Cody speaks on a number of topics.
The former ROH World Champion Cody has seemingly become one of the more hated "heels" in the sport of professional wrestling. His drive to want to take Ring Of Honor to new heights has been reiterated on numerous platforms. While speaking with Jay Reddick of the Orlando Sentinel Cody gave his take on wanting to take his brand and Ring Of Honor to the next level.
“Last year I worked a Ring Of Honor show with maybe 11 or 1,200 people, but I just felt like it could be so much more,” Rhodes said. “It was a party environment, a crowd that didn’t want to leave the experience and I thought if we could bottle this, we could absolutely put this in an arena. I found out Matt and Nick wanted it at the same time so we figured we’ve accrued all these funds doing what we love; why not do something good for the entire industry? It’s a little scary, but hey, if it doesn’t scare you, it’s not an adventure.”
Two other superstars that Cody mentioned who are looking to take Ring Of Honor to new heights are the former 3-time ROH World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks. Cody shared that joining the 'Bullet Club' and aligning himself with Matt & Nick Jackson has turned into something that he dubbed as "lighting in a bottle".
“Wrestling is a friendless job,” he said. “You have acquaintances, you have colleagues, but you’re still competitors for the same spots, so it’s rare. We’ve really caught lightning in a bottle and it endures despite the fact we have very different opinions about wrestling. Nick Jackson doesn’t like any match that doesn’t include a dive. But I watch him now, and he’s like a modern-day Robert Gibson. When he [makes] his comeback it’s the hottest 15 seconds to 2 minutes of any Ring Of Honor show. I’ll put that up against anybody.”
"The American Nightmare's" cockiness shows whether he is performing in NJPW or ROH. Cody considers himself to be a perfectionist and he learned to become one during his time as a WWE superstar.
“When I left WWE I was a perfectionist in everything I did — camera shots, every element of my match. Ring Of Honor breeds perfectionists. It has such a reputation for the ‘sports’ part of sports entertainment. A guy like Jay Lethal, a Ring Of Honor lifer, he could wrestle a broom and still have a standout match. But I found that for me, perfectionism can hinder more than help. With an opponent, the referee, the crowd, there’s only so much you can control. Some of the best guys now aren’t making perfect buildings, they’re making masterpieces. They believe it’s better to be an artist than a perfectionist. Kenny Omega is an artist, that’s what separates him from everyone else.”
The former two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion also spoke on what he's learned from his Hall Of Fame father Dusty Rhodes, along with more. To read the full interview with Cody, click here.
