Cody Rhodes believes WWE has made a significant and positive shift in recent years, particularly when it comes to the schedule wrestlers work and the time they’re able to spend with their families.
On a recent episode of What Do You Wanna Talk About?, posted on August 12 and featuring Santino Marella as a guest, Rhodes talked about how different things are now compared to previous generations. According to Rhodes, it’s become common to see kids backstage and families traveling along on the talent buses.
Rhodes credited part of the shift to the way Nick Khan and Triple H have been running the company. With fewer live events on the calendar, wrestlers spend less time on the road, though RAW and SmackDown days have gotten significantly more demanding because of TV commitments and other obligations. In Rhodes’ view, WWE has “evolved in a good way.”
The topic came up while Marella was discussing the challenges he faced trying to balance his old WWE schedule with raising his daughter. While he acknowledged the career was an incredible opportunity, Marella admitted he struggled with being away from home for extended stretches.
Notably, Rhodes has also expressed that he misses house shows. Earlier this year, he and Jey Uso pushed for a slightly fuller schedule, primarily to give wrestlers more opportunities to work in the ring. Rhodes went as far as pitching at least one house show loop per month to WWE.
The reduced schedule, though, has been part of TKO’s broader strategy for some time. In 2024, Mark Shapiro revealed the company’s plan to cut the total number of events from roughly 300 in 2023 to around 200 by 2025.