Cody Rhodes Talks About Planning His ‘Escape’ From WWE

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion and current Ring Of Honor (ROH) Heavyweight Champ Cody Rhodes recently did an interview with The Charlotte Observer to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. Rhodes talked about making preparations to leave WWE months before his departure, working New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) G1 Special, and having a ‘lucky charm.’ Here are the highlights:

Making preparations to leave WWE months before his departure:

“I was just talking about this and it’s made the difference. When guys leave – whether they decide to leave or they’re forced out – there’s usually this period of time we see them around the world and they can ride that WWE wave and use it, and then it goes away. It loses its luster after a few months.

“I planned my escape for six months before I left. I loved WWE, but in the end I was unhappy. It was just like planning an escape from a maximum security prison. I’d released a list of potential opponents online so when the 90-day no-compete clause was up, I had matches booked on good faith. I thought about the follow-up.”

Working NJPW’s G1 Special:

“It definitely superseded New Japan’s expectations as far as the yearning for their product in the U.S. They weren’t expecting the turnout to be as strong as it was. I want them to hit all these markets – Chicago, Atlanta. It gave them confidence to see where they want to go next. It rattled me a bit because the moment I stepped on the stage, I went from being the hero in Lowell, Massachusetts (where he won the ROH title) to being booed off the stage. I see a guy wearing my shirt flipping me double birds. It rattled me in the best way.”

What his ‘lucky charm’ is:

“I have this little tiny Dusty Rhodes figure they make in Japan that people always give me in my bag. I set it next to the title and took a picture of it in my bag. That was my big goal in the industry. I wasn’t able to achieve that in his lifetime, but he always believed.”