Cody Rhodes Expresses Pride in How He Handled WrestleMania 42, Admits He Had an Outburst Backstage

WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes joined The Ariel Helwani Show this week ahead of WWE Night of Champions. During the conversation, Rhodes was asked about his highly criticized WWE Championship match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42: Saturday in April, where both Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll got involved.

Rhodes said the match was the proudest he’s ever been over how he dealt with things behind the scenes. When Ariel Helwani asked if there was anything about it he wished he’d done differently, Rhodes admitted to throwing a temper tantrum backstage, which never got reported. Rhodes said he now regrets the outburst, believing he should’ve been “helping provide solutions” instead of getting angry.

The reigning WWE Undisputed Champion also praised Triple H, noting “nobody has a harder job in wrestling” right now than the WWE CCO. Below are some highlights:

Cody Rhodes on His WrestleMania 42 Match Against Randy Orton

“I said something. I’m hoping I said this out loud so that it’s, you know, not to say I don’t want to give you breaking news, but I also don’t want to say anything rude. I think, I hope wrestling fans can understand that behind the scenes, for me, it was probably the most proud I’d ever been of how I dealt with anything. It was probably the most calm I’d ever been on the day, and probably even though my u eye was shot afterwards, it was probably the most calm I’d ever been leaving the ring because there were a lot of new factors. Companies change; directives change. That’s part of every walk of life, every type of entertainment, and I really just wanted to take a page out of the guys who had been mentors for me. I thought a lot about my dad, and I thought a lot about Hunter and how they would deal with something that was unique.

“You’re wrestling the guy who you’ve got, you know, almost 20 years of history with, but then there’s this unbelievably bold Pat McAfee character with such a crossover appeal and doing so great on ESPN. And then there’s Jelly Roll, who’s just coming off winning these Grammys. I just wanted to make it work for the night, and for everyone to feel, you know, that we had given them our best efforts. I have looking back at it, I I may be thinking, too internally about it, but internally I was so proud because it was, you know, you’re dealing with a lot of big names and potentially a lot of big egos and and I wanted to do right again by the people who raised me in the business and hey, I’m going to make this work and not just make it work, I’m going to make it sing if I can.”

On Regretting an Outburst He Had Backstage Over WrestleMania 42

“In retrospect, I had, I had a bit of an outburst backstage, which shockingly didn’t get reported because it seems like everything gets reported. And, I knew right when I got to my bus. And when I say outbursts, it’s like me muttering some curse words like on The Christmas Story, and yelling, and you know, knocking over some water bottles, à la Sami Zayn, nothing too intense. But I remember getting to my bus and thinking, ‘Yeah, you outgrew that. That we’re not–‘ If you want a job, you know, in the wrestling space, nobody has a harder job than Triple H right now. There’s never been a booker in the history of the business that has just been beloved and revered the entire time. Nobody has a harder job, and no one can do that job better than he can do it. And it’s obviously something that interests me too. So I remember thinking when I got to the bus thinking, ‘Yeah, I’ve outgrown that. I don’t need to be having temper tantrums. I need to be helping provide solutions.'”

On What Caused the Reaction

“I’m not going to tell you that, Ariel. Hey, you know what? It’s probably such a non-factor. I think it was an f-bomb being dropped in the ring cuz I am genuinely a goodie two shoes, whether people like to believe it or not. And there’s really no room for those on our show because we get blacked out. Not only do you think you’re saying something cool, but they black the feed out in the States. So, you’re missing the show. And we got kiddos in the crowd. Their first experience with the F-word does not need to come at a WWE show.”

Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton in the WrestleMania Night 1 main event, despite Pat McAfee attempting to interfere after a ref bump. It’s rumored that the post-WrestleMania plans for the angle were dropped due to extreme fan backlash.

For now, Cody Rhodes will be back in action this weekend at WWE Night of Champions 2026, where he defends his WWE Undisputed Championship against Sami Zayn and Gunther in a Triple Threat Match.

WWE Night of Champions takes place on Saturday, June 27. The premium live event is being held at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be broadcast live on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally. Also, 411 will provide live coverage of the PLE.

If using any of the above quotes, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.