Cody Rhodes Gets Real - and Spicy - on Hot Ones
Wrestling, wing sauce, and wisdom from the American Nightmare himself.
Cody Rhodes appeared on this week’s episode of Hot Ones, taking on the show’s trademark lineup of increasingly spicy sauces while discussing his wrestling career, family legacy and thoughts on the industry.
The WWE star addressed how some still view professional wrestling with skepticism. “A lot of times fans outside our world might underestimate the intelligence of our audience,” he said. “People might look a little bit down at our industry and think there’s nothing artistic about what we do. But we get to go out there and physically tell stories that make people feel something. The audience is sophisticated, as well as the performers.”
He also confirmed a widely circulated story about Travis Scott accidentally injuring him at WrestleMania 40. “Yes, it did bust my eardrum,” Rhodes said. “But our house is your house, Travis. Maybe swing less next time.”
Later in the interview, Rhodes recalled learning how to cut promos from his father, Dusty Rhodes, in the most unlikely of places: the produce section of a grocery store. “If you can cut a promo on the produce section,” he said, “you’d be pretty well off.”
Asked to build the ideal professional wrestler, Rhodes chose a mix of modern and legendary names: Austin Theory for potential, John Cena or Paul Heyman for mic skills, Bret Hart for technical ability, and a finishing move borrowed from either Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan.
Rhodes also named his own match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 as one of his all-time favorites. “To come in, earn my place back and then them say, ‘Hey, it’s all yours.’ Like literally, how? So it might be 40.”
He made it through the full gauntlet of sauces, including the notoriously painful Da Bomb, with a few winces and some well-timed jokes. The full episode is available now on the First We Feast YouTube channel.