Sports Illustrated spoke with Cody Rhodes about his memorable steel cage match against Wardlow, his dangerous moonsault off the top of the cage (which left him injured), and AEW’s new line of action figures.
Check out highlights below:
Reflecting on the steel cage match:
That’s what I bring. Matt and Nick [Jackson] introduced a new style of tag team psychology. Kenny Omega provides an absolutely different way of doing wrestling that is really important to the evolution of wrestling. Hangman is a big run-and-gun heavyweight. My strength is plugging into the wrestling I grew up on, from the late ’80s to the early ’90s and even farther back. That style was a little bit more disciplined, a little bit more deliberate, and I complement those guys by doing that.
On the backstage reaction to the moonsault:
I thought about it all day. Tony Khan was adamant that I didn’t do it. I’ve never seen a boss like him and how he leads, and the way he cares about his investments. Too many people were trying to talk me out of it. Typically, I’m by the ‘Go position’ during our show, but I stayed away.
What AEW getting action figures means to him:
This is another one of those ‘They’re real’ moments for us. I really like those ‘They’re real’ moments. I don’t like them as a way to rub it in people’s faces who disbelieved. I think it helps people who believe.
