A sharp turn on a European tour bus years ago led to what Cody Rhodes considers one of the most mortifying moments of his career, an incident involving a direct, and very personal, collision with Triple H.
During a recent episode of his “What Do You Want To Talk About?” podcast, the WWE Champion shared the awkward memory with his guest, Damian Priest. Rhodes set the scene of a European tour from years ago, when Triple H was still a regular presence traveling with the roster.
“I’ve got a good Hunter story, one I thought I’d never live down. He probably doesn’t even remember it. Every time I tell him, he’s like, ‘That happened?’ And I’m like, ‘Yup.’ We were on the tour bus — back when Hunter still traveled with the crew. He was sitting in the back, headphones on, blasting Motorhead. Long hair, totally in the zone.”
Rhodes explained he was simply walking to the front of the bus when disaster struck, creating a moment he believed he would never recover from professionally.
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“I got up to walk to the front of the bus, not doing anything stupid or wild — just minding my business. Then the bus took a sharp turn, and I lost my balance. I fell forward… and my crotch landed directly in Hunter’s face. And I couldn’t move. The way the bus was turning, I was just stuck there — practically suctioned to him. He starts flailing like, ‘What the—’ [Cody imitates chaos]. Once the bus straightened out, I finally got off him. Nowadays, people see him as this ultra-professional executive, but back then, he had some very colorful words for me. I just remember thinking, ‘Well, that’s it. One of my wrestling heroes just got an up-close experience he never asked for.’”
The anecdote was shared with Damian Priest, whom Rhodes also praised during the conversation for an act of kindness on a separate tour. Rhodes recalled suffering from severe food poisoning during a Holiday Tour, where he was scheduled to face Priest in a series of steel cage matches. He credited Priest for taking care of him in the ring after he disclosed how ill he was feeling.
This reflection on past events comes as Rhodes is deeply involved in current WWE programming. He has advanced to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament after winning a fatal four-way match on the June 13 edition of SmackDown. His next tournament match is a high-stakes bout against Jey Uso, scheduled for the June 23 episode of WWE RAW.
Beyond the tournament, there is significant discussion about Rhodes’ trajectory in the main event scene. Following his loss of the Undisputed WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41, Rhodes has worked to regain his footing. A recent pinfall victory over Cena in a tag team match at Money in the Bank has fueled speculation that he may be on a path to challenge for, and potentially win back, the title as part of Cena’s ongoing farewell tour.
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