Cody Rhodes Says ‘Everybody’ Tried To Talk Him Out of Hell in a Cell Match With Torn Pec

Cody Rhodes’ Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins with a torn pec in 2022 is one of his most iconic moments, and he recently reflected on the bout. Rhodes battled Rollins in their third match at Hell in a Cell 2022. Rhodes suffered a completely torn pectoral muscle in the week before the match but still worked a 24 minute match against Rollins, as the doctors said that he couldn’t do any more damage to the muscle. Rhodes ended up winning the match.

Rhodes was asked about the match in his appearance on ESPN reliving his career highlights. He noted that “everybody” tried to talk him out of it and that he simply refused to have that conversation. He also noted that he felt a “10 out of 10” pain very early in the match, because as he’s said before, he didn’t have any pain medication. You can see highlights below:

On Who Tried to Talk Him Out of The Match:

“Everybody tried to talk me out of it. Everybody. I think this match is — I think company-wise, I don’t think they’d let me in the building anymore if they knew something like this was cooking, solely because I’m a real big toxic believer in, ‘If my legs work, I’m walking to the ring.’ So that’s not how we should be, and WWE’s medical staff is amazing. The only thing I had on my side here was that it was completely torn. The tendon was completely detached from the bone, so no more damage could have been done to it. And that was the big word that kept me in this thing.

“This also — most people probably figured this out. This wasn’t supposed to be long. I think we went 20-something minutes but this was supposed to be five, six minutes. And a lot of threatening me, which is fair to say, that they had would stop it if it got too far. But I just wanted to do it different. Guys get hurt and they go get cut, they go get surgery. Or guys get hurt and they go out on their back, whatever it may be. I just wanted to do it differently. I had just got started again, and the fandom, particularly the young fans, were starting to really get behind what we were doing. And I didn’t want to let them down. Plus, Chicago, All-State Arena means a great deal to me.”

On How He Was Able to Avoid Being Talked Out of the Match:

“I don’t think I really had to say no, as much as I just committed to — I wasn’t going to have the conversation. I had already been brought to Chicago. The idea that I would not be wrestling, that I can’t imagine — I mean, my career would be completely different. But I just wasn’t willing to have the conversation. And I’m not extremely bullish or rude, or aggressive in any type of diplomatic situations. But I was prepared to be on that day, because this was happening. I was wrestling in the main event. We had just got a bunch of new subs for the platform that the show was on at the time. I was not going to not be in the third match between Seth Rollins and myself.

“Even as I say it now, I still am defending it, as if someone’s telling me I can’t wrestle. Like, ‘I was not.’ But that’s just how I was, and I don’t think anyone could reach me on that day.”

On When He Was Feeling the Maximum Pain:

“10 out of 10 pain was really early. WWE doesn’t have pain medication backstage. If anything, they’ve got good old anti-inflammatories. And I couldn’t find the Advil so I think I took four baby aspirin. And it’s — very quickly, I felt the collarbone was really, really in a bad place. Because what was being left of the muscle was reliant on it, and it was pulling down, and how much the swelling and the cramping.

“But moments in there, even pulling the jacket off was difficult. It’s the most pain I’ve ever been in my life, and it was consistent pain. I remember kind of laughing when I got to the bus after about how bad it was the whole time. Because I thought, ‘Oh, it’ll fade. The adrenaline will wear off, it’ll fade.” It didn’t fade.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ESPN with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.