Cody Rhodes Talks Ring of Honor's Best in the World, Bullet Club, Acting Career

Since departing from WWE in 2016, Cody Rhodes has made his way to the biggest companies in the wrestling world and has grown his brand like few fans ever could have imagined.

As the American Nightmare, Rhodes has become one of the hottest commodities in all of wrestling, stealing the show at Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling events as part of the world-renowned stable called the Bullet Club.

In a recent interview promoting Ring of Honor’s Best in the World pay-per-view on June 23, available on ROHWrestling.com and the Fite app, Rhodes spoke to Ring Rust Radio about his run for ROH’s world heavyweight championship, his role in the Bullet Club and his budding acting career.

At the 2017 edition of the Best in the World PPV, Rhodes will challenge Christopher Daniels for the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship in one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. It’s been 31 years since a member of the Rhodes family held a world title, but Cody is looking to change things Friday.

With Rhodes’ own lineage and the prestige of the ROH Championship, his title match at Best in the World will be the biggest bout of his career. When asked about Daniels’ talking up the lineage of the belt, Rhodes spoke about what Friday’s match means to him.

"He did a really good service by name-dropping all those cats because he highlighted what I’ve been saying and that’s the ROH world title, the one that he currently holds, is as much a world title, if not the industry’s true world title. It is up there with any world title," Rhodes said. "That being New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, and if you need further proof, just watch that promo. The names he lists off, guys like Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, just box office cats in our industry. So, for me, this is my first time ever having that opportunity in a singles contest. To compete for a true world title, it’s my whole life."

In addition to making a splash with Ring of Honor and New Japan, Rhodes made major headlines when he joined the Bullet Club stable. As the American Nightmare, Rhodes has been the perfect addition to the group and has added prestige to the stable.

"At the time that I joined the Bullet Club, I was the biggest name that’s ever joined it," Rhodes said. “However, with that said, there are those who have risen up from the Bullet Club like Finn Balor, AJ Styles and Anderson and Gallows, all those guys who because of WWE programming is so worldwide now, that maybe I’m no longer the biggest name. I feel I was excited at the thought that I could do something for the Bullet Club and perhaps provide them a different demographic, but the truth is the Bullet Club has done more for me."

While most fans know Rhodes from his time in WWE or his recent run on the independent wrestling circuit, he has also dipped his toe into the field of acting. Not only has he starred in the show Arrow, but he has also been offered other acting roles.

Rhodes has shown a dedication to the wrestling industry, but his willingness to jump into a new field like acting shows his long-term goals in building his brand. When asked about his acting career, Rhodes spoke about his current focus.

"I got offered a full-time role in a CBS show. I won’t say which one, but it goes to the CBS streaming and I turned it down because of that very issue. If I’m unable to be a pro wrestler, then I’m not anything," Rhodes said. "That’s what's great about Arrow—they get it. They get that pro wrestling is a huge thing to me. That’s why if I had the time off, I would do it, but right I’m not taking any time off."

The fact that Rhodes continues to show his dedication to the wrestling industry should be great news for Ring of Honor officials and fans around the world. His recent run as the American Nightmare has been the best of his career, and most people believe he’s got plenty left to prove.

Rhodes will be 32 years old this month. With so much left to achieve and age on his side, the future is bright. As long as he continues to build his brand and his notoriety, he will build on his family’s legacy while also paving his own path.

At ROH’s Best in the World PPV, Rhodes has the chance to win his first world championship and cement his spot in wrestling history.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics—catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).