WWE Champion Cody Rhodes On Wrestler Physique: ‘You Can Body Shame Me All You Want’

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to face WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER for the men’s Crown Jewel Championship this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Rhodes’ journey to this level has been notable; he left WWE in 2014 as the often-maligned Stardust character and made a triumphant return as the “American Nightmare” in 2022. In a recent appearance on the “Flagrant” podcast, Rhodes discussed what distinguishes his current character from his previous run.

“Sometimes I think it’s as easy as physical, like, your physicality,” Rhodes stated. “This is gonna sound silly, but this is a vanity business … If you’re trying to be on the come up, you’ve got to be in the best shape of your career.”

He cited GUNTHER as an example of this transformation. “GUNTHER, he used to be on the independents … not a muscle you could see on him, a big, hefty, chop-a-tree-down, killer dude,” Rhodes said. “That manifestation of his goals is right there — you can see he’s gotten in the best shape of his career. He looks incredible, he looks the part, and there’s this weird online contingent that doesn’t realize how important that is.”

Rhodes emphasized the reality of wrestling, saying, “We are wrestling with our shirts off, folks; you’re standing next to some of the best athletes in the world. You’ll hear fans say, ‘You can’t body shame wrestlers.’ What are you talking about? We’re standing there half-naked, and you paid hundreds of dollars to sit there. You can body shame me all you want.”

Reflecting on his earlier WWE career, Rhodes linked his lack of physicality to his past mistakes. “I wasn’t in great shape, and I had filled the spot as Dustin’s partner, and we had done really well at that point,” he explained. “I should have been focused on getting in the best shape of my career, having the best promo, and more importantly, I should have fought the little battles: ‘Hey, I don’t want to team with my brother today.’ If the answer is, ‘You are,’ I still would have gotten better had I fought those little battles.”

Instead, Rhodes allowed his frustrations to build up until he ultimately requested his release. “I knew right in that moment that a great deal of this was my fault; a great deal of it,” he admitted. He then highlighted the current culture in the WWE locker room, stating, “I know it might seem toxic and stuff, but among the boys and girls, everyone’s like, ‘Who does your diet?’ ‘Who’s training?’ There’s a whole new health-conscious WWE that I love. We’re trying to look our best.”