the American Wrestling Association.

“I also knew I was leaving. I knew it was a season. I knew this isn’t going to last, and there’s something greater for me out there. I know that might sound negative to people, but it’s not. I think [the Undisputed WWE Championship] is the biggest prize in the wrestling game. If you put on boots, that’s the one, and I just wanted to go get it.

“I had nothing but respect for my time there. I got to sharpen my skills. You know, like Hulkamania and the AWA, right before it came to WWE, it’s the same, like the energy was there. The renaissance was happening. It was all there and I just have love.”

The night he won the WWE Championship:

CVV: “What happened that night after you won that?”

Cody: “I didn’t sleep.”

Cody Rhodes’ emotions were understandably running high the night he fulfilled his destiny and won the WWE Championship to honor his father’s legacy. Rhodes says he laid on a bed and texted a bunch of people, including The Undertaker. As he laid there taking it all in, he couldn’t help but wonder, ‘what next?’

“I thought, I was almost worried there’d be the sense of completion, the sense of fullness. I was genuinely concerned like, well, story’s over. But as soon as it was done, it felt like, oh, like literally felt 10 feet tall, felt bulletproof, felt younger, felt faster, like just didn’t feel grizzled at all to the point where I thought, oh, this is gonna be a lot of fun, but what do we do next?”

– Cody Rhodes

Unfamiliar Territory

Cody Rhodes firmly established winning the WWE Championship as his ‘top of the mountain’ and the final chapter of his ‘story.’ However, as Triple H has said, WWE’s story never ends. Cody doesn’t get the ride off into the sunset with the title over his shoulder. The hunter has become the hunted. The brash hero is now the targeted of other challengers hoping to step over him to finish their own stories.

Rhodes has enjoyed tearing it up with the likes of AJ Styles and Logan Paul in sold-out venues across the world, but he’s still getting used to playing ‘defense.’

“Well, I mean, so I think it’s an adjustment right now for going from finishing the story to these big marquee title matches. I was particularly happy with AJ, the match with AJ in France and the match with Logan in Saudi, just because I really wanted to set a different standard for title matches, the actual matches.

But then again, there’s also Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw with the stories and the fun.I was always in the thick of it. So we’re kind of adjusting to now everyone’s coming for you. You’re not chasing, you’re not cutting these passionate interviews and promos about what you want. You’re on the defensive. And that’s very new for me.”