Cody: I Remain Grateful For What WWE Did For My Dad; What They Did For Me, Different Story

Cody discusses how WWE helped his father.

Even though Cody left WWE on a sour note in 2016, he still appreciates everything the company did for his father Dusty Rhodes. Dusty signed a legends deal with WWE in 2005 and eventually became one of the most beloved trainers in NXT. Dusty’s legacy continues to be honor by NXT as the brand has held the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in four of the last five years.

Speaking on the Cheap Heat podcast, Cody admits that no matter his beef with WWE, he won’t forget what they did for his dad.

“I could smash a thousand thrones and make a thousand pot shots and fourth-wall breaking comments about my experience because it is vastly different from Dusty’s. But as his son, I know that in 2005 when he got his first royalty check for the Dusty Rhodes DVD — which they did a fantastic job on — my mother literally hit her knees in the kitchen and thanked God for them having brought him back to financial security and them having given him a home and a functional thing to chew on in NXT and help and guide a few young stars. With that in mind, with what they did for him in the end, I will never be ungrateful to them,” he stated. “Now, I have my own opinions about my career that are mine and people think that, because of what they did for my dad that I should be voiceless on occasion. That’s never gonna be the case. But I owe them a great debt, and maybe I paid it personally, but Hunter, Vince, and Stephanie were very good to my father when he needed it. As his son, if they ever ask me to pay that debt, I’ll repay it. I know the narrative is ‘The McMahons hate the Rhodes.’ And maybe in there, there’s some truth to that — if I have a few drinks, maybe the answer will be different. But in this moment, I remain very grateful for what they did for my dad. What they did for me, different story.”

Cody previously revealed that he believes not being like Dusty and his brother Dustin ultimately hurt his relationship with Vince McMahon. You can view his full comments by clicking here.

Cody is set to headline AEW Full Gear this Saturday, Nov. 9 when he challenges Chris Jericho for the AEW World Title.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit Cheap Heat podcast with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.