Cody Rhodes worried WWE is giving fans ‘an overload of information’
Cody Rhodes is worried that WWE, and pro wrestling companies in general, are sharing too much insider information with fans.
On his “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast this week, Rhodes said he’s concerned that overloading fans with business metrics could lead to them not caring about the product. He thinks a lot of fans just want to watch the show, cheer the wrestlers they like, and boo the ones they don’t. That’s how Rhodes approaches the things he is a fan of. With a franchise like Star Wars, he is not interested in behind-the-scenes news and does not want to be spoiled.
“Everything is documented. It’s scary,” Rhodes said. “It’s scary, but it also holds you accountable, I guess. I’m in my head on some of the things as of late about every single piece of WWE right now — and every wrestling company — somebody needs to share and put it out there. And I think what’s going to happen is an overload of information to where fans just stop caring. Like, ‘I watch the show. I like the show. I like this guy. I don’t like that guy. I like her. I don’t need to know how many people were in the seats.’ It’s wild. I don’t know who’s keeping all of these records. But I’m getting tired of — what do we need this for? Who’s this for? It seems like it’s doing great, you know? Anyways, that’s my bit.”
Rhodes’ WrestleMania 42 program against Randy Orton included some of these insider references after Pat McAfee was inserted into the build. Though still touted as one of the highest-grossing events in WWE history, McAfee mentioned that attendance was down year-over-year and said he was trying to save the business by helping Orton win.
The Rhodes vs. Orton WrestleMania match saw Rhodes get the victory to remain Undisputed WWE Champion. McAfee opted out of continuing with the angle after WrestleMania, praising Rhodes and saying that the business does not need to be saved after all.
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.