It has been confirmed that WWE Wrestler Cody Rhodes has addressed the influence of social media on professional wrestling, dismissing a report that he once suggested losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre.
During an interview with Zach Hirsch of Double Coverage, Rhodes talked about the criticism WWE receives online and explained why he thinks some conversations on social media do not accurately reflect the experiences of fans attending live events.
Rhodes emphasised that he respects enthusiasts’ right to express negative opinions, even when those opinions are directed at him personally. Be that as it may, he thinks there is an pivotal distinction between genuine criticism and unverified in the gorilla position area stories presented as fact. “I’m sure it’ll be misunderstood, but I went on this whole kick of trying to explain that there are certain things you never want to say.
Adding to the story, you never want to say, ‘Well, that’s not real.’ You never want to say, ‘Oh, that’s a small percentage,’ because I don’t want to dismiss a fan and their opinion. If they hate you, they hate you, and if they think you’re fat, they think you’re fat. If they think you suck, they think you suck. There’s no wrong way to be a fan.”
Rhodes went on to argue that certain discussions, particularly those taking place on X, can create a distorted perception of WWE and its performers. He on top of that questioned the reliability of some online reports concerning in the gorilla position area developments. “However what I can say is the conversations that take place on, say, X specifically, they only take place there. If you could just take that one step back, get out of your bubble and look at the product, none of this is real. You don’t know any of these guys personally. Interestingly enough, they’re a business that needs content on a daily basis. These stories are wildly made up.”
As an example, Rhodes referenced a previous report claiming that he had pitched the idea of losing the WWE Gold to Drew McIntyre.
Rhodes strongly rejected the suggestion, arguing that prize reigns are too critical to a competitor’s career for a performer to voluntarily propose giving up a title. “Here’s how I knew it had gotten crazy. And now I saw somebody referencing this, there was a story that I had pitched to lose the title [to Drew McIntyre]. The situation was like eight months ago.
There’s a difference between an long-time man figuring out who his last opponent is — however no wrestler has ever commented, ‘Yeah, I want to lose the title.’ My gosh, that’s the meal ticket. It's worth noting that they were saying, ‘Well, don’t forget when he pitched it.’ If you ever hear a story of a wrestler pitching to lose the title — you should know right out of the gate they’re lying. You never want somebody to take it from you. Don’t pitch it.”
With some fans referencing it as though it had been established as fact, rhodes expressed particular frustration that the claim continued circulating months later. “I saw that being talked about as if things were actual evidence, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I wish you knew.’ You know, I wish you guys knew that these conversations are just here. Come to a broadcast, while they’re just here. Come to a show, and you will see.”
Suggesting that the reaction inside arenas often differs from the negativity found in online discussions, the former Undisputed WWE Defending champion concluded by encouraging enthusiasts to attend live events and experience the atmosphere firsthand. “Oh, people are having a remarkable time, and they love all of it.”
Rhodes’ comments underline his concerns about unverified wrestling reports gaining credibility through repeated discussion on social media. While he maintained that supporters are entitled to their opinions, he made it clear that he holds the view that speculation about behind the curtain decisions should not automatically be treated as fact.