Triple H Comments on Cody Rhodes’ Throne-Smashing Segment in AEW

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque joined Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on the latest edition of the What Do You Wanna Talk About? Podcast.

During the conversation, Cody brought up his throne-smashing moment in AEW in 2019. At Double or Nothing 2019, The American Nightmare used The Game’s signature sledgehammer weapon to smash a stone-like throne that was reminiscent of what Triple H used in one of his WrestleMania entrances.

Cody said that Triple H never once asked him about it after his return to WWE, and Levesque responded that he never felt there was any malice behind it. The Game said that had he felt any malice in it, he would have reached out to Rhodes and asked him if everything was fine between them.

Triple H said that at the time, he felt it was a cool thing for Cody to do, as he was trying to do something different and make a name for himself. He recounted how it was difficult for him to see Rhodes leave WWE in 2016.

Rhodes clarified that he had no malice intended and also revealed that Triple H urged him to “rattle the cages” when he was getting ready to leave WWE. The American Nightmare also revealed that Triple H was the first one to text him when he won the ROH World Title

Check out the conversation between Cody Rhodes & Triple H below [via Wrestling Observer]:

Cody: You never once, when I came back, asked me about clearly taking your throne, making it imagery in my entrance away from here, starting my own thing, and taking your hammer to it.

Triple H: I saw it as your hammer because it was smaller than mine [laughs]. No, look, that kind of sh*t to me is like, I remember when people brought it to me and were showing it to me and I was like, ‘F**k yeah, all right, good for him.’ You know what I mean? That’s the kind of sh*t you do; you’re trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to get out there, you’re trying to do some cool sh*t, trying to do some different stuff.

Believe me, if I would have thought there was malice in it, and maybe indirectly there was some at the time, I don’t know. But if I would have thought there was any serious malice in it, I would have called you and said, ‘Hey, dude, like, are we okay?’ Because I was so close to your dad, but then I always felt like a connection to you. And when you were here, it was difficult for me when you left, because I couldn’t say like, I couldn’t over-the-top go like, ‘Dude, get the f**k out of here and go out there and make a name for yourself and make yourself, what you said, desirable and we’ll f**ing come chasing after you and bring you back.’ Sometimes you got to get out of the rut you’re in. You just got to bite it off and go in a different direction. Make the left turn, right? And it was so difficult, but during that time, I remember thinking like, all right, that’s getting out there. That’s being bold and making a statement.

Cody: You did tell me, because you said, ‘Go rattle the cages.’ And you kind of made yourself the target for me to rattle in terms of the optics of wrestling. And there was no malice for sure because this is after I won the Ring of Honor title. One of the first texts I got back to was yours: ‘Congrats.’ As I was walking to the hospital in Lowell because my lip was busted open holding my first world title.

Triple H: You know, it’s one of those things where you see somebody going off, doing their own thing, and having success. And I’m like, ‘F**k yeah, Cody. Come on.’ Like, get yourself in that spot where we’re like, ‘Hey, we should go like, I don’t know what he did different, but let’s go get him.’ You know what I mean?

Cody: I’m glad the feeling is good on it versus—because I’m thinking, man, if he’s mad about it, it’s a long road to whatever the payoff is.

Triple H: He’s waiting on that receipt [laughs].

Cody: Oh, now it’s happening [laughs].

Triple H: No, man, I never even—I never thought about anything other than, ‘F**k yeah, good for him. Go get it.’

Cody Rhodes eventually returned to World Wrestling Entertainment in 2022 and is currently in his third reign as Undisputed WWE Champion. He will defend his title against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 Night One. Check out the interaction below: