RECAP AND REVIEW: E&C Pod of Awesomeness with Cody Rhodes on the success of All In ticket sales, the wrestler he owes everything to, who he was jealous of, the advice Paul Heyman gave him, his favorite WWE opponent

Daniel Bryan interview

Edge & Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness Recap

Release Date: May 18, 2018

By: Jeff Indelicato

DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD

“For The Benefit of Those with No Time” (Top Stories)

  • Cody was surprised and humbled by the recent sell out of All In tickets
  • With regards to booking and planning the event, nothing happens without getting Cody’s and The Young Bucks approval
  • Rhodes feels that he owes a significant amount of credit to Rey Mysterio for helping him in his career
  • Cody left the WWE because he wanted to just be Cody, not Stardust. While Vince and Hunter were receptive, nothing ever moved forward.

“5 Second Pose of Timestamps”

0:00: Show Introduction
4:45: Interview with Cody Rhodes
15:15: Sponsored Ads
17:15: Rhodes Interview Continued
27:00: Time in The Legacy, Gimmicks, Thoughts
36:00: Leaving WWE/What’s Next?
59:20: Sponsored Ads
1:00:50: After WWE/Meeting Stephen Amell
1:14:00: Thanks and Close

“You Think You Know Them” (Recap)

Show Introduction 0:00-4:45

The boys open the show by talking about season 2 of The Edge & Christian show. Filming is underway, and they are really excited about it, but they are exhausted. Therefore, let’s just get to the interview with Cody Rhodes…

Interview with Cody Rhodes 4:45-15:15

It is admitted that Cody was supposed to be on the same episode that Dustin (Goldust) was on, but due to miscommunication, it never happened. Therefore, E & C are ready to pull Cody “out of the dugout.” They then congratulate him on the success of “All In” which is the event that he and the Young Bucks are promoting. For those unaware, it sold out in just 30 minutes time, which Cody did not expect to happen. In fact, they have budget for advertising saved up that they don’t need to essentially use at the moment. Rhodes is very excited, flattered, and motivated. All of them want to make it special for the fans.

Obviously what they are doing is a big thing, so when was it realized that this event could actually become a reality? It started during the Ring of Honor Anniversary Tour. They were wrestling in a small venue, and Dave Meltzer had made the comment that an independent wrestling organization would not be able to draw 10,000 fans any time soon. In addition, Rhodes and The Bucks were having Bullet Club parties with fans and the sentiment was very strong. So, they began doing their research, determined if they had the resources, and it grew from there. Cody explains that the day of the sellout was the second best day of his life, next to marrying his wife.

Sponsored Ads 15:15-17:15

Rhodes Interview Continued 17:15-59:20

Edge mentions the list that Cody created after leaving the WWE, which listed a variety of possible future opponents. Did he ever expect having something like this? Rhodes admits that the list was intense, but he looked at it as a series of dates. He wanted to assure fans that he was going to stay a wrestler. This leads to talking about one of his biggest pet peeves, which is when someone says, “stay tuned for the next chapter.” He hates it, and believes that they are false promises. Of course, he had no clue that he would add to the list: promoter, but here we are. Edge comments that is now feasible that a wrestler can promote a show.

With regards to the event, Cody and The Bucks agreed that no decisions are made unless it gets an agreement from all three of them. So far, there has been no arguing, but they do stare at each other waiting for someone to budge. Rhodes makes sure to give credit to the wrestlers who have agreed to be a part of it, from Kenny Omega to Okada. One person he has to especially thank is Rey Mysterio, and it is his belief that he owes everything to Rey. Mysterio was the one who helped him a lot in the WWE, and specifically requested to work with him. In fact, Cody’s first singles pay per view match ever was against Rey at WrestleMania 27. In a funny tidbit, Rhodes tells E & C that Rey still spells his name Codey.

During his time with the WWE, he consistently learned that you may think you’re working hard, but you could be working harder. With Legacy, he was the ugly duckling. To explain, he had a great spot, but he was the fall guy. Ted Dibiase, Jr. was positioned to be the next Randy Orton. When the group broke up, he knew that he’d have to work harder to compete with the roster. He was jealous of Ted, but it was after a while that he had a “lightbulb” moment and realized that he needed to stop focusing on competing with his peers, and compete with himself instead.

Christian then talks about how Cody has fully committed to all of his characteristics, from Dashing Cody to growing a mustache. Things were clicking to a degree, but for Cody, he wasn’t getting to the next level. This is where he takes a moment to discuss a common misconception that fans have about someone being, or not being pushed. He believes that wrestling is way more fair than you think. There are some hard working people, but there are also a lot of wrestlers who are lazy, which is why they are not necessarily in the top spots.

Cody then takes a moment to tell Christian how he was his favorite to wrestle in the WWE. The Jay Bird was responsible for teaching him a lot, including the art of the false finish. Christian appreciates this, and thanks him for that.

We then get into Cody leaving the WWE. For him, it was both one of the most difficult and easiest decisions that he ever made. He had a lot of close friends and family there, including Zack Ryder, Arn Anderson, and of course, Goldust. At the same time, he wanted to just be Cody, and not Stardust. Vince & Hunter were receptive, but nothing was moving forward. His father had recently passed, which was causing inner turmoil, and with nothing changing, he knew he had to leave, and fix himself.

Cody mentions the great advice that he recently received from Paul Heyman telling him to enjoy the moments as they are happening. He really appreciates that and mentions that with wrestling, you never know what someone’s next stop will be, as careers end and people move on, so he’s going to enjoy every minute of this ride. Edge echoes Paul’s sentiments and remembers soaking in moments as they were happening.

They then talk about his time in Ring of Honor, and the vindication that he felt becoming World Champion. Management has treated him incredibly well there, and he feels a sense of loyalty to the company. He appreciated all of the texts and calls from his fellow wrestlers, and believes that winning the championship makes everything feel real. There are many great things about the WWE, but they also didn’t think he was a top star. He disagreed, and while many people advised him not to leave, it was the right thing to do. He now has a completely different outlook on the industry, and credits his wife Brandi for being supportive when he made the decision to move on.

Sponsored Ads 59:20-1:00:50

Rhodes Interview Continued 1:00:50-1:14:00

Was there any kind of culture shock when Cody began wrestling on the independent circuit?  There was, as it is a different environment, but it also allows opportunity to develop your own brand. He’s able to build a deeper connection with the fans, which leads to him crediting Kane as someone who always treated the fans with respect. He always made time for autographs and never complained.  

Edge mentions Rhodes’ relationship with actor Stephen Amell, and how Amell will also be appearing at All In. How did they become friends? It all started when Stephen was scheduled to appear at a Raw. Rhodes was aware of it, and wanted to do a quick segment as Stardust, since his character was somewhat of a comic book villain. After getting Vince’s blessing, he approached Amell about the segment, where he would just hiss at him. It got the okay, and they had fun with it. It was very cool, and since Stephen is a fan of wrestling, their relationship grew from there.

E & C thank Cody for coming onto the show, and wish him well in the future and look forward to All In.

Close 1:14:00-1:17:00

The boys close out the show, and once again thank Cody for joining the show. They then advise fans to follow the show on Twitter @EandCPod, E-Mail them at ecpodofawesomeness@gmail.com, and call their Voicemail at 929-367-8204.

Jeff’s Take:  8 Kazoos out of 10

I really enjoyed this episode. Cody is a very motivated, well-spoken individual, and you find yourself rooting for his success. While I had no problem with the length, the breakout of the interview between a few commercials was odd, and hurt the flow a little bit, but overall it was still a good listen. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @the_Indel or send me an email at indelpw@gmail.com. See you next week!

About the Author

Jeff has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was knee high to a grasshopper (little kid), after coming across the Wrestling Challenge episode after WrestleMania 7, and has not looked back. His passion has led him to winning wrestling trivia contests in his city, and even won him his Senior Talent Show by dancing to Shawn Michaels theme song. When not annoying others with wrestling talk, he loves spending time with his family and friends, and focuses on his other passion: movies.  

 

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