Cody Rhodes Compares His Promo Style To Dusty Rhodes – “I Can’t Be Him”
Cody Rhodes opened up about his philosophy on why promos matter and how he’s different to his father Dusty Rhodes.
When it comes to all-time great promos, Dusty Rhodes’ name is one of the first to be mentioned by fans across the world. The WWE Hall of Famer captivated audiences with his ability to weave words into a compelling story.
His son Cody Rhodes is now one of the top stars in WWE, and shares his father’s passion for storytelling outside the ring to help highlight what happens in the squared circle. Speaking in a new interview with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Cody Rhodes explained why he believes promos are crucial to the wrestling business.
“There are so many great wrestling matches, I love going back and watching full matches. Most of the time, the memories and moments we’re connected to, aren’t an actual match. Dusty, for example, Hard Times, the promo he did, that’s typically what most people will bring up and talk about and get into. They’re not actually talking about the match that it referenced. I remember, but a good chunk of fans connected to the promo.”
“They’re Very Different From Dusty’s” – Cody Rhodes On His WWE Promos
Continuing, Cody Rhodes opened up about his father’s teaching style when it came to promos and how he also enjoys teaching the skill now that he runs a wrestling school of his own.
“My dad used to teach promos at NXT, he never called it promos, he called it communications class. I got what he meant years in doing it. His idea of communicating was connecting. You can do something really cool, a high spot, flips and crazy athleticism, but if they don’t care about you, it’s like watching fireworks. You did it, we’ve seen it. He had the ability to make them care about him or at least dislike their opponent. That’s the most important thing.
“I have a wrestling school now, and that’s my favorite day. That’s so important, and a lot of people today don’t want to work on it. I understand. You see what you see on TV and guys doing this athletic stuff, but it’s not something people want to work on all that much. I have gotten into the habit where I overwork on promos. In WWE, there is a lot of structure and brain trust. There’s a writer, a voice memo, and we go back and forth. Then there are legends backstage who will chime in and have an idea.”
Finally, Cody Rhodes explained how his promo style differs to that of his father’s, saying that he needs to carve his own path because no one else can be Dusty Rhodes.
“I’ve been very lucky that people like these interviews and moments. They’re very different from Dusty’s. There’s not the ‘soul’ that Dusty presented, they’re almost a political campaign element to how I do an interview. They have to be. I can’t be him.”
h/t Fightful