Cody Rhodes plans on leaning into ‘golden boy’ label at WWE WrestleMania 42
WWE WrestleMania 42 is just around the corner, and Cody Rhodes has opened up about leaning into his ‘golden boy’ label at the PLE.
Speaking to Complex’s Graps the Podcast, Rhodes addressed his upcoming title defense match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42. Last week on SmackDown, Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre to win back the title and earn his place on the WrestleMania card. Discussing the match, Rhodes revealed being called a “golden boy” as a negative term and his hopes to lean into that “moniker” at WrestleMania 42.
“Even at my experience level in pro wrestling, I still haven’t fully found who I am, and I would like this to be the reign that defines who I am. I heard a term that was said in a condescending fashion, but I didn’t take it that way; I actually blushed. I heard someone say ‘golden boy’, and I loved it,” Rhodes said.
“I don’t know if I was supposed to love it, especially with how they were saying it. But I thought, ‘okay, maybe I’ll lean into that’, and maybe that’s the identity of this reign. I’m certainly out there in terms of output, and hopefully, this is the one time I say it otherwise, it becomes self-obsessed, but I’m outrunning everybody on the treadmill right now, even the guy I consider my largest competition.
“If that’s gonna be the case, I’ll take this golden boy moniker and see where it goes. I might even dial up my WrestleMania gear to lean into it further. I know that’s a bit vague, but I’d like this reign to give me an identity that perhaps I’ve been seeking, because every reign is different,” he concluded.
While Rhodes defends his Undisputed title against Orton at WrestleMania, CM Punk is also scheduled to defend his World Heavyweight title against Roman Reigns in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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