When Cody Rhodes took the ring for a contract signing with Logan Paul on the penultimate SmackDown before King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, his side of the ring was noticeably bare when compared to the certified entourage the “Maverick” brought to the ring.

Now granted, Rhodes probably shouldn't have been too surprised that Paul brought his stooges and his lawyer to the contract signing, as the heel United States Champion has never won a match as a bad guy without someone, from KSI to IShowSpeed helping him out one way or another. But still, the segment got Rhodes thinking; if Paul is going to bring help with him to Saudi Arabia, maybe he should find a manager to help even the odds.

“One of the reasons I liked having Arn Anderson around me was the same reason I would have loved to have my dad around me. Because I'll tell you I'm lucky, and I'll tell you how hard I work, and I'll tell you how grateful I am. And that is true. But it was nice to have a guy over my shoulder say what you just said. Say, ‘We're not apologizing for greatness. Mediocrity loves company, and we're not joining that company.' Like — it was nice to have that voice in your ear,” Cody Rhodes said on Busted Open Radio via F4W.

“It was something I actually missed when Logan and I were doing this contract signing, to see him flanked by so many people. I don't know, maybe I'm looking for the classic wrestling manager to join me on this title reign. And I don't know who that is or what that is, but it just felt like I wouldn't mind someone to holler the stuff that you just did.”

Unfortunately for Rhodes, he almost certainly won't be able to call on Anderson to help him out this time around, as he remains employed by AEW as a backstage coach and producer. Still, that doesn't mean there aren't some quality options who could help him out at this stage of the game, be that fellow Four Horseman Tully Blanchard or even “Diamond” Dallas Page, his long-time family friend and the man who has been accompanying him to the ring for special occasions since his time in early AEW. While the options aren't limitless, there certainly are a lot of them.

When did Cody Rhodes learn about The Rock versus Roman Reigns?

Elsewhere in his appearance on Busted Open Radio, Cody Rhodes discussed his Road to WrestleMania 40, which included far more twists and turns than his first run to the “Showcase of the Immortals” in 2023. Asked about the “low point” of his build to one of the biggest wins in WWE history, Rhodes revealed that he actually learned of the possibility of The Rock versus Roman Reigns on the day of the Royal Rumble, leaving a weird specter over his head as he attempted to join the very elite company of consecutive Rumble match winners.

“One thing that might be revealed in the documentary and might put things in a different perspective for people is I find out about the possibility of The Rock vs. Roman Reigns the day of the Royal Rumble,” Cody Rhodes told Busted Open Radio via F4W.

“I had to leave that room head up and make sure no one knew what could possibly happen, and probably one of the more difficult days I've ever had in the wrestling business. But also, how could you complain when you're winning the Royal Rumble. When you're pointing at the sign [and] over 20,000 people in Tampa. It was such a high, such a low.”

Rhodes then turned his attention to the months leading up to WrestleMania 40, which included his bus catching on fire in the parking lot. While Rhodes is obviously happy with how things shook out, life certainly didn't make things easy for the “American Nightmare.”

“I'll say this about the month leading up to WrestleMania 40. You try to create these ideal situations for yourself as an athlete…I just couldn't catch a break when it came to the ideal circumstance.

“I was just talking to Brandi about this this morning but my bus a few days before WrestleMania becomes a giant fireball out in the parking lot. Had to bring in a new bus for me. I'm sleeping in a bunk that was for a band…I was not gonna be presented with the ideal circumstances. I had given into that and conceded that before WrestleMania because I just had this feeling, even all the way back to the Royal Rumble. I had this feeling that it was gonna work out.”

Did Rhodes take his lumps on the way to the main event of WrestleMania 40? You bet, but hey, in the end, he secured the win and is now the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, so all's well that ends well, right?