WWE: Cody Rhodes discloses the biggest gamble of his career

After a year in the WWE Universe, it's safe to say the biggest gamble of Cody Rhodes' career has paid off in a big way.

With WrestleMania 39 officially less than a week away, Cody Rhodes' one-man media tour to promote WWE's “Showcase of the Immortals” is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Soon, all of Rhodes' talk will be meaningless, all of his grandstanding will fade into fans' memories, and his plans, as perfectly executed as they may be, will fly out the window after he's Superman Punch-ed in the face by “The Tribal Chief” in the main event of Night 2, to paraphrase Mike Tyson.

For now, however, Rhodes still has time to work the phones, fire up his webcam, and talk to just about anyone with a platform and a few questions, including Joe Reedy of The Associate Press, who asked Rhodes about how his life has been going over the past three-to-four years and was somehow met with a pretty incredible answer comparing his return to WWE to All In back in 2018.

“Life is splendid. When I left my former gig to come back to WWE, it was a far bigger gamble than “All In” (the first AEW show in 2018) ever was. That’s why I get these “All In” vibes when I think about WrestleMania because I certainly could have been the laughingstock of the industry,” Rhodes said. “And going into the biggest event ever involved in the wrestling ring from any measurable standpoint is one part of life being great, blessed and lucky. The other part is I have my family in terms of Brandy (his wife) and Liberty (his daughter), for them to come to this and experience this knowing that it wasn’t a life wasted. Every sacrifice I’ve made, early morning gym trip, times I wasn’t able to be home or won’t be able to be home, it’s not a life wasted in what we do and that makes this run just all the sweetest.”

Wow, talk about turning nothing into something; while some fans will argue with that assertion, as All In is arguably the most important independent wrestling show of all time and helped to change the landscape of the sport forever, Rhodes is right in a way that had the pre-AEW show failed, it probably wouldn't have affected anyone involved's career too much. Sure, AEW might not be a thing, but The Elite would likely still be working in New Japan/Ring of Honor, Jon Moxley would still have a career, and indie-centric fans would still be able to watch all of their favorite stars, even if they would have to spread their time out over multiple weekly shows from different promotions.

If, by contrast, Rhodes' return to WWE was a dud, well, his career would have basically been over, as he would be stuck in a bad spot on a presumably long contract, and he would have to grapple with plenty of burnt bridges should he eventually return to the indies once more down the line.

Fortunately for Rhodes, everything has seemingly worked out his way; he's one of WWE's top-2 babyfaces alongside Sami Zayn, he's the 2023 Royal Rumble winner, and he's got a better chance than almost anyone else over the past three years of actually unseating Roman Reigns as the Undpsited WWE Universal Champion, which, cumulatively, signifies a successful gamble if you ask me.

Cody Rhodes' brother Dustin is proud of his brother's efforts.

Discussing the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania 39 on Sports Guys Talk Wrestling, Dustin Rhodes let it be known that he couldn't be prouder of his younger brother for everything he's accomplished over his career thus far.

“I'm super proud of him and so proud of the man he's become,” Rhodes said via Fightful. “He's become very wise for his age, and since AEW, and since he went out on his own, he's making a name for himself, and he's flourished and done a damn good job at it. He's taken care of his body, he looks great, he walks the walk and talks the talk and backs it up. He looks like a million dollars, and that's the important thing about it. You want to be World Champion and the megastar that the company is on your back, you have to look the part. He does that. I'm not a suit guy, he is. I just wear t-shirts and jeans. That's a lot of pressure. A lot of pressure to have the weight of the WWE Universe on your shoulders, but he will become, hopefully, the first Rhodes to win the big one in WWE, and that's impressive. I'm here for it, and I can't wait to watch.”

Will Rhodes actually show up at WrestleMania 39 to support his brother for the biggest match of his career? Only time will tell, but even if he's only there in spirit, it's safe to say the entire Rhodes family will be rooting for Cody to bring home the big one.