Cody Rhodes: ‘I Am the Face of WWE’

WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes joined The Ariel Helwani Show this week ahead of WWE Night of Champions. During the lengthy interview, Rhodes discussed whether he views himself as the face of WWE, along with memories of his first match in OVW, which took place twenty years ago on June 16.

Rhodes initially said the face of WWE is whoever fans view as the face of the company. However, after Helwani asked who he views as the face of the company, Rhodes eventually admitted that it’s him. Below are some highlights:

Cody Rhodes on If He’s the Definitive Face of WWE

“I would say the face of WWE is whoever you, as a fan and not Ariel, you as a broadcast journalist or someone in the media scope and a fan of wrestling yourself, but specifically you as a fan, whoever you deem the face of WWE is the face of WWE. And the beautiful thing now is the candidates are more than two, maybe even more than five. There’s a lot of people with a great following who you see all their merchandise all over the shows, but also you can hear their reactions not just in the arenas but amongst our hardcore fans who are out there watching everything we do. So to me, the face of WWE is whoever, as a fan, you think is the face of WWE. I am glad if any fans think that, and I treat that as a big responsibility.”

On Who He Thinks is the Face of the Company

“That’s tricky, and I don’t want to insult anybody, but I also don’t want to not answer your question. So, could I do a grouping? Could I do a grouping? [Ariel Helwani: Sure.] You know what? Actually, I’ve changed my mind. Yes, I’m not going to do a grouping because confidence is a huge part of what you do, and particularly when you have the chip, when you have the WWE Championship, which is still the richest prize in all the game. I’m going to go ahead and say it on your show as someone who’s played darts with you before. I am the face of WWE.”

On the Iron of Him Being the Face of WWE

“I don’t know if I feel that in my heart. I know that there are times when it’s so ironic to me, particularly my family, having fought against WWE with Jim Crockett promotions, my own personal journey about leaving and then coming back. There’s such an irony in even being WWE Champion for the better part of the last two years. I think you’re safe if you say Roman Reigns is, you’re safe if you say Rhea Ripley is, if you say CM Punk is, Liv Morgan. If you say those names, those seem to be safe names. WWE is in really great hands right now because the roster is so experienced and so connected with our audience, which I can hear Oba Femi is walking to the ring right now, and I can hear the people doing the Oba chant with him, and that alone that Oba’s fresh, just that happening is a beautiful thing.”

Cody Rhodes on What He Remembers About His First Match 20 Years Ago in OVW

“I remember being really concerned about being in the right place. You know, what’s discussed, where you’re supposed to be, being in the right place. And I do remember having a little bit of wisdom bestowed upon me earlier, and it might have even been Punk who told me this, but I remember someone saying, ‘It’s okay if you forgot everything. Just open your ears. It’s okay if you forgot everything.’ And that’s not always the best strategy to go into the ring, but I think in that case, being surrounded by my peers who would cover for me if I didn’t know, it was a good strategy to have because I was able to experience it. My first match is, the first matches in general at OVW, God bless Danny Davis, and Jim Cornette, and everybody who even put OVW together for us, Al Snow. My first matches there were just prized prize memories.”

Face of the WWE or not, Cody Rhodes has a huge challenge ahead of him this weekend at WWE Night of Champions 2026. 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.