Cody Rhodes' mother reveals a surprising fact about the WWE star (Exclusive)
Cody Rhodes comes across as confident and comfortable on the microphone every time he steps foot in a WWE ring. However, according to his mother, Michelle Runnels, the RAW star was not always sure of himself in front of other people.
Rhodes grew up watching his father Dusty and brother Dustin in the wrestling business. In 2006, the 38-year-old followed in their footsteps by joining WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system. Almost two decades on, he is now one of wrestling's star attractions.
The American Nightmare's mother spoke to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter and Dr. Chris Featherstone at WrestleCon. She revealed that her son's personality used to be very different compared to how he is today:
"He was really shy, he was," Runnels said. "He was shy and just real super easy-going, always had a great sense of humor. No, he did not [always dress in a suit]! He did not [laughs]." [3:16 – 3:35]
Runnels had no idea that Rhodes would want to emulate the late Dusty Rhodes by becoming a professional wrestler:
"No, I didn't. I didn't have a clue. I thought he wanted to be an amateur champion, maybe go take it a level further, college, the Olympics, but I didn't think he would ever go on to professional wrestling, but I'm glad he did." [3:50 – 4:09]
In the video above, Runnels also spoke about the possibility of Cody Rhodes winning a WWE world title.
Why Michelle Runnels was "really upset" with Cody Rhodes
A documentary about Cody Rhodes' life, American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes, recently aired on Peacock. The two-hour special features stories about Rhodes' upbringing, including his decision to reject college offers.
Michelle Runnels revealed that she wanted her son to attend college, but he opted to become a pro wrestler instead:
"I was really upset. He had lots of offers, good offers, scholarship offers for [amateur] wrestling from different schools. I used to lay them [offers] on the dining room table – I'd put the most prestigious schools on the top – so I was really disappointed, yeah." [4:18 – 4:37]
It did not take long for Rhodes to make an impression in WWE. Just a year after beginning developmental training, he made his RAW in-ring debut at the age of 22.
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Thanks to www.wrestlecon.com for allowing Sportskeeda to get these exclusive interviews.
Michelle Runnels is the founder of The Dusty Rhodes Foundation. The non-profit organization aims to inspire and support youth athletes in underserved communities. You can find out more information here.
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