Ex-WWE superstar Cody Rhodes, who is now known as just Cody, recently joined Busted Open Radio to talk about what his life has been like since he left WWE last year. He also talked about the freedom he has on the independent circuit, and how it’s possible to make money outside of WWE.
On feeling freer since leaving WWE:
“Definitely. I probably could have been a bit more free in my time in WWE. I think if anything this has taught me, or it showed me where my balls were if that makes sense. It put me in a position now where I’m gonna be but free. There’s nobody who’s gonna put a gun to my head other than, like Bubba eloquently put it, the fans at this point. And that’s hands down wherever I go to wrestle. I’m still not exclusive anywhere. In wherever I go it’s been free and it should be nothing but free from here on out.”
On being able to make a living outside of WWE:
“Yeah and I think a big shock, and it wasn’t what I was looking for, Dave Meltzer actually mentioned this to me, I wrestled the other night in a cow palace. A show in the cow palace and it wasn’t for WWE, and he asked me, well is it financially similar? And it’s ridiculous. There’s money all over the place in professional wrestling. Wherever there’s a good product and consistent fans, it’s a – you don’t need it. I needed WWE to build my name and get the brand to where it’s gotten me today. If you look at somebody like The Young Bucks – The Young Bucks could go to WWE if they want whenever, if they wanted to, but they would go for reasons of a match they wanted to have or to be a part of a WrestleMania. They definitely don’t need it. Their brand is making money hand over foot and turning out match of the year performances on a regular basis. They’re a model to me for anybody who thinks you need or there’s a roadmap you have to follow. There is not.”
You can check out the entire interview below.