Cody Rhodes on Him Planning on Leaning Into “Golden Boy” Label for WrestleMania 42 & His Belief WrestleMania 42 Could Be Best Ever “Bell-To-Bell” Show in WrestleMania History

A recent episode of Complex’s Graps The Podcast featured Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Rhodes’ thoughts about his upcoming title match against Randy Orton at this April’s WrestleMania 42 event and his plans to lean into the “golden boy” moniker for his match.

“Even at my experience level in pro wrestling, I still haven’t fully found who I am, and I would like this to be the reign that defines who I am. I heard a term that was said in a condescending fashion, but I didn’t take it that way; I actually blushed. I heard someone say ‘golden boy’, and I loved it.

I don’t know if I was supposed to love it, especially with how they were saying it. But I thought, ‘okay, maybe I’ll lean into that’, and maybe that’s the identity of this reign. I’m certainly out there in terms of output, and hopefully, this is the one time I say it otherwise, it becomes self-obsessed, but I’m outrunning everybody on the treadmill right now, even the guy I consider my largest competition.

If that’s gonna be the case, I’ll take this golden boy moniker and see where it goes. I might even dial up my WrestleMania gear to lean into it further. I know that’s a bit vague, but I’d like this reign to give me an identity that perhaps I’ve been seeking, because every reign is different.”

Rhodes also gave his thoughts about his belief that WrestleMania 42 could end up being the best ever “bell-to-bell” show in WrestleMania history.

“I said something that I don’t love how it came out, I said, ‘we’re sitting on a Sleeper Mania.’ What I meant was because a ten-year Mania, like [WrestleMania] 40, you feel this sense of destiny. There is something about that ten-year moment. This year, the matches, we have our main event with CM Punk and Roman Reigns. We just got to myself versus Randy Orton as the other main event.

The matches that are coming together, Stephanie [Vaquer] and Liv [Morgan], what clearly looks like what Jacob (Fatu) might be doing. You talked about, Sami [Zayn]. I think you’re looking at a bell-to-bell Mania that is the best it’s been. A Bell-to-bell wrestling.

Good, the type of stuff I grew up on, wrestling, bell-to-bell. For people who come for all the other grandeur and the spectacle that is WrestleMania, that’s all there, too. I feel like I saw some names on a sheet of some potential guests that is really exciting for a WrestleMania, for me, particularly. But yeah, Bell-to-bell, I think they’re going to get one of the better Manias, if not the best Mania of all-time.”

Rhodes also gave his thoughts about WWE’s community during WrestleMania week and how much he wants the fans to enjoy their time there, especially the first-timers.

“In addition to that, the community of, and not to sound sappy, the community that is WWE, I always ask people at the end, ‘Is this your first show?’  You know, and so many people raise their hands, or young kids, the community that is WWE is growing up together. It’s spread over two nights, so you’re not sitting there for seven hours. God bless. I’ve been on those shows. You try your best, but every single fan should have something that they enjoy about WWE when they leave Vegas. nd that’s for those fans who have never been before. And I bet you in your fold, you’ve got people who are coming who have never been before. The thing they might like is something that you least expect. But that’s the beauty of what we do.”

Rhodes also gave his thoughts about Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, Kit Wilson, and other younger stars in WWE and the potential of them becoming the future main event stars at WrestleMania.

“And and not to put another exclamation point on this point, but I’d watch this Wrestlemania for the potentials of Je’Von [Evans[, for the potentials of Oba [Femi], for the potentials of Kit Wilson, for the potentials of guys who hopefully and girls are sitting here in this chair between you two guys 10 years from now talking about main eventing at WrestleMania.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com 1 & 2