Cody Rhodes has explained why the current era of WWE has been successful and how the company can maintain its momentum.
WWE has seen its fan following and bottom line grow in recent years, thanks in part to deals with Saudi Arabia and major broadcast agreements with ESPN and Netflix. In a recent interview with Pat McAfee on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rhodes noted that some of the most memorable eras in pro wrestling lasted only a few years, highlighting how the current era has matched that.
“Well, with ESPN [deal] and where the industry is at, pro wrestling in general is only onwards and upwards, which is new because you have these peaks and valleys throughout wrestling history. I’ve always loved it, but look at the Attitude Era, if you really look back at it, it’s actually a shorter time than we remember. The golden age of the 1980s — Macho and all that — was shorter than we remember. We’ve been cruising now for four or five years. [Dallas] WrestleMania, even the year prior to that, has been onwards and upwards. A lot of that has to do with Nick Khan coming on board with WWE … [he’s] a super genius.”
While crediting WWE President Nick Khan, Rhodes attributed WWE’s recent success to the current roster and feels that if they’re fit and healthy, they can continue this strong run.
“As long as this roster stays healthy, stays happy, stays cooking, it’s onwards and upwards. I think the heights for sports entertainment and pro wrestling, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” he declared. “So, as a kid who always loved it, always thought it was cool, the fact that other people think it’s cool now too makes my day.”
WWE’s growth in recent years has coincided with Rhodes’ return to WWE, who is regarded by many as one of the best babyfaces in recent history.
