Cody Rhodes' sister Teil reveals why she was mad at Ric Flair (Exclusive)
Cody Rhodes' sister Teil Runnels says she held a grudge against Ric Flair for several years.
Runnels' father Dusty Rhodes feuded with Flair in the 1970s and 1980s. As a child, nobody ever explained to her that wrestling was scripted. That meant she legitimately disliked some of her father's rivals, including The Nature Boy.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Runnels said her personal animosity with Flair lasted way beyond childhood:
"We never had that talk like he did with the boys [Cody and Dustin]. I mean, I figured it out later. But even when I was little, even when I was older, actually, like in my 20s, when I would see Ric places, I would be mad and I wouldn't wanna go near him, which is so funny now. But I wouldn't get too scared, though, because I always remember he'd [Dusty] come home after and it would just be like normal at-home stuff, so I never really got scared with him wrestling. It's funny because I did with both Dustin and Cody." [2:13 – 2:53]
Watch the video above to hear Teil Runnels provide details on The Dusty Rhodes Foundation. Created in 2022, the non-profit organization inspires and supports youth athletes in underserved communities. You can donate to the cause here.
Teil Runnels recalls her wrestling upbringing alongside Cody Rhodes
In the 1990s, Cody Runnels (aka Cody Rhodes) and Teil Runnels often accompanied their father Dusty to WCW tapings.
Teil Runnels remembers wrestling fans stopping her famous father wherever they went during her childhood:
"My parents took Cody and I pretty much everywhere, and because he [Dusty Rhodes] worked behind the scenes as well, we had to be at the building, I remember, or the tapings, all day. So, I remember he worked in TV and I kind of realized early on that he was somebody that was known, that people knew, because especially when we lived in Charlotte or Tampa, so many people would come up to him and stop him, so I knew that he was famous." [1:17 – 1:51]
Teil Runnels also spoke about her experience of watching Brock Lesnar attack Cody Rhodes in front of her on the July 17 episode of RAW.
Do you have any favorite Dusty Rhodes memories? Let us know in the comments section below.
A new documentary about Cody Rhodes' life in the wrestling business, WWE American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes, will be available to stream on Peacock on July 31.
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