WWE star impressed by the roster following his return after 6 years: "Seth Rollins is not a child," "Jey Uso is a completely different animal"
WWE is spoiled for choice and has consistently had some of the best professional wrestlers in the world. Cody Rhodes recently admitted that the biggest change he's seen in WWE over the past decade is the increase in experience.
Cody Rhodes spent all his developmental years as a performer in WWE, having begun in 2006 as a young rookie and leaving as a disgruntled talent in 2016. Cody indeed came into his own as a wrestler during his post-WWE run and eventually returned to the company last year after a six-year career-rebuilding phase.
Rhodes noted that amongst all the things that are different now in WWE, he was amazed by how his colleagues have evolved.
The American Nightmare specifically spoke about Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn while explaining the importance of having seasoned professionals in the locker room.
The former AEW star had the following to say during his interview with Chris Van Vliet:
"The main thing, the far more important thing that has changed, is that the people who run it are the same, but they now run it, and it's a bunch of grown men and women now, in terms of the actual talent. Seth Rollins is not a child. It's not Tyler Black coming from Ring of Honor anymore; he's a grown man who knows the psychology of a crowd, how he can move them, how he cannot, and that's across the board. Jey Uso is a completely different animal. Sami Zayn, like, a true artist, Kevin Owens, has the experience, the ebbs, and flows of it all." [4:41 - 5:15]
Cody Rhodes pointed out that having proficient wrestlers leads to good business, which has been evident from the recent streak of sold-out shows.
While the 38-year-old star had observed many differences in his WWE stints, the current crop of talents better understands the company and its vision.
"That creates the environment we're in, and the business of it has been so good. 'Sell-out, sell-out, sell-out!' They are not random. I don't take them for granted. At any moment, they can end, but because you have an experienced group of guys and girls and that has been the biggest difference." [5:16 - 5:38]
You can check out the video here.
There is no substitute for experience: WWE's Cody Rhodes
Most fans sometimes forget that Cody Rhodes has been wrestling for over 15 years and is perfectly well-versed in what it takes to be a dependable talent.
Rhodes recalled his initial days in WWE and how he was fortunate enough to work with many top guys from that time. Cody claimed he was just a "kid" and now realizes how pivotal it was for him to mingle around with genuine experts of their craft.
He stated that the promotion's recent success is a result of the experience all across the board:
"When I was there the first time, I was a kid, and I was blossoming into what it was like to be in your 30s, a professional wrestler, who has experience working with some of the top names, but still, it's no substitute for what we have now. There is no substitute for experience, and that's what you see in these shows." [5:39 - 6:00]
What did Brandi Rhodes have to say about Cody and Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam match in Detroit? Check out more on that story here.
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