Cody Rhodes reveals heartwarming gesture from The Rock
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins suffered a brutal loss to The Rock and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL Saturday. The setback led to the Night Two main event, where Rhodes ended Reigns' historic title reign after interference by The Final Boss, Rollins, and others. The rivalry between The Great One and The American Nightmare has continued, but now Cody and his wife, Brandi Rhodes, are opening up about how the legend has impacted their family in a major way.
The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns have been the subject of rumors on future plans ever since WrestleMania XL. Fast forward to November 2024, and the rivalry was still lingering when the Hollywood star hosted Cody, Brandi, and their four-year-old daughter, Liberty, to Hawaii for the premiere of Moana 2, along with Rollins, Becky Lynch, and their then-three-year-old daughter, Roux.
Cody Rhodes and his wife discussed various topics on the premiere of his new show from WWE Podcasts, What Do You Wanna Talk About? After revealing a backstage story from their AEW departures, the happy couple recalled receiving the Moana 2 invitation from The People's Champion.
"So, The Rock, tells us, 'Hey, I want you guys to come to the Moana 2 premiere.' I jumped to the [opportunity], 'Yep!'... [He] put us on a Gulfstream [jet], and really, kinda put his 'wang' on the table. Let us know, [Brandi laughs] he's The Final Boss. [This] amazing Gulfstream is fully catered, with Moana-themed desserts. So, he brings us out to Hawaii for the premiere, and the premiere is done. It's the best premiere that I've ever been to in terms of... it wasn't the traditional 'Here's the carpet-press element,' then you move on, maybe you watch the movie, maybe not. This was for families... The red carpet isn't even really a red carpet, we were one of three people who walked it, which Libby said right away, 'No photos!' So, OK... we did it, but Rock goes on stage to present the movie." [From 42:25 to 43:53]
Cody and Brandi Rhodes recalled their daughter growing increasingly tired and fussy, which is common for young kids. Rhodes had an idea, so he asked Libby if she wanted to meet Maui, the character from the animated film played by The Rock. The father-of-one revealed how he and his father-of-three rival saved his daughter's day.
"She's sitting there, and I said, 'Hey, do you wanna say hi to Maui? You know, talk to Maui? I know Maui.' This is a pretty big get, [Rock] is also sitting right behind me, which guaranteed I couldn't leave early if I didn't like the movie, which I wasn't planning on...but it's a great movie anyway. [Cody recalled Libby's sudden interest in Maui, and when Rock sat down, she turned to wave and receive a hug, which made her happy, and thrilled with dad.] But yeah, that was a real big moment with The Final Boss," Cody said. [From 44:13 to 45:42]
The Rock and Cody Rhodes are still expected to tangle at some point. The 17-time World Champion recently fueled rumors of a Cody heel turn, but sources said this is not currently planned as officials are very happy with how Cody moves tickets and merchandise as a babyface.
Cody Rhodes is returning to WWE SmackDown
Cody Rhodes will make his return to WWE SmackDown this Friday. The American Nightmare made his comeback last weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event to stop John Cena from helping Logan Paul dethrone World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso.
Rhodes then challenged Cena and Paul to a tag team match at Money in the Bank. The former Undisputed WWE Champion will team up with the World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso at the premium live event in Los Angeles.
SmackDown will air live from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN, this week. Hometown star Bianca Belair will return to the show this week, while John Cena and Cody Rhodes will also appear live. The following MITB qualifiers were confirmed: Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill, and Carmelo Hayes vs. Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade.
