As the current WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes is the defacto face of the promotion.

Sure, technically, his belt is on par with Damian Priest's, and he should be treated as such, but nobody save the Priest family actually believes that, as it's the “American Nightmare” who goes out and does the media appearances, grants Make-A-Wish appearances, and tries to get fans to believe in not just his vision of professional wrestling but that WWE is on the right track heading into the future.

And yet, Rhodes isn't actually in charge of the promotion and can only do so much to get where he wants to on his own, as, by his own admission, he is only the quarterback of Paul “Triple H” Levesque's offense. Fortunately, as he noted in an interview with Jonathan Coachman on Behind The Turnbuckle, Triple H is a progressive leader of the WWE Universe who is willing to actually work with talent to build towards the future instead of sticking to the old way of doing things.

“Have an open mind. A lot of the luminaries, legends, old-timers, when they mix with the modern locker room, the mistake is made of, ‘This is the only way it's meant to be done. These are the rules. They are rigid, they are firm.' You've seen this generation coming up of Gen Z. We see a lot of it at the Nightmare Factory. That doesn't work. That type of motivation doesn't work. ‘I did it all, and I was at the top of my game, so you have to listen to everything I'm saying.' I've noticed talent, especially younger talent, are more independent-minded than they've ever been. They're more strong-willed than they've ever been about what they can do. If you're one of these guys coming in, having an open mind is the greatest thing ever,” Cody Rhodes told Jonathan Coachman via Fightful.

“Triple H being the prime example. He could have easily taken (Killer) Kowalski's rules, ‘This is how it's done and how we do it.' Vince's (McMahon) rules, ‘This is how it's done and how we do it.' Instead, having an open mind. Those rules will always be there. The classic things like less is more. That stuff will always be there for us to look back and say, ‘That's why they worked. We should continue to apply them.' That's the number one thing I like when I see a veteran talent, when they have an open mind and are willing to have fun. It's a goofy industry. There are serious angles and life and death. In my case, there have been so many things that are real to me. Also, this is fun and this is a family show and entertainment. Generationally, fathers and sons. Mothers and daughters. To be open to, there are a bazillion ways to do this, as long as the crowds are coming and making noise, there are a lot of ways to do it. Having an open mind is huge.”

Whether you like his creative call or not, it's impossible to say Levesque isn't trying new things as the CCO of WWE, as he's booking new shows in new places, pursuing new opportunities, and even changing the show's weekly presentation, going from Kevin Dunn's frantic cuts to a more cinematic presentation. In the end, that effort is notable and has been appreciated for keeping performers like the “American Nightmare.”

Je'Von Evans wants a shot at Cody Rhodes.

Speaking of WWE heading into the future, one of the most exciting young members of the promotion, “Bouncy” Je'Von Evans, told MuscleManMalcolm he is very excited to test his mettle against the best of the best, including Cody Rhodes, the current WWE Champion. While he loves his time in NXT, Evans also wants to learn under the “American Nightmare,” as he is the top star in the promotion.

“Randy Orton. I'm a huge Randy Orton fan. I love '09 Randy Orton. Bald-head Randy, my my god, bro. The menace, I loved it bro. I would love to just learn from him honestly,” Je'Von Evans told MuscleManMalcolm via Fightful. “Me and ‘Melo [Carmelo Hayes], we never got a live TV match, so hopefully, now that he's on the main roster, hopefully we get something up there too. Of course, Cody [Rhodes]. He's the top dog right now, so just some trees I could learn under.”

Would a match between Je'Von Evans be fun to see? Well, considering Rhodes put on a great showing against Carmelo Hayes and Evans is even more bouncy than “Him,” it's safe to say the match would be fantastic indeed.