Cody Rhodes on WWE legend beating him "half to death" with a rubber chicken
Cody Rhodes says The Big Show once used a rubber chicken as a weapon to teach him a lesson during a match.
Rhodes feuded with the seven-foot superstar on television and at untelevised live events in 2012. The two men also fought at WrestleMania 28, with The Big Show picking up the win to capture the Intercontinental Championship.
During his appearance on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions, Rhodes recalled how he once spoke to his former rival backstage before they faced each other. The two-time Intercontinental Champion wanted to be taken more seriously as a character, but Big Show had other ideas.
“That night, he [Big Show] found a rubber chicken in the crowd and beat me half to death with that rubber chicken, and the crowd loved it,” Rhodes said. “I, in one night, kind of wrapped my head around, ‘Yeah, this is part of the process of getting over.’ This was a very fun time to experiment.”
#Wrestlemania 28 Photos: Big Show hit the K.O punch on Cody Rhodes and became the Intercontinental champion. http://t.co/oy0icIa5
The former AEW Executive Vice President has fond memories from that period of his WWE career. He also enjoyed the evolution of his character from "Dashing" Cody Rhodes to "Undashing" Cody Rhodes in 2010-2011.
Details on Cody Rhodes’ backstage conversation with The Big Show
Dashing Cody Rhodes to Undashing Cody Rhodes is one of the best character developments I’ve seen
It’s so good and underrated and it’s definitely Cody’s best WWE run. https://t.co/IxGnywKkKe
WWE fans became more invested in Rhodes when he adopted the "Dashing" and "Undashing" gimmicks. However, the man behind the mask had concerns that people would start viewing him as a comedic character.
Reflecting on his mindset at the time, Rhodes said The Big Show’s blunt advice helped him in the long run.
“I told him in the locker room, I said, ‘I wanna do a little more. I wanna get a little gritty,'" said Rhodes. "I don’t even know what I was saying at the time. ‘I just don’t think haha is gonna help me.’ I remember he just kinda smacked his legs, got up, he goes, ‘Well, then go get over,’ and walked out. I thought, ‘Ah, he’s right.’”
Moving forward, Rhodes is expected to remain a key superstar on RAW in the coming months. Since returning to WWE, the 36-year-old has recorded victories over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38 and WrestleMania Backlash.
Please credit Broken Skull Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.