WWE superstar Cody Rhodes has revealed why he never pursued MMA despite his training. The 41-year-old has been a massive star for WWE since his return to the promotion in 2022.
He has won the WWE Championship three times and has become a top attraction for the promotion. But is it possible that Rhodes could’ve had a career in the octagon instead of the square circle?
Thanks for the submission!
During an appearance on Double Coverage, it was brought up that Rhodes was a multi-time Georgia State Wrestling champion in high school. This led to the question whether the American Nightmare ever considered giving MMA a shot.
“At the time, you know, UFC was moving, but nothing like it is now in terms of the juggernaut it’s become. But it hadn’t fully, at the time I was in high school, hadn’t fully taken (off). So, I would go do Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and this is before there was Brazilian jiu-jitsu everywhere. And I was okay. I was okay,” he said.
Cody Rhodes talked about the difference between freestyle and folkstyle wrestling, saying he ultimately stopped at the right time.
Still, the former WWE Champion mentioned that he gave MMA a thought and brought it up with his wife, Brandi, who immediately shut it down.
“But I thought about it. I mentioned it one time to Brandi. I was like, ‘I wonder if I trained and could do it.’ And that was a rare time when she was, like, hard no. And I thought, man, she never really says no about my wacky ambitions, but maybe she just knew I’d get decimated or something. But that was a hard no,” he added.
Cody Rhodes warns Randy Orton ahead of WWE Crown Jewel
Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton will face each other in a Last Man Standing match at WWE Crown Jewel. This will be a rematch of their WWE Championship bout at WrestleMania 42.
The two stars renewed their rivalry at SummerSlam, as The Viper cost Rhodes the WWE Title against CM Punk.
This week on SmackDown, Rhodes came out to start the show and talked about his upcoming match against Orton. The American Nightmare said he wants to apologize to Orton’s wife and kids and promised that he will win the match after he deforms The Apex Predator’s face.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Double Coverage podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
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Edited by Sherjeel Malik
