Cody Rhodes Wouldn’t Change Anything About WrestleMania XL Build

Cody Rhodes’s path to WrestleMania XL was fraught with challenges and unexpected turns. Despite winning the Royal Rumble and initially being sidelined from the main event in favor of The Rock, Rhodes’s journey captivated fans worldwide, ultimately culminating in a storybook ending.

During a conversation with Diamond Dallas Page, Cody shared his reflections on the tumultuous build-up to WrestleMania XL and mention that he wouldn’t change a thing.

“I know we could have made anything work in any direction we took it, however, I feel like if I had to do this all over again, I wouldn’t want anything to change. The story was different in terms of it wasn’t as simple as comes back to WWE, wins WWE Championship. There was things that needed to happen, individuals I needed to be in the ring with, people I needed to be around.”

Rhodes praised the WWE audience for their unwavering support and mentioned that he has nothing but positive things to say about the fans.

“Also, the WWE audience, the wrestling audience, I have nothing but positive things to say about the fans ever. I can’t find a negative in anything that they do. But they didn’t have to respond to me the way that they did. You can set the booking or the matches that you’re in or the TV time that you get, these things we’re trying to lead the audience, but they could’ve fully rejected me. Here’s this guy, he went off and started his own company, he was real bitter about how he left, midcard, jobber, all of this, they really could’ve gone a different way with it and that wasn’t the case. Somebody asked me at Mania, why do you think [they’ve stuck with you] and the only thing I could tell them was that I think it resonated with them, my story is a real story. Wrestling is a suspension of disbelief, but when it’s real it’s just the best.”

At WrestleMania XL, Rhodes’s perseverance paid off as he defeated Roman Reigns on the second night, securing the Undisputed WWE Championship in a match that felt like destiny fulfilled.

Looking ahead, Rhodes is set to defend his title against Solo Sikoa at WWE SummerSlam, continuing his remarkable journey in the wrestling world.

Cody Rhodes’s storyline leading up to WrestleMania XL was both emotionally charged and a significant moment in his career. What do you think about how WWE handled his journey back to the top? Do you think his match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania lived up to the hype? Share your thoughts in the comments!