Cody Rhodes Gives an Update on His Pro Wrestling Retirement Plans

Cody Rhodes stated numerous times in recent years that he plans to wrestle only until he’s 40. “The American Nightmare” will be 37 this coming June and his new contract with WWE has been confirmed to be a multi-year deal. However, when asked about his retirement plans during a special press conference on Sunday morning, “The American Nightmare” seemed to back off the idea of definitively retiring in a few years. 

“Forty, it was for me. Forty was because I didn’t want to be an old man wrestler. Some guys live being old man wrestlers, they love it. Some of them are doing it at the highest level and you don’t know that they’re old. But here’s what some people forget about me — I was in the WWE system at 19, 20, and I was on the road full-time, never one weekend off, except when I tore my trap and that was three weeks. That was the only time I ever had off in the 10 years I had with WWE. That’s all live events. No knock on independent wrestling, but independent wrestling, Ring of Honor, (that was) maybe one-two shows a month or one big loop. It was, for me, Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday-Tuesday often. And the kicker was I was a bad guy, so it’s a lot of falling down. It’s a lot on your body and I just didn’t want to have the saddle walk, I didn’t want to not be able to pick up my kid,” Rhodes told ComicBook.

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But, there’s the best medical team here (and) where I just was. And everyone does everything. Tom Brady is what, like 80? And he’s still the GOAT. So maybe 40 isn’t the number anymore. But I think that’s probably still out there for me. That’d be really fun. I loved watching my dad wrestle when he was older, but also it was hard. But people forget, it’s like a 36-year-old going on 50 is more what it feels like just because of the schedule I had. So I don’t know. I think I’m going to get away from absolutes. Because I was the king of absolutes for the last six years and a lot of them are coming back to bite me in the a—. Which is fine, we change our minds. But I think maybe 40. Maybe.”

Rhodes made his return to the WWE for the first time in six years on Saturday night, beating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38. He has since hyped up his first promo on this week’s Raw.