Cody Rhodes on his WWE crowd reactions: ‘Not every game is a home game anymore’
Cody Rhodes has noticed a shift in how some WWE crowds are responding to him.
While appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike, Rhodes discussed how much he loves doing promos, saying they’re the best way to connect with the audience. Rhodes is grateful that his WWE character is just himself and he can be genuine with the fans. He’s received some mixed or negative reactions recently but just hopes the crowd brings energy, whatever the reaction is.
“I’m in a funky spot as a wrestler on the show now, where not every game is a home game anymore,” Rhodes said. “Started getting some, ‘Let’s go Cody, Cody sucks.’ Started just getting some ‘Cody sucks’ places. No [he’s not hinting at a heel turn]. I’m just telling you from a crowd perspective, there’s some games — we did one when I was in Germany not too long ago. Bobby Roode walked up to me backstage, he goes, ‘They just showed you on the screen, it’s going to be an away game.’ I thought, ‘All right.’ The energy is all that matters, so it’s not a thing. But there are places like Florida, and there’s places like Texas, that you still, it’s like, ‘Ahh, I still feel good.’ You know? Like, we’re cool. We’re cool still.”
Rhodes said that, from city to city, the most important thing is that his character remains consistent and he doesn’t allow any one reaction to change who he is. The next time around, a crowd that responded to him negatively might switch things up and give him a better reception.
This Saturday, WWE Elimination Chamber is taking place at the United Center in Chicago. Rhodes, Randy Orton, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Jey Uso are the participants in the men’s Elimination Chamber match. The winner earns a WrestleMania 42 title shot against WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.