Cody Rhodes, one of WWE’s biggest stars in recent years, has revealed that he intends to retire from in-ring competition within the next six years, making his family one of his top priorities.
In a recent interview with Luke Owen of WrestleTalk, Rhodes, 41, said he does not plan to keep wrestling once his older daughter, Liberty, turns 11.
Rhodes put it this way.
“When my daughter is 11 years old, I’m not going to be falling down for a living anymore.”
Rhodes and his wife, Brandi Rhodes, welcomed Liberty in June 2021, and she is now 5 years old. That means Rhodes is on track to retire by 2032 if he sticks to the plan, closing out a pro wrestling career of more than 25 years.
During the interview, Rhodes also addressed John Cena’s retirement in December 2025, saying he learned a great deal from the way Cena ended his career.
Rhodes played a direct role in Cena’s final run with WWE. At WrestleMania 41, Cena beat Rhodes to win his 17th world title. Rhodes later regained the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
Rhodes added that he plans to follow the example of Cena, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar by giving opportunities to younger talent as his career winds down.
As previously reported, Rhodes recently re-signed with WWE and confirmed that he intends to finish his career with the company.
Rhodes remains locked in an intense feud with Randy Orton. On the October 2 episode of SmackDown, Orton interfered in a Triple Threat match pitting Rhodes against Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano, costing Rhodes a spot in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Owens went on to pick up the win.