Scott burst Rhodes’ eardrum during the controversial moment when he aligned with John Cena and The Rock. The injury occurred amid the chaotic scene that shocked fans worldwide.
Speaking on The Stevie Richards Show, the wrestling veteran condemned Scott’s approach to the segment, particularly his disregard for performer safety.
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Travis Scott split focus. Travis Scott took all the attention away from the most important thing going into the main event of WrestleMania 41—not 42. And I don’t even remember what he did outside of trying to ruin the main event.
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Richards emphasized that Scott failed to understand the fundamental aspects of professional wrestling, particularly the importance of protecting fellow performers.
I think Travis Scott got into this thinking, ‘This is so easy, this is so cool.’ He underestimated the amount of thought and effort that goes into not hurting somebody and making things make sense. If he had any direction, production insight, or even basic psychology—or just common courtesy—he would have said, ‘This is not about me. I’m just lucky enough to be in the ring with this.’ But we didn’t get that. This was Travis Scott—I’m not going to say the curse word, but he was just trying to get his stuff in. He didn’t care about anything except telling people, ‘Oh look, I beat up Cody.’
The veteran performer further claimed that wrestling fans don’t care about Scott’s involvement in the business, highlighting the disconnect between celebrity participation and audience interest.
Travis Scott, nobody cares about you. Trust me, nobody in England who listens to music cares about you—maybe some people in the United States, but no wrestling fan gives a damn about what Travis Scott has to do with the wrestling business.
Richards detailed the serious nature of perforated eardrums, sharing his own experience with a similar injury sustained during his career.
Now, I want to let everybody know—having a perforated eardrum, a burst eardrum, a popped eardrum, whatever you want to call it—it’s no joke. I’ve had one of these from being slapped by Gail Kim. She accidentally caught me in the ear, and let me tell you, it’s no joke. Your equilibrium is off. It’s like having vertigo. Sometimes, you’re not even able to wrestle, much less take bumps and do everything else. And hearing loss? That’s just the beginning of it. Your coordination is thrown off, your balance is off, you get migraines—it can even induce vertigo, which is absolutely no joke.
The most scathing critique came when Richards described the specific actions Scott took that immobilized Rhodes during their physical interaction.
To Travis Scott, this is a joke. ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna zoom in on that now.’ But here’s the thing—Cody’s pinned down, face against the mat. He’s pressing him down even more, to the point where if Cody were slapped, he wouldn’t even be able to turn to a standing position. There’s nowhere for Cody to go. What an asshole. I mean, what a jerk move to pull. Travis Scott, you’re an a*******.
Despite the controversy, WWE has reportedly considered booking Scott for future matches. The rapper has been training for in-ring competition and has expressed interest in pursuing wrestling further.
Scott previously stated he “caught the wrestling bug” during his WWE appearance, suggesting fans will see more of him in a wrestling capacity.
The injury to Rhodes adds significant context to the upcoming WrestleMania match, where Rhodes will face John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
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