Cody Rhodes previously faced Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. However, he failed to win against The Tribal Chief at the Premium Live Event. With that, fans were looking forward to the rematch between the superstars at WrestleMania 40.
Meanwhile, at WrestleMania 40, aka WrestleMania XL, Cody Rhodes did the unthinkable. He defeated Roman Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Following his title win, Rhodes made an appearance at the WrestleMania 40 press conference.
During the post-WrestleMania press conference, Cody was seen wearing a gold Rolex. Thereafter, he revealed that after his match against Roman, as he walked backstage, the watch was gifted to him by Triple H, Nick Khan, and Bruce Prichard.
#CodyRhodes just shared an emotional, beautiful story at the #WrestleMania XL Press Conference. pic.twitter.com/HOCjlvUEOz
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that the watch holds special significance for Cody. The American Nightmare revealed that it was the same Rolex that his father, Dusty Rhodes, previously pawned to put Rhodes through acting school.
Cody also mentioned that he wishes to pay back WWE “100 times over” for the level of “investment and responsibility” the company has entrusted to him. It now remains to be seen if he will indeed stay firm in his words or not.
Cody Rhodes opened up about his father during the WrestleMania 40 press conference
During the WrestleMania 40 press conference, Cody Rhodes answered several questions. With that, he was asked, now that he has become the WWE champion, what he would save to say to his father, Dusty Rhodes.
In that regard, it is to be noted that Dusty Rhodes, also known as The American Dream, was previously a part of WWE. He was a professional wrestler, booker, and trainer. However, he is no longer present among us. The American Dream passed away on June 11, 2015. Meanwhile, the legacy he has left behind is carried forward by his sons, Cody and Dustin Rhodes.
Cody became emotional at the question and said that it was a great question. He then mentioned that he would say, “I hope I lived up to your name”. Also, The American Nightmare mentioned that he would thank his father for the name. Cody added, “And then I would say, ‘Sorry about the (neck) tattoo”.
Did it for Dusty. ❤️#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/wElhW0uC6Z
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024
It is also worth mentioning that previously, after his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38, Cody stated that he would finish his story by winning the WWE championship. He said that it was a title that his father, Dusty Rhodes, never won.
With that, The American Nightmare finished his story at WrestleMania 40, and he did it all for his father. It now remains to be seen what lies ahead for Cody Rhodes in the largest wrestling promotion in the world, now that he has successfully achieved his dream.