WWE's Cody Rhodes Stresses Importance Of Recruiting, Relationships With Young Talent
During the WWE SummerSlam press conference on Saturday, Cody Rhodes was asked about meeting Bianca Belair for the first time back at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas. Rhodes shed some light on what transpired during his first night back in WWE.
"That moment that happened happened under the WrestleMania stage in Dallas. I feel like I'll forever have this moment with her, because that was the first person on the roster that I had to communicate with," Rhodes said. "Everybody else I would see when I came back through the curtain for the first time, then at the following TVs. That was the first person. And it was a perfect individual to meet, because I think I wanted to bring my standard, and I like to consider myself the very best. I genuinely do, because I think of it in a positive. That's what motivates me."
"But meeting someone who's the best and who has upheld the standard and this is her house, it was important to offer up that respect, not just as a peer, but as a thank you for letting me come here. This locker room didn't have to accept me. I'm shocked they did."
'You Have To Earn It'
"They took me in open arms, and that's just something that I was glad I got that endorsement from her, and I was happy to meet her as a special moment," Rhodes said. "As far as young talent, I made a chunk of my career about recruiting and being around younger talent and getting them ready for whatever it might be."
"That will always just be something that's incredibly important," he added. "Again, we're talking about knowing where the puck is going, right? Okay, well, that's where it's going. You've got to find them and not just find them. You have to put them through what Brock Lesnar put me through tonight. It's not a thing that you can just take. You have to earn it. And I was able to do that tonight. So I think it's one of the most important things to have that relationship help out and do it properly."
Rhodes was victorious over Brock Lesnar on Saturday, while Belair briefly won the WWE Women's Championship before IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank contract successfully.