CODY RHODES WWE BASH IN BERLIN 2024 PRESS CONFERENCE

quick programming note as we get started tonight uh as some of you may know college is back in session in the United States of America and Triple H's oldest daughter is off to college and uh he has gone home to be a part of that amazing life moment so congratulations of course to the whole of family yeah um with with that in mind you guys are are stuck with me to go over some of the uh the the business points of this wonderful evening in bash in Berlin and and the overall tour that WWE has been on Bashan Berlin I love saying this is the highest grossing Arena event in WWE history that's the third time this year we've been able to say that we set a new Arena gate record with backlash in France clash of the castle in Scotland also tonight was our 55th sellout in 2024 and there were 13,14 incredible fans in attendance this evening I have been on this entire tour whether it was you know reram overh Housen Brussels stugart Frankfurt uh of course Berlin everything they tell you you know growing up in the industry about pro wrestling and German fans and what that's like and in the Mythos and the history and you hear about bred Hart coming over here and just the the hysteria about what we do it's really fun to see that perception and reality are all the same incredible fans um and it was just an honor to compete and perform for them uh each and every night uh I'd like to quickly as we're we're covering some of the business elements of this uh darari and Chris Abyss uh producers for that live event tour really did a wonderful job I don't think they often uh get the credit they do for keeping a bunch of Rowdy wrestlers uh on the page and and and getting us from town to town and being able to do this the way we do also Byron MC for the entire event and did an incredible job thank you Byron and we're headed back to the us we're looking forward to Big debuts back in the United States of course Smackdown to USA on September 13th NXT to the CW on October 1st and then Monday Night Raw as heading to Netflix on January 6 with that stated uh let's open it up for questions question for the Undisputed WWE Champion raise your hand state your name and the media Outlet you are affiliated with and we'll start off right here in the first row hi I'm M name from PR um now that you won your match against Kevin um what do you think where you stand with his your and your friendship where you standing oh that's a great question um I think a lot of people who watch a good chunk of pro wrestling probably could have called oh you know Kevin's turning on Cody that's as obvious as it gets and it speaks to the strength of our relationship Kevin and I's relationship last night's promo on Smackdown dove into it a little further uh it's incredibly deep incredibly complex I've never told him this before but I often feel like I'm I'm chasing behind him because again when he showed up on the scene these picking fights with John Cena and the top Stars I was still pain in my face and and and just so far behind the eightball and that feels good as a competitor and a performer where you can be in the ring and and and let them know and and show them even your friends but it was a really touching moment to be able to share that with him I think I've only ever walked to the back with my arms like this with some somebody I think the only two people I did it with besides Kevin was Seth Rollins at WrestleMania and then U my my brother uh Dustin uh way back when I when I was at aw so that was that was special to have those three guys all share that type of moment with them next question we head to the second row Jamal n's here for seconds out now Cody obviously being world champion comes with a massive Target on your back and it's kind of shown that you got to be wary even of your closest friends with you questioning Kevin owens's loyalty I think a lot of people were questioning Randy Orton earlier in the summer as well with the way he was eyeing up the WWE title do you feel that he could potentially be eyeing you up in the future and are you wary of him given his past that's a great question I also would like to not deflect by any means I'll dive into it but I do want to congr congratulate Randy and gother because when you go over these new Arena gate records as exciting as they are those were the guys who were on top those are the ones that all of the local talent all of us in the locker room top to bottom on the card should be going to and thanking for the house so Gunther Randy Orton thank you for the house um in terms of him eyeing the title I have seen a lot of Rumblings in terms of you know your ear to the ground you feel like people might want to see that match it's a very very different match than when I first showed up on Monday Night Raw and the person I wrestled was actually Randy Orton gosh I don't want to give you a bad answer but that that match a lot would have to happen for that match to take place again that's a very real relationship and friendship and and the mentor and the student but uh it's certainly not something I would back down from cuz like like I just said sometimes the people you want to know how you've grown the most is the ones closest to you and nobody's closer to me than Randy Orton so um if it happens that's that's a lot of drama uh you know as the uh bloodline fans like to say the cinema it's a lot of Cinema um but right now no plans for it right inside second row Denise Salo Instinct culture Cody you've now been Champion for several months before you defeated Roman Reigns obviously you must have imagined being Champion has it been what you envisioned so far you know I I I dreamed of of this was a big thing I wanted to to win the WWE title and be be the first roads with the the biggest prize in our game but I can't say it's it's not been what I've invisioned as much as I could have never guessed even with a lifetime of building up to it I could have never guessed the amount of responsibility that is is handed to you um in terms of how you go about doing the Live Events how you go about doing your press your me just every piece of it I thought I had had a lifetime to prepare for it and I remember Roman Reigns actually said something to me in an interview you know face to face he was talking about the idea of if if I was to get to the edge of the mountain and actually do this that I'd be really tired and I don't like the t- word at all I just I don't believe in it in our industry I think the grind is a good thing uh but I can say there was definitely some truth to what he was saying because it's a different type of responsibility um I'm still having the most fun I've ever had in my life I I I I really am but with every step you make it affects the WWE and that's just a lot of responsibility so if anything it's I hope made me better as of course a pro wrestler Sports Entertainer but I hope it's made me better as as someone here in this company U WWE and just my I guess my business savvy as as Mr Heyman always calls it in terms of navigating a future in pro wrestling once I officially hang up the boots if uh if that makes any sense you know it's a longwinded answer I apologize it's been amazing no doubt and one of the things um not to get too inside baseball but we talked about 55 sellouts uh I believe it's actually several outlets you know and and people you know who have reported the record grosses if I was to tell you the record grosses for this company you'd think it was a Cody lie it's uh it's un it's it's unreal uh this is just a really beautiful Renaissance period for the business happy for everyone involved with it all of us thank you last row uh hi Cody James D from gorilla position long time long time yeah you've been avoiding me huh well you're a dodgy character congratulations on tonight you thanked Randy and gfur for the house you open the show tonight with KO you open the show with AJ a clash at Castle in Glasgow Roman Reigns is also back yeah are there any honest like insecurities within you that is worried about losing your position as the poster boy for WWE after such a big buildup of you winning the gold well I think if I'm speaking honestly they're not insecurities and they're not concerns but I'd be naive to to not acknowledge no pun intended the challenge I I I love this and maybe and just just going off my last answer one of the things again I had a lifetime of experience to get ready for this that's the biggest challenge in front of me in terms of what's the new task for me again the idea of being the poster boy at all my gosh that's an amazing feeling that's special it will end at some point but I will certainly put up every bit of a fight and it's not just the OTC it's not just Roman Reigns this is John Cena's fa farewell run uh I'm I am up there in in very rare air with special characters people like CM Punk if anything how you phrased it another way I would put it it's a great problem to have for WWE and I think both strictly speaking uh the man you mentioned and myself we like that we we uh we have pitted ourselves against each other not just at WrestleMania in the main event but in every aspect behind the scenes too and not in a dishonest way in an honest way better man's going to win and that's uh again a good problem to have first R Hi C from hello from Young since you mentioned Netflix I don't I don't know if you saw the announcement of the Netflix do on Vince um are you going to watch it and um are you ex are you um familiar with the Jan Grand Story do you personally believe what she's saying and does the locker room believe it cuz there's the locker room has been awfully silent on this whole issue you know the allegations about sex trafficking and rape yeah I uh I think uh it's a it's a great question in terms of am I going to watch it uh not to sound cheeky by any means I am Deep In A Game of Thrones rewatch and that is a hell of a lot of commitment um I don't know um I think there's a bit of misinformation in terms of WWE has no involvement in this documentary as far as I know I imagine I would get around to seeing it in terms of the more serious and the the meat in your question in terms of the locker room being U quiet or silent whatever it may be I don't think that's a matter of belief versus non-belief I think it's strictly speaking we we want to be doing what we were doing out there and the focus and attention that it takes you know 13,14 people to have a great story and have a great match and do that every single night has left most of us where we're finding the information out just as you are and that includes the resolution of this information in terms of what happened how it happened um and and and how Justice comes about whatever it may be um but I wouldn't look at it as an active attempt from the locker room to be silent in the attempt we just are are doing what we do day-to-day WWE business do you believe her do you believe her do you believe J gr oh I again I don't know enough about the information to give you a good enough answer there I'm sorry Byron one last question all right one last question we'll head to third row over here where uh Andre from rock music uh I just wanted to ask about Brad Hart you just mentioned him um you said that uh or there was a video package last week about that Brad Hart always said that Germany is a very special place for him and the German fans as well and I wanted to ask if you maybe know if there were any plans to bring back uh bradart for just this uh event tonight and also what was different for you here in in Germany tonight uh comparing to France on and Puerto Rico Puerto Rico for example well I don't I don't know if there was any any plans uh again something above my pay grade in terms of the Hitman himself but one of the things I'll say you're spot on with how particularly popular he was in Germany uh that was a myth that turned out to be real I actually love the fact that we didn't have any of that tonight it was Gunther from Austria you know Ludwig actually here in Germany Randy yort it was it was the current roster we did not rely on anything from the past necessarily and I don't mean that with any disrespect to the past I just mean I'm I'm proud of this roster for for doing it was there a second part to your question um yeah about you have any comparisons to the France audience um oh what's the different uh listen you cuz tonight I got the sense that German the audience was was really putting in their their best effort to hey we're going to show France we're going to show Scotland uh we'll show Italy you know all these places I I couldn't I've been in the ring in all these I'll tell you the truth the winner is Europe where is Europe these these crowds are incredibly unique um they all have a different flavor and it makes us better as far as competitors and performers the fact that we we get to test ourselves in in all these different places so just there hasn't been one flat out I wouldn't lie to you there hasn't been one that's like GH that place we haven't we haven't had that every place has been really really incredible with these International ples and shout out to you know TKO and Nick KH for making World Wrestling Entertainment you know really worldwide it was really touching to see for example Sebastian out there in the ring tonight uh I know he's been on board with WWE in Germany for so long and for him to have a good moments uh in his in his home country and spots just a beautiful thing all right Cody thank you for spending some time with us congratulations on the retention of your Undisputed WWE Championship