Cody Rhodes Says ROH Final Battle Bigger Than Wrestlemania

Cody Rhodes says Ring of Honor's Final Battle is huge.

Rhodes will be debuting for Ring of Honor at the end of the year show Final Battle. He faces former World Champion Jay Lethal. Prior to 2016, Rhodes had spent nearly all of his career in WWE. Joining the independent wrestling ranks was unique for Rhodes because he already had a named. In a interview with ChannelGuideMag.com, Rhodes described his mindset during his entry to independent wrestling. 

“It was a big test. A prominent thing in wrestling is delusions of grandeur. So many times guys think they are better than they are or think they had a more significant run than perhaps they did. The last thing I wanted to be was someone who was having delusions of grandeur. I fully admit that if I had hit the road running after leaving WWE, if I had fallen flat. I would have known I would have a lot of ground to cover. I made this big stand and went on record about why I left WWE, turning down seven figures. I wrestled a few weeks ago, I’m not going to say where, but the ring literally cracked in half in the match prior to us going out there," said Rhodes.

His debut in Ring of Honor is very personal. Rhodes explained why Final Battle means more than a Wrestlemania moment. 

“This was all a big test. I’m now going to places that are just freakin’ magical like Ring of Honor Final Battle. Final Battle, I’m not lying, is bigger than what WrestleMania was to me. Maybe because I’m out there in my own skin. Maybe it’s because I have cultivated my own brand now. Maybe it’s because the best revenge in the world is success. Maybe I want to prove naysayers and WWE wrong. I found I stopped focusing on the negative, which, especially in this modern day of social media, is hard to do. I’m driven by the positive. Almost every single show we’ve done on the independent run has had a record crowd. To me, the meet-and-greets with the fans has been very rewarding,” said Rhodes.

Ring of Honor Final Battle is tonight, December 2nd in New York. In the interview, Rhodes also talked about his wife Brandi wrestling and his acting career. 

The rest of the interview is available at ChannelGuideMag.com.