Cody Rhodes Recalls Working Some Independent Shows For Free After WWE Exit

Cody Rhodes recently weighed in on the importance of not pricing yourself out on the indie scene, noting he worked some shows for free after he left WWE. Rhods exited WWE in 2016 and was a regular on the independents until AEW launched in 2019, and he weighed in on his advice for talent in an interview on The Flagrant Podcast.

“The biggest thing you have to do, and it’s the same today, you can’t out-price yourself on the independents,” Rhodes said (per Fightful). “I noticed guys would come from WWE, and this promoter might have 200 seats to sell. They’re all $20 or $30 and they’re going to get something from the table if they have a merchandise element. I’d see guys price themselves at $4500 a show. If one guy prices himself at $4500, over three days, unless you have a sponsor or there are all these loopholes you can find. I didn’t want to be that guy because I knew they won’t bring me back.”

He continued, “I also can’t price myself too low. There were some shows I did for free. There were some I would do for $1500 and some for $750. It was all over the map. The point was, they were going to have such a good time, I’m not going to be involved in your storyline so you don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to do so much with them at the end of the night and the meet and greet that you’ll keep me coming, so I’ll always stay booked. It’s one of the things I hate the most about modern indie wrestling, the inflation. The money is now huge in our game, so guys are saying, ‘I need first class and six grand.’ There are 200 people. Take a look at the room. It was far beneath where I was at WWE as far as the bag, but if you hustle, you will find a lot of money.”

Rhodes is of course now back at WWE and is the Undisputed WWE Champion.