Cody Rhodes walked out of SummerSlam 2025 with the WWE Championship in his hands after a brutal match against John Cena. But beyond the victory, The American Nightmare admits he felt every blow the moment he stepped into the backstage area.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Cody described the first moments after the match, even pointing to a photograph that perfectly captured the toll it took on him. "There’s a picture of me lying down right after. I had a small locker room near the gorilla position," he said. "I’m face down on the floor, holding my side. It’s very telling. I wouldn’t say I got injured, but I was banged up. A rib on my left side was bothering me, the back of my calves… a bunch of little aches and pains."
True to his philosophy, he made it clear that wrestling hurt is not the same as wrestling injured: "You’re always going to wrestle with pain, but don’t wrestle injured. I’m fortunate there were no injuries. I walked out without injuries, and I think John did too. That’s a good night at the office."
Rhodes also discussed how the biggest decisions in WWE are made, explaining that they aren’t unilateral calls. He compared his role to that of a quarterback running the play the coaching staff calls.
I play for the team. If the coach says ‘this is what we’re doing,’ I might ask a couple of questions or suggest something, but I’m going to run the play. In those conversations you have the creative team, Ed Kosky, Triple H, and also Nick Khan. Hunter always wants to lay out all the possible paths before a big event: where would it lead? Is it just for shock value? Or is there more to it?
Although he acknowledged that a turn might have been mentioned at some point, he said it never reached him and emphasized the impact of moving such a big piece in WWE’s current machine: “If you change something like that, does the team still function the same? Are we still breaking business records? It’s a team decision."
Cody was adamant: if he ever turns heel, he wants to go all-in and seek genuine crowd hatred. "The more you build as a babyface and the more connection you have with the people, the harder it gets. If I turn heel and people cheer me, it hasn’t worked. If it ever happens, I want to be basically canceled, the most despicable villain possible. I’m very old-school about that."
The champion also talked about the last time he showed a less friendly side, referring to autograph seekers at airports. He explained that most aren’t real fans, but resellers looking to flip the items, though he almost always agrees to sign.
"I always sign at the airport, but if you tell me you looked up my flight on the manifest to be here, you’re going to get a more sarcastic version of me. Still, I’ll sign. I just want it to be quick and done." That said, there’s one absolute exception: The only time I say no is if I’m with my daughter. That’s her time, and no one interrupts it."
