Cody Rhodes & Bruce Prichard Comments on WWE’s Pitch to “Bring Cody Home” in 2022
A recent episode of the So What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes podcast featured WWE Executive Director Bruce Prichard as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Prichard’s thoughts about WWE’s pitch to Cody Rhodes to bring him back to the company in 2022.
“Our anticipation and our expectation, frankly, was one of, ‘Hey, man, Cody, we want you to come home.’ And that was our sole purpose, to say ‘come home.’ The door’s open and we’re glad you went away and did what you did, we’re very happy for you. We feel that the best place for you is back home, and come do it with us.
There was a feeling on our side (that) we were not leaving until we had, at least, a handshake agreement as far as what the future was going to be and what the future was going to be with you.”
Rhodes responded stating that his late father would have accepted WWE’s offer immediately based on the monetary figure they presented and gave his thoughts about how he left the meeting feeling like “a little kid” and had called his wife Brandi to tell her their plans were changing.
“What was funny was even though I was really well structured and prepared and had things I wanted to talk about and also wanted to be there in the moment, it hit me like a car wreck. It hit me like a car wreck in one where you’re not hurt, one where you’re shocked.
But once I got out of that room, I became a little kid again. And as a little kid, I remember asking you, what do I do?
You said, ‘I think you know what you should do.’ And I thought, ‘yeah.’ And when I say car wreck, because then as soon as we parted ways, when you call your spouse, when you call your wife, and you’re like, ‘Hey, something happened,’ cause that wasn’t the plan.”
Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com
TKO Announces New Extended Partnership Deal with T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for WWE & UFC Events
WWE and UFC’s parent company TKO Group announced that they recently signed a new extended partnership deal with the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the venue to host four WWE and UFC events annually.
TKO Extends Exclusive Partnership With T-Mobile Arena Solidifying Las Vegas’ Premier Venue As Official Home
T-Mobile Arena to Host Six Events Annually, Including Four Featuring UFC and Two Showcasing WWE
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (“TKO”) (NYSE: TKO), and T-Mobile Arena today announced the extension of their landmark multi-year partnership through 2030, reinforcing the venue’s status as the official home for UFC and WWE in Las Vegas. The renewed agreement guarantees a minimum of four annual UFC events and two WWE events at the iconic arena, further cementing Las Vegas as the global epicenter of combat sports and entertainment.
Originally established in 2017, the collaboration between UFC and T-Mobile Arena – developed and operated by Las Vegas Arena Company, LLC, a joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) — marked a historic milestone. It was the first time a global sports brand, outside of a traditional professional franchise, was named an Anchor Tenant of a major sports and entertainment venue. The addition of WWE under the TKO umbrella has strengthened the alliance, bringing together two of the world’s most dynamic live event properties.
“T-Mobile Arena has been home to some of the most iconic UFC fights of the last decade,” said UFC President and CEO Dana White. “Five of our top 10 biggest gates have happened in that arena, and I look forward to breaking more records together.”
“AEG and T-Mobile Arena have been tremendous partners over the past eight years, and we’re thrilled to expand this relationship across TKO to include both UFC and WWE events,” said Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President, Event Development and Operations for TKO. “T-Mobile Arena has become a classic Las Vegas arena known for showcasing some of the biggest sports and entertainment events. We’re proud that UFC and WWE will continue to be featured among T-Mobile Arena’s top events through the end of the decade.”
Chris Baldizan, MGM Resorts’ Executive Vice President of Entertainment, said, “We have had a tremendous relationship with AEG and UFC for nearly a decade while hosting some of the biggest events and names in sports and entertainment. We look forward to further strengthening our collaborative efforts and providing our T-Mobile Arena eventgoers with memorable event experiences.”
“T-Mobile Arena was built to host the biggest events in the world, and our partnership with TKO has helped us deliver on that promise,” said Todd Goldstein, Chief Revenue Officer, AEG. “This renewed commitment underscores the arena’s role as a global destination for premier sports and entertainment experiences. Together with MGM Resorts, we are proud to continue elevating Las Vegas as a hub for unforgettable live events.”
Since opening its doors in April 2016, T-Mobile Arena has hosted 20 sold-out UFC events, setting multiple records for both the venue and the promotion. Notably, five of the top 10 all-time highest-grossing UFC events have been at T-Mobile Arena, including such landmark numbered events as UFC 229: KHABIB vs. MCGREGOR in October 2018 and UFC 300: PEREIRA vs. HILL in April 2024.
The expanded agreement also underscores WWE’s growing presence in the sports and entertainment capital of the world. WrestleMania 41 held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this past April became the most successful and highest-grossing event in WWE history, drawing 124,693 fans over two nights. T-Mobile Arena supported WWE’s takeover of Las Vegas during WrestleMania weekend by hosting additional events including Smackdown, NXT and Raw.Las Vegas will once again host WWE’s biggest event of the year, as WrestleMania 42 will return to Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, 2026, with T-Mobile Arena set to host Smackdown and Raw in support.
The new agreement also includes priority scheduling for TKO-affiliated events during key windows such as International Fight Week. TKO will maintain a prominent presence throughout the venue, including co-headlining the welcome signage in the lobby alongside the Vegas Golden Knights, branded activations on the concourse, and retail space inside the Arena.
Today’s milestone deal was negotiated by TKO and the management partners of T-Mobile Arena.
The Rock Comments on His Feeling Hollywood Pigeonholed Him as a Blockbuster Star
As noted before, this past Monday’s 2025 Venice Film Festival event in Venice, Italy featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being among those in attendance for the premiere of The Smashing Machine. This premiere airing was notable for Johnson receiving a 15 minute standing ovation for his performance in the film from those in attendance.
The BBC held a recent interview with Johnson at the event. One of the topics discussed included Johnson’s thoughts about his role in the film and his belief that Hollywood had pigeonholed him as a blockbuster star.
“I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity to do this… I have wanted this for a long time. When you’re in Hollywood, as we all know, it had become about box office and you chase the box office. And the box office in our business is very loud, it can be very (overwhelming). It can push you into a corner and category — ‘This is your lane, this is what you do, and this is what people want you to be and this is what Hollywood wants you to be.’ And I understood that, and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun, and some were really good and did well, and some not so good! But I think what I did realize is I just had this burning desire and this voice that was just saying, what if there’s more? What if I can? Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you’ve been pigeon-holed into something. It’s harder to know, wait, can I do that? I feel like I can. And sometimes it takes people who you love and respect to say, ‘You can.’
I have been very fortunate to have the career I’ve had over the years and make the films that I’ve made. But there was this voice inside of me that said, what if I could do more? The truth is, I looked around a few years ago and started to think, am I living my dream or am I living other people’s dreams? And you come to that recognition and you can either fall in line, go, ‘It’s status quo, things are good,’ or you can go, ‘No, I wanna live my dreams now and do what I want to do, and tap into the things I want to tap into and have a place to put all this stuff that I’ve experienced in the past that I’ve shied away from.'”
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