WWE legend reveals inspirational advice he gave Cody Rhodes two decades ago (Exclusive)
Cody Rhodes competed as an amateur wrestler in high school before becoming a professional wrestler with WWE in 2006. Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), a regular guest at Rhodes' high school wrestling events, recently recalled what he said to the WWE star after his first loss.
DDP made his name in WCW in the 1990s. The WWE Hall of Famer formed a close relationship with the promotion's former booker, Cody's father Dusty, and became good friends with the Rhodes family.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, DDP said he promised to travel from Los Angeles to Atlanta to watch Rhodes:
"I was living in LA when Cody was a junior in high school, and that was the year when he got that 33 and 0. I told him that if you end up in the state finals, I'll be there. He goes, 'Seriously? You're gonna come back?' I go, 'Dude, once you get to the finals, I'll be there.' I booked a flight right away and watched him go 48 and 0." [1:34 – 2:02]
When Rhodes finally lost at amateur level for the first time, DDP gave the then-rookie some inspirational advice about suffering setbacks in life:
"His senior year, he lost his 12th or 13th match. He was undefeated until then. He was really upset about it, and I said, 'Code, do you think you learn anything from winning or losing?' I said, 'You learn from falling down [and] making mistakes, bro.' I go, 'What did you learn from that?' I tell you what he ended up learning is that every kid after that just didn't wanna get pinned by Cody Rhodes. So, he figured it out, and after he'd take them down, he'd let them up, then he'd take them down, then let them up, then he'd take them down, then he'd let them up, then he'd take them down, and he'd pin them." [2:03 – 2:45]
Watch the video above to hear DDP explain how Cody Rhodes' popularity could help WWE fans move on from the Vince McMahon allegations.
The moment DDP knew Cody Rhodes was destined for greatness
After suffering his first loss, Cody Rhodes made sure he returned as a better amateur wrestler the following year.
DDP knew The American Nightmare would succeed in life when he saw how he responded to losing:
"The guy who beat him [the previous year], I flew back for his senior year and watched him eat that kid alive. He pulled me down onto the floor with the family. I've always been a Rhodes, but that was a big deal for me and him, and from that moment on I knew he was destined for doing really great things." [2:47 – 3:20]
In the same interview, DDP revealed how Rhodes played a part in his impromptu appearance at the Royal Rumble press conference.
What would you like to see next from Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments section below.
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