Cody Rhodes Says Vince McMahon Transition Didn’t Affect Him
Cody Rhodes has discussed the transition in WWE following Vince McMahon’s 2022 departure and why it didn’t have much of an impact on him.
When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in the spring of 2022 at WrestleMania, Vince McMahon was very much running the show. Just a few short months later, and while Rhodes was out with an injury, McMahon stepped away from WWE, announcing his retirement in July.
That retirement lasted about as long as any other in the wrestling business and by the beginning of 2023, Vince McMahon was back as WWE’s Executive Chairman – although Triple H still retains control of the creative direction of the company as Chief Content Officer.
Speaking at the post-Royal Rumble press conference following his win in the men’s Rumble match, Cody Rhodes explained why the transition from McMahon leaving had no effect on him:
“I was very fortunate that, when I came back, I had enough experience that I didn’t always need structure and direction. You guys have seen me without a leash before. I get a little wild. It was great to have that structure, but I’ve had an unbelievable experience, an unbelievable education in wrestling. I’m not meant to do anything else. This is what I do. It was easy then when I came back, and Vince was in charge of that.”
“It’s easy now because, the way I look at it, and I don’t mean this as braggadocious or arrogance, this is something I talked about with one of my kids at the school; if I’m the best, then it doesn’t matter who is showing me where to go and telling me what’s next. If I’m the best, my transaction is simple. These fans pay their money, I make them feel something, and I can do that better than anybody. If I can, then it can be this person or that person.”
Cody Rhodes also spoke about working with Triple H and why he wants to be The Game’s quarterback and why he’s glad that Triple “is the coach.”