Latest / The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast / Interview with Cody Rhodes, WWE Champion - BONUS

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Interview with Cody Rhodes, WWE Champion - BONUS · The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast

0:00
And I don't want to go into anything. The off limits are embargoed.
0:03
Here are we are? Is that story one you don't want people to know
0:07
about? Because that jacket also is related to a very specific story in one
0:13
of the most shocking meetings that I've ever said and in my entire life.
0:16
Yeah, he's as Dingo podcast the show Sucking March Lot Job. Welcome everyone
0:38
to a very special edition of the Major Wrestling Figure podcast. I am your
0:43
host, always ready, Matt Cardona, and I'm your host the most professional
0:49
wrestler Brian Myers of the show Smart Marks Sterling. But Matt, you've got
0:54
to do the intro. I can't do it this, guys. We have
0:57
a big get this week. This is my get one of, if not
1:02
my best friend, the w w E champion, the American Nightmare, Cody
1:08
Roads. Wow. Wow, thank you so much, thank you so much
1:14
for the introduction. I uh, I've got to jump right on it though,
1:19
because you said one of how did you word it, one of my
1:23
best friends, one of if not you know, so a kid be both.
1:26
I've never that's been Cody. I've known about for twenty years. I've
1:30
never heard him call anyone his best friend. So that's that's a big step.
1:34
Well, I don't want to. I don't want to. It's such
1:37
a nice thing to hear. But we're that's tested at the moment for sure.
1:42
Really, because I have tried to hang out with mister Cardona at least
1:49
now thirty three separate times when I come to Orlando, when we go to
1:55
the parks, and he is always too busy, always the schedule, jacket,
2:01
my schedule. He's clearly in his backyard smoking cigars. It's all documented
2:05
on Instagram. He's not that busy. Well, I had replaced him with
2:09
QT. Was gonna be my new best friend, right, But then that's
2:14
a bad way to go about anything. QT replaced me with Billy Gunn.
2:19
So I'm really I'm on the market, Cody. Look I'm wearing I'm wearing
2:22
the American Nightmare Nightmare Family jacket that you gifted me all those years ago.
2:27
Did you notice that? I did notice it? Right, I've only I've
2:31
only heard of this jacket. I've never seen it before. I know it.
2:35
I was saved. I was saving it for a very special occasion.
2:38
We have a w W E champion d W champion on the show. What
2:43
a better time. There's no better time than right now. Well do you
2:46
and I don't want to go into anything the off limits or in bargoed?
2:51
Here are we are? Is that story one you don't want people to know
2:54
about because that jacket also is related to a very specific story in one of
3:00
the most shocking meetings that I've ever said and in my entire life. I
3:04
think this might be Listen, I know you're a guest in the show,
3:06
but this might be a Cody Cody. I don't want to say the word
3:08
lie, but I we even have heard the Matt Cardona version of this in
3:14
public, have we I really? I would, I would welcome his There
3:17
are elements. Okay, So a Cody lie A has two rules. There's
3:25
just two rules to a Cody lie okay. One it has to be partially
3:30
true. It has to be partially true. The other is it can never
3:35
be about anything serious. It can never be about anything serious. It always
3:38
has to be something that's more banter related. I have added over the years
3:44
to the Cardona jacket meeting story I have and people like it. You get
3:50
the crowd going, that's what that's That's what I'm trying to do. We're
3:53
telling stories. We should also we should also pump the brakes and acknowledge that
3:58
Mark is still very nervous to be around you because it used to be his
4:00
boss. He hasn't been able to shake that. I thought that's why you
4:06
couldn't do the intro for me. You didn't want to open the door.
4:13
I just knew Matt was very excited to do. We're gonna talk about Cody
4:17
Lies. What about the time we first met cod Do you tell this tale?
4:23
Because it's so embellished that it's fun it is, it's a perfect Cody
4:27
Lie. But are we going to get you the exact, true to form
4:30
what happened that night? Let's hear let's for the people who don't know.
4:32
Can you tell us that first night at ov W Yeah, yeah, sure,
4:35
uh We OBW and Deep South were the developmentals for w W E.
4:42
The major brothers were at Deep South OVW. I was there with Sean Spears,
4:46
Punk, a few others and basically, and this is a part of
4:53
the story that you guys don't always know. Everybody in the entire wrestling world,
4:58
except for the people at Deep South, knew that Deep South was closing.
5:01
It was only the people at Deep South that didn't know what was going
5:05
to happen. Ultimately, when it happens, there's this big talent surplus that
5:12
takes place at OVW where guys are coming in. They're gonna move from their
5:15
developmental and deep South OVW. There's all new cars in the parking lot.
5:19
It's it's kind of a little bit of a shock, a little bit of
5:23
a you know, the status quo has been disrupted. The major brothers yourselves
5:30
at the time, had just debuted on e CW and this was what Tuesday
5:34
nights on sci Fi Live May Tuesday Night Live sci Fi. You've debuted,
5:44
You've you've gotten to the main roster, as we say. And Wednesday is
5:47
the OVW television show and it has a pretty rigid schedule on when you get
5:55
there and what you do. And uh, everybody who's come over from Deep
5:59
South is there. They were there the day before, they've made their introductions,
6:03
we know where they're living. We're starting to click with one another.
6:08
Not YouTube. YouTube decided at I think the semi main event that that is
6:16
when you were going to walk into the door of the Davis Arena in the
6:20
middle of the show. But we already knew you were in town already,
6:25
so this was a unique choice that was made. We knew you guys were
6:28
in town. Good, so you come in and I specifically remember you both
6:31
had really nice leather jackets on, really nice kind of like when DDP was
6:38
doing The Stalker that like leather, right, you know, so you got
6:43
these nice leather coats on, and there was a man in talent relations Mike
6:47
Boucie correct, yes, yes, And at the end of the show,
6:54
we do a big meeting talking about the TV what we did great, usually
6:57
just a good high like boost morale type, and here's what we did great.
7:00
And we're trying to get everyone's minds wrapped around the future. They could
7:03
be future ww champions, future superstars, whatever it may be. But he
7:08
decides to give a speech where the exact verbiage of the speech was, I
7:13
want to introduce you to two of the most important people in WWE. And
7:19
I want to introduce you to two people who you already know because they debuted
7:25
last night on television. But make it clear they don't know who the f
7:29
you are. This is said to a room of us, and then there's
7:32
no microphone, there's no production. He literally g's up like Mike Rome and
7:39
goes he's like japing and this whole thing and to no pop the smattering of
7:48
So shortly thereafter I left OVW. I always had great relationships I felt with
7:54
both you guys, but your OVW experience that followed wasn't great. Correct.
7:59
That was our our fault admittedly though, Yeah, you know, we were
8:03
we were We thought we were on the main roster. Were very checked out.
8:05
And to give a little backstory context that story, Mike was in charge
8:09
you know ECW original Nova for those us who don't know. Uh, he
8:13
had already brought us to MOCAP and we spent like ten days with him in
8:18
La just us and like had this we got It was a great we became
8:22
friends, you know what I mean. It was like a ten day trip,
8:24
you know how that used to be. It was we get we got
8:26
out of Deep South for it was unbelievable. So I think that was the
8:30
problem there is that he was a little too friendly with us. Also,
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like you said, these people are in our colleagues, they don't even know
8:35
who we are, so they're not proud of us at all. They were
8:37
like, oh the fuck are these guys, and I might have had a
8:41
little bit of credit that Live Sci Fi was in Birmingham, Alabama. We
8:46
drove all night back to our apartment that we shared with Danny Inferno and uh
8:52
packed our ship, slept for like two hours, drove all day to Louisville.
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Sorry, I can't curse on here. All day to louis Bill no
9:00
sleep. And that's like when we got there, got there for real.
9:03
We were trying to show that we wanted it. We were trying to show
9:05
face and say, oh we didn't have just didn't work. It didn't work
9:09
out. Good, totally good. We were have the thought you'd been there
9:13
already. And then when your boss at the time, uh, Mike Butchie
9:16
says they don't know who the f you are and then dug an intro for
9:20
you like you would get on a SmackDown. It was just a shocking turn
9:26
of events. And Shore and barbecue man, that's that's you know, it's
9:31
the business. Yeah yeah, well, oh my gosh, good memory.
9:33
What about another Cody Lie. There's this this famous uh myth in the wrestling
9:39
figure world. We're here on the Major Wrestling Figure podcast that the Hasbro Dusty
9:43
Rhodes that there's a yellow there's a yellow boots version. Now, the yellow
9:50
boots it's just from sun damage. But but no, it's one fact sun
9:56
damage, right. But Cody swears that he has a mint on card,
10:01
brand new version, and he told me it was in his bag. He
10:03
brought it to TV and he's going to show it to me, and eventually
10:07
he said, no, just go in my bag and look for it.
10:11
So he set me to go through his bag. He wasn't in there,
10:13
and then he tells the boys that I'm looking through his bag this figure.
10:20
He set me up. He set me up. Wow, I there there
10:26
is truth in that. I was setting you up to tell the boys you
10:28
were feeling from my bag. That was ultimately the goal. However, I
10:37
do think the yellow Boots Dusty exists. I do. I don't think I've
10:41
seen the sun damaged ones, but then there's ones that I think perhaps the
10:46
yellow Boots Dusty has bro does exist. I don't know. I don't know
10:50
if I have any evidence of that, but I thought it did. If
10:52
we're getting deep down the nerdy rabbit hole here, I think it's just because
10:56
that the legs of that dusty figure are cast in white like most of the
11:00
other ones are like whatever the character skin tone is. Yeah, think it
11:03
just doesn't age. Well, that's what I think. But anyway, listen,
11:09
we're here to talk about all days. Cody, big premium live event
11:13
coming up this Saturday. I was about to call it a pay per view
11:16
premium live event. Wow, don't do that. Look at that clash at
11:18
the Castle. Uh you defending that title? I quit aj styles. Yeah,
11:24
we have the graphics here, code, we're very professional. Big match.
11:30
Are you gonna you have some toyatic gear planned? Cody? Oh yeah,
11:33
I do believe that. That's a that's a great question. I would
11:39
say my gear lately, and then this is more of a feather and Sandra's
11:43
cap. Miss Sandra, what she's been churning out for the last two years,
11:48
I feel is all very toy etic, very uh and not just you
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know, when you have a set of gear that involves other elements that you're
11:58
gonna get multiple figures out of it, You're gonna get multiple looks out of
12:01
it. And I think Miss Sanders has just been on a roll. This
12:05
will be the first time. I don't know if I'm gonna wear it over
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or not, But she put a hood on this one for the first time,
12:16
right, a little, But then also maybe the fact because your AJ
12:18
styles always with the hood and doing doing the business there, I'm not I'm
12:22
not sure if that was her thought behind it. But uh, I don't
12:26
know if I'll have the courage to to wear to wear the hood up my
12:31
my big brand guideline with those jackets and with the gear. And I think
12:35
I might have told you this, Matt is it just has to have the
12:37
scales. It doesn't have the scales. It's not a cody robe. It's
12:41
just a robe, you know, so those scales. I try to really
12:43
hold hold on my own. I did not know the miss I thought Sandra
12:48
retired. So is she like exclusive to you? Yes, wow, that's
12:54
right, mayor seemstress. But she's a imagined She was doing WW stuff in
12:58
the early nineties, late eighties, right, She's a legend. And she
13:03
told me she was going to put together a coffee table book of a bunch
13:05
of different works. She's done concept art pictures with wrestlers because she's been doing
13:09
it since w CW. And she she wants to go to I think Wrestle
13:13
Con this year. And I told her I go. You would love it,
13:16
You would have a blast all these This is a an eye into a
13:20
world that people don't know anything about. I mean, she's done everybody's gear.
13:24
She's done so many people's gear. People forget that Sandra did it.
13:28
Yeah, she every now and then she'll slip somebody you know, classic gear
13:31
seamstress, They'll slip somebody else's gear in your bag. Hey, can you
13:35
deliver this monteze board? You know that move? Yeah, yeah, that's
13:39
that's a that's a classic seamstress move. But for the most part, she's
13:43
retired and puts out unbelievably good stuff for me. Awesome. Now since you've
13:48
been since you returned to WWE, you've gotten a lot of awesome figures from
13:52
Mattel, including two ultimates and that debut Ultimate that you had with the very
13:58
special packaging the entrance. Yeah, check that out right there, the Ultimate
14:03
edition Hotail Creations exclusive from your This is from WrestleMania where you return, right
14:07
Cody, that is, and you actually have you can take some credit in
14:11
terms of we we had a couple of discussions on what are things that would
14:16
be important to collectors. You mentioned the velcrow at the top and this,
14:20
and it coming down in the fashion that it does to keep the box mint
14:24
as far as ment as it can be. So I have I often.
14:26
I don't know if Matt shares this with you guys share specific exclusive toys that
14:33
I'm probably would get sued if they knew I was sending out photos and ask
14:37
him questions. Because this is a world that up until my Masters of the
14:41
Universe collecting, which was short lived, the whole figure world is a whole
14:46
new thing for me. I didn't understand it. I didn't. I didn't
14:50
get it, and then I found the things I like and having him in
14:52
my hands, and now I feel like I get it a little bit more.
14:56
But Matt Cardona has been my guide to the boy world, not unlike
15:01
I have tried to be his guide into the cigar world. You have,
15:05
hey, I will give you credit. I'm a cigar guy. Now.
15:07
Gotta gotta roll X now all thanks to the American Nightmare. He's your biggest
15:13
fan, Cody. I got the jacket. You know, I got the
15:15
jacket right here. Every time you bring up the jacket, I'm terrified to
15:18
tell the story. You have to tell the story. We've heard it.
15:22
Can we hear it. I'm just gonna zip. I actually have never heard
15:24
Cody's version of it. I've only heard. Well, I don't want it,
15:28
you know, I think it's okay, Bridge, Now, I think
15:31
you could tell it. If we tell this story, I don't want it
15:35
to be edited. It's because, all right, I can tell the story
15:41
the best way, uh from from in terms of how I giving Matt the
15:46
benefit of the death. Let's hear, let's hear this story. No lies,
15:52
I uh. At the time, when I was working at a W
15:54
had asked Matt if he wanted to be part of a tag team situation with
16:00
me, do something together, and then I think we worked it out,
16:03
talked about just doing what was it, five three or five shows. It
16:08
wasn't a long term commitment anything like that. But I wanted to bring him
16:11
in and I wanted my friend, as you heard earlier on the introduction,
16:17
my best friend. I wanted him to be part of what I was doing,
16:21
and he had WW and him had parted ways at that point. So
16:25
this was, Man, what a free agent that's out there. This is
16:27
just a win win as a the agent he'd be. I mean, you
16:32
have a specific audience that follows you everywhere you go. You're an entrepreneur.
16:36
You take care of all your people. This is a no brainer for a
16:38
place to look at you and roll up the brinks truck. So I had
16:45
scheduled a meeting between mac Cardona and Tony Kahan, and the best I could
16:53
do because of this, the climate in terms of the pandemic and fourth floor
17:00
and the after party, which was always nice. There was a lot of
17:03
food for everybody. It was just good for morale. I thought they could
17:07
meet there, and Tony said, that was a great idea. The setting
17:11
isn't great. We should have flown to Matt, or we should have done
17:15
it in an office somewhere. The setting is not great. But I noticed
17:18
though it was gonna be a private meeting. You had every right to think
17:22
it would be private, and it should have been private, but this was
17:26
I got candids of Brosky and Tony Khan just awkwardly sitting at each other,
17:32
all different people. How I'm so it's so great that you got those,
17:37
because it was so insanely awkward for such a period of time. Because I
17:42
noticed that Matt was like, you know, when Matt gets kind of nervous,
17:45
you know, like the shoulders tense up and his face gets a little
17:48
more red than it already is, Like there's like this. You can feel
17:53
his energy getting nervous. So I noticed he was a little nervous about this,
17:56
this meeting, which whatever makes I'm not judging that by any means.
18:02
But he hasn't told me anything that he's gonna say. And of course I
18:06
trust my best friend is going to be just fine with this, and I
18:10
don't have to do anything other than hey, guys, here you are.
18:12
That's it. They have a conversation. This is how the conversation opened up.
18:18
And this if I could have taken a frickin' back bump on the cement,
18:22
I would have taken a back bump. It was so shocking. Tony
18:26
starts talking and before before long, Matt goes, well, let me stop
18:30
you right there. So we're already he's already got a bullish fortune favors the
18:34
bowl approach to this. He goes, let me stop you right there.
18:37
I want you to know that I don't want to be here to be Cody's
18:41
French. I want you to know that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a
18:47
nightmare family jacket. This is this is this is like, this is happening
18:52
in real time to me, And this is the guy I suggested come in
18:56
as my friend. And I remember, to his credit, uh Tony being
19:02
such a nice guy. He just kind of like, oh okay, and
19:08
the meeting was done and it was over. We sat there for probably another
19:12
hour and nothing of substance was said because it just just tore me to shreds
19:21
before or after the meeting. Good question. I think I gave it to
19:23
him after knowing knowing he would never wear it, be caught dead wearing it,
19:29
and then here he is now wearing a this is You know, Cody
19:36
is doing us the honor be on the show. I'm not going to contradict
19:38
what he's saying. Next week I'll tell my version of the story. But
19:45
let's let's just be talking about a Let's talk about that. Let me stop
19:48
you right there is still is still the part that shocks me the most.
19:53
Let me stop you right there. He had just started talking this meeting like
19:59
as well are you had stepped away and you just heard it. I said,
20:02
hey, we've got everyone here together. We don't want to take much
20:04
time. I wanted you guys to have a moment to talk, and I'm
20:07
sitting between them. Okay, I think this is a no brain as slam
20:11
dunk the easiest decisions ever made. Find out there were strings attached. All
20:15
right, guys, we'll tell my version on another story. But since you
20:18
brought up a let's talk about that. That Blood Brothers two pack one of
20:22
the coolest wrestling figure two packs of all time, You and Dustin, Uh,
20:27
the Blood and Guts ring. I mean, this is I don't collect
20:33
modern figures, even my friends, sorry Cody, but I had this in
20:37
my collection. That's how cool this is. So I thought you were going
20:41
to make a joke about it. No, No, I think it's incredible.
20:42
What the height difference. My gosh, Dustin is taller than me for
20:48
sure, but this is yeah, I know, that's yeah, this is
20:52
like what Billy's done. And but to give a credit and give you credit,
20:56
this match is so beloved and revered in this moment, I think that
21:00
even wrestling figure fans have given it a pass, and most people kind of
21:04
I've seen them and I did it too. They pose them in like the
21:07
hug, So it doesn't really matter right there, right there in the box.
21:11
It looks a little you know, you see that, but I mean
21:15
I was, you know, lives on past that. It's very fun to
21:21
see, you know. Blood. Blood is part of sports entertainment, part
21:23
of pro wrestling. It's in a weird way. I don't mean to sound
21:29
toxic at all. It's nice to see it celebrated in the packaging and in
21:33
this moment. And actually I gave myself a nice pat on the back for
21:38
recently going into WrestleMania. I was the first w w E shirt that got
21:44
a little blood on it as well with they had done the skull with a
21:48
little cut up top after a rock beat the hell out of me in the
21:52
in the rain. But yeah, this is a I don't have any figures.
21:56
I don't think I have any really in terms of collecting them, but
22:02
I was. I liked this a lot because I liked Jeremy a lot.
22:04
He's a good dude. He's sent me some Swish mellows and I think I
22:10
think something that I was really proud of I was telling Matt earlier is as
22:15
I was trying to come up with stuff, I wasn't good in the e
22:17
VP role. I wasn't good in management or anything like that. But I
22:19
was trying to come up with things, and one of the things I helped
22:22
come up with was the luminaries idea, and I was just I'm I'm glad
22:30
it happened. It was more based on legends like Jeremy had done, but
22:33
Dana Massey and Jeremy and all those people were involved in the very beginning.
22:38
They did such an exceptional job. I I love those figures a lot.
22:45
I can't lie though the current, the current matel stuff blows it away.
22:49
Let's look at your new ultimate let's pop up, Yeah, hook it up,
22:52
Let's show it here on the screen. This is from last year's WrestleMania
23:00
against Roman. Awesome figure, the belt, the entrance jacket, the interchangeable
23:07
arms heads, one of, if not the best Cody's out there. For
23:11
sure. I don't have this one in my collection yet, but one of
23:15
the one of the more favorite robes that Sandra had made. And WrestleMania thirty
23:21
nine that the first WrestleMania main event that I ever ever did, So it's
23:26
it's exciting to see it in ultimate form. Let me ask you, because
23:30
what do you guys prefer in your figures in terms of somebody getting their face
23:36
scanned, or when it's animated, when it's when it's based on basically just
23:41
what you can see in a photo. I think, now do they even
23:45
do the scanning anymore? Like it's been so long, I think now like,
23:48
yeah, I think now they're just able to the technology is so great
23:52
they can just create it off an image, right or just I haven't been
23:56
scanned since I've been back. Maybe I was dead. I remember they I
24:00
feel like remember that they brought they brought in like a thing to rush to
24:06
do Ronda. So maybe that that was like the deathbed of it. But
24:08
spectacular, Like it's definite. But look at exactly if they're just animating this
24:14
all photos the technology you said they're they're that talented. The matel folks are
24:18
great. There's actually one that I've I've scooped to matt in terms of a
24:22
crossover that's happening with another Mattel property. Uh that I'll have a new figure
24:30
and hopefully that gets announced in the next few weeks before I accidentally. I'm
24:34
sure they're going to show the new WrestleMania. I'm sure they're going to make
24:37
it with the mask win in the title I mean, that's going to be
24:41
the definitive Cody Rhodes figure. For sure. There might be a funko with
24:47
the mask on the way too happen. So you also randomly, this isn't
24:52
big time secret or anything. The Pharaoh plushes sell incredibly well, I've been
24:56
told and they made one that he has the man. Well look at that
25:02
that son. I don't know if it will be too scary for kids,
25:03
or if they'll dig it, or if it's since it's part of mania,
25:07
but that's fun that it's coming. So I heard you say you don't have
25:10
this currently, are you? Are you just like, is there just so
25:11
much Cody product that you just kind of tapped out? Or like, what's
25:15
your current situation with you know, it's your own stuff. Everything ended,
25:21
So I'm starting really like I kind of my midlife crisis thing was the MO
25:23
two collecting, and I was really diving into MO two collecting. I'm still
25:27
on the hunt for the uh in the package Bluebeard Stratos. I did the
25:33
crowd you know, the crowd funded Eternia. It's just sitting in the box.
25:38
I get all this and then I became a dad and that just it's
25:45
not that yeah, I don't think it's cool. And they're all laying there,
25:48
they're ready to be It's just the time is not there. You you
25:52
spend the time hanging out and and the time's not there. I actually,
25:56
uh, because Mattel will send you figures to the house. They sent the
25:59
suit Cody's the other day. It was cool to see liberty, you know,
26:03
take one and understand. Yeah, court rings I collect was I'm codied
26:07
out here. I got all your current stuff that they had. Where do
26:11
you guys stand on the old business adage that the suit figures don't sell?
26:15
But I think we've gotten the suit over. Like if I was a kid
26:18
playing with w W figure, I would need a Cody in a suit.
26:22
I yeah, yeah, I think I think you you know, Oh yeah,
26:26
I forgot. You have two by the way, a basic and an
26:30
elite. Yeah. Matt had to explain to me what basics were. Well,
26:33
now they're now they're not called they're not called basics anymore. They're called
26:37
main event. And I have a current one right here. And they actually
26:40
added a little bit more articulation, so a little more fun to play with
26:44
than what was going on. I noticed at the top of the interview.
26:47
Matt, you had a little issue with the vernacular p l E. Do
26:49
you not like the I just didn't want to mess up. I just Cody.
26:53
We're Ruth's aggressionary guys. You know we're not We're not up with all
26:56
the new terms, you know, but I get it. But the thing
27:00
is, there's no pay per views anymore. Nobody is not buying it on
27:04
pay per views. Everyone everyone can watch it on Peacock. Is a big
27:08
match you and aj Styles clash the Castle, I quit match. Let's talk
27:14
about the time you quit following me on social media. He's been playing that
27:19
one all day. It was after The Roads Brothers stack Down came out,
27:29
before you had left w B, and I tweeted the photo because at the
27:33
time you were portraying Stardust on w W television. But well, I don't
27:37
think we've ever confirmed that I was playing startups. Okay, well the po
27:41
that probably was the issue. Yeah, the official package says The Roads Brothers,
27:48
and I had tweeted that out. I said something along the lines of
27:52
this is proof that Stardust is Cody Rhodes. And you blocked me on social
27:56
media, and to this day you do not follow me, whoa to this?
28:00
You've been just sitting on this for ten years. Ross you're trying to
28:02
explain yourself. Well, I you know, I think it's a little weird
28:04
if we're best friends that I'm not even followed on social media. I didn't
28:10
know that I didn't follow you. I thought I did. I don't know
28:14
you would know. Maybe that's why you're not seeing the cigar picks, man,
28:17
Yeah, well you did well. I saw. I saw enough of
28:19
the cigar picks to tell him that he was smoking it the wrong way.
28:23
I have admitted that publicly. I told Frankazarin and Eric Young that story,
28:29
and they lost their minds like that was true. Also, also, I
28:33
turned him on to flavor and fuse cigars, which are a great starting cigar.
28:38
But I think it was a mistake because now he's it's like a reestling
28:44
wine compared to a Murleou or a cave. There's a total different palette.
28:48
And I feel you're two into the sugar stuff. I'm trying it all.
28:52
I don't know what I like until I smoke it, you know what I'm
28:55
saying. I'm not sure, but thank you, okay, correctly smoking correctly?
29:00
It was backwards, Matt, Yeah, and a selfie. It's funny
29:04
to me that you're into cigars now, because I remember at missus New Year's
29:07
party, I said, I got some cigars, you want to go out
29:10
back and smoke them? And we were sitting there at that nice table with
29:14
the fireplace, and miss is so absurdly rich and just everything so nice,
29:18
and uh, we we lit up and we're sitting there talking and we're smoking,
29:22
and he, uh, he decided to he literally worked. We're two
29:26
minutes in, he goes, So what do we do now? I don't
29:30
know if it's good for a New Year City party. It's good when I'm
29:33
outside the pool, like an hour to chill and relax and collect my thoughts.
29:37
It's great at a party. You can't be social if you're outside smoking
29:41
a cigar, you know you can. What do you collect when you're collecting
29:44
your thoughts outside? Are you thinking? Uh? What are you? What
29:48
are you thinking of? Because I'm very curious because your schedule is as is,
29:53
very very You're booked until to win till January at this point, you
29:57
know, twenty seven not that far out, you know, but you know,
30:03
I'm just planning, you know, thinking about life, reflecting goal setting.
30:04
He's probably he's literally texting every person that works for us to do something
30:08
and do this. Yeah, no doubt that some of that might happen.
30:14
Yeah, some of that might. I took my family to Lego Land this
30:15
week, and I said, Matt, I'm at Lego Land for two days.
30:18
Do not message me in our work, in our official tech tech.
30:22
I mean that's true. He did say that. Yes, how do you
30:25
how do you feel having that power? Matt? We were just talking about
30:27
this before we came on the air. A little bit of power. Do
30:30
you feel you abuse it? Or do you feel your power hungry? Man?
30:34
No, there's no power. I wouldn't ask anybody to do something I
30:37
wouldn't do myself. You know what I'm saying. Oh my gosh, here
30:44
get ready for another cool segue, because right now I'm out with a torn
30:47
but someone else who wants tore their peck the American Nightmare Cody Roads and here
30:51
has many figures with that torn peck. I mean, we got the the
30:56
funk Go Pop, we got the defining moments rings, that exclusive rings.
31:00
I couldn't it's crazy. So that comes in like that set of four as
31:03
you see in the screen Mankind, bred Hart, Shawmichaels. You know,
31:06
not some schlubs there, some pretty heavy hitters. They know they could not
31:10
keep that Cody in stock. I think it's gone to like two or three
31:12
rounds. The others are readily available on the website, you know, wrestlingfigures
31:15
dot Com use code major safe ten percent. But that Cody just keeps going
31:21
and going going. It's like probably one of the hottest selling wrestling figures in
31:23
years. You know, It's one of those things where when it comes to
31:29
this match, it's uh. I can tell it means something to the fans
31:34
who watched it there in the arena and the fan who watched it at home.
31:38
But for me, because it was just an embarrassing, dejected, awful
31:45
feeling going through that day and then knowing in the few days leading up that
31:48
it clearly was torn and it was getting worse. I don't know, I
31:52
just I have a weird I love that people love it, but also it's
31:56
a weird feeling when I see it, and I'm I'm glad it catches on
32:00
with people. They did an incredible job with it, but it's just a
32:04
strange, strange thing that it's documented in your life in terms of that bruising
32:10
and how it looked. And I'm really glad, I was saying this the
32:14
other day. I'm really glad that nobody asked me to see it on the
32:19
day of the ple, on the day of Hell in the Cell, nobody
32:23
asked me to see it, because I feel like had I shown it to
32:29
the right person, they would have said, oh, no, no way,
32:32
absolutely not, you're not flying, you're lying. And I just kept
32:37
that thing covered up and stayed on the bus. And because I think the
32:40
first person who really did see it was Seth and his reaction is all there
32:45
for the world to see. But yeah, that was that was I mean,
32:49
it looks I'm glad to figure it out. It looked disgusting, dude,
32:52
like you've ruined torn pecks for anybody. I couldn't even post a pick
32:53
of my torn peck because I looked like a baby compared to you. You
32:58
ruined it. I couldn't even like exploit that I told my peck the unveiling,
33:01
the unveiling of the tendon. I tore the tendon off the bomb.
33:06
You tore the tendon. You didn't get the big Dumbledore bruising. I got
33:08
the bruising, but it wasn't like yours, so I couldn't post it.
33:12
You ruined torn pecks for everybody. It's crazy because my mom I had texted
33:15
her saying, hey, uh we need she needed to pick me up from
33:20
Birmingham from the surgery. There was something where Brandy or the bus or she
33:22
needed to be at the house. We were just calling all hands on deck.
33:25
I major surgery happening and I told her that. Then she watched the
33:30
match and asked me if it was makeup? Asked me if it was makeup
33:32
after we've already talked to you about a surgery. No makeup? What was
33:37
I like physically working with that? Awful? I think something that I get,
33:44
I get a little. You know, Matt can tell you I'm a
33:46
fairly petty individual, and I get very petty. Uh when I see on
33:51
social people people think I had some sort of medication. Uh. And I'll
33:57
tell you the god honest truth. I was hoping for some extra strength tile
34:02
on all. I was hoping for something. But when I went to it
34:07
was Larry in the training room looking for some anti inflammatories I was given.
34:12
And I kid you, not two two baby aspirins, that is too baby
34:19
aspirins, and I was happy to have them. And then right in the
34:23
early part of the match, I thought I was gonna puke, because it's
34:28
that feeling like when you've been punched in the nose, or when it's like
34:31
when you've been hit so hard that your body wasn't ready you took a fall
34:35
from way higher up whatever it is. I thought that we're this won't go
34:39
much longer. I thought for sure I was gonna just literally vomit in front
34:44
of the audience. And then I found kind of a second wind. And
34:46
then near the end of it, I felt like I could have benched that
34:51
three point fifteen and just been just been repping it out. But short shortly
34:55
thereafter all that pain set in. Damn wow. So know this is the
35:00
major recipe for your podcast. We talked about some of your figures. Do
35:02
you have a right if you use? You want to thank you host,
35:09
thank you? But do you have time? Do you have a favorite Cody
35:14
figure for sentimental reasons, for for any reason whatsoever? Is there a favorite
35:17
of yours that you have? I probably should have been prepared for that.
35:23
Yeah, I do, And it's a it's a it's a Jacks figure.
35:29
That's right, baby, it's a It was my first WW figure John Deere
35:36
Green Trunks with my dad. It's the two pack. Yep, there it
35:39
is. Yes, I you know, at the time that was happening,
35:45
I thought I would have so many of those. I thought they would do,
35:49
you know, a lot of stuff like that, and really, in
35:51
the end, it just came down to that's the that's the two pack there.
35:54
There might be might be some more two packs coming in the future,
36:00
but yeah, that one plus Jack Jack's made you look so insanely Jack.
36:06
Yeah, so that was nice when I was you know, at the time,
36:10
I'm literally twenty one years old and you know, can barely put any
36:15
weight on my body. Just a pure babyface and a sense of how I
36:19
actually looked. I was so jealous because there were no major Brothers two packs,
36:22
but you gotta figure, I was so jealous. That's a great two
36:25
packs. It's an unbelievable two pack. And hopefully MATEL does something down the
36:30
line with you and Dusty that'll be magical. What's what scared you? I'll
36:35
tell you something that really scared me. When I was at OVW as I
36:37
lived right by a Walmart, and I would go in there on the regular
36:43
and get into everything I needed. I'd get it at this Walmart, and
36:45
I'd always peruse the toy section. I feel, you've got to take the
36:50
wall and see what w tow figures have. I was at OVW for just
36:54
a little over a year. The entire time I was there, a set
36:59
of figures never moved. They never moved. It was called warms. It
37:05
was a two pack of a tag team it might have been. And I
37:15
was terrified that if a figure goes up on the shelves, like how many
37:21
is acceptable? Until you're like, oh, we got to buy some of
37:23
these, Like is two acceptable? Is three too many? How many of
37:28
you were up there? You know, like I was in there. I
37:29
was in Target the other day and I saw a couple of mine out in
37:31
the wild, and I thought, do I buy it? I'm glad you
37:36
brought that up because you were a peg warmer by design, because you're so
37:39
popular. This is called a top picks. Okay, So it's literally a
37:45
marketing scheme that they want if a kid gets into wrestling and they want to
37:50
Cody Roads, they want it to be on the shelves, so it's readily
37:53
available. So that's like next level. As a kid, that was the
37:57
thing. You'd go to the store and you'd be bummed out if they didn't
38:00
have the specific figure. It's like and especially if they had like the ancillary.
38:02
I'm a for example, I got the Yellow Ranger. I didn't want
38:07
the Yellow Ranger, one of the Red Ranger, one of the Green Ranger,
38:09
but the Yellow is the one they had. Yeah, you don't want
38:12
Booster, you want turbo man. You know what I'm saying. You want
38:15
you want turbo, Cody. We have a rule. You don't leave your
38:19
friend on the pegs. You see, you don't. Friends don't leave your
38:22
front of the pegs. You can't. What about your what about your best
38:24
friend? Well, your top picks, I'll leave you. But you're in
38:29
a better place. You have a lot of good you're a top pick.
38:32
Uh, well, Cody, listen one more question? All right? Well,
38:37
yes, Cody. One of the things that I love about your popularity
38:42
is how deep it runs with children, which is very noticeable. I go
38:46
to Ringsye Collectibles, it's our business partner, and there's just stacks of the
38:50
figures going out and you are always there. I mean, you're the top
38:52
thing, top seller all the time when they come out. What what how
38:58
does that feel to reach that, you know, that hogan Esque like echelon
39:00
of popularity, especially where it hits children, You know what I mean.
39:05
You know it's so cold and rock retights that to there, it's a different
39:08
vibe, like you're specifically with smaller children, which I think is the coolest
39:13
thing, especially now your dad. It's something really cool. I I mean,
39:19
that's honestly a gift anytime you have one of these experiences, like you
39:22
go to the show and the kids are in the cosplay? Are you see
39:27
the kids with the figures themselves? But I think kids are one of the
39:32
one of, if not the smartest fan we have in a sense when I
39:37
say that, I think they can see through when you're not authentic. I
39:42
think they can see through when you're not really trying to be their buddy,
39:45
when instead you're trying to get that hug on camera. I think they see
39:49
through it. And to me, I want to make sure I never do
39:52
anything that's not authentic. I want them to believe, like, hey,
39:57
I really am going to go in there and I'm gonna make aj styles pay,
40:00
I really am gonna go in there and I'm gonna beat this guy.
40:01
I'm gonna do it for you, And I want them to know. It's
40:05
not pandering, it's not political, it's a real thing. So I didn't
40:09
expect it. When I came back to WW this onslaught of young kids diving
40:16
in, particularly with the weight belts. I didn't expect it. It was
40:21
all just dreaming out loud of Oh, I hope this really catches on.
40:25
I hope this is big. But I'll also say, when you see all
40:30
these little kids loving it, and you think about I think about myself.
40:32
I'm a cynical wrestling fan because I've been watching it so long. I'm a
40:37
hardcore fan. I'm looking at all the nuance, all this. When I
40:42
see them watching it, I wish I was just watching it like they are.
40:46
I wish I could just see it from their perspective and love it.
40:51
And I try to share a little of that with them and love it like
40:53
a little a little nightmare. A little young kid is gonna enjoy the business
40:58
and enjoy the matches. And man, I look at them and I can
41:00
tell ten to fifteen years from now they're going to grow up and have a
41:04
podcast to their own. They're gonna, you know, like I'll give you
41:08
here's a prime example of something that I can that's kid linked. It's not
41:14
me linked. This is their title. This is the title they are growing
41:20
up with. This is the one that you see them by. The replicas
41:23
have gone through larof lately on the WWE Championship with the big WWE logo.
41:29
I had said many times I really loved the Winged Eagle. I still often
41:32
talk about it and hint about it and am looking to do something with it
41:37
and all that. But I do know that this is their title and that's
41:43
very special to me, and I don't want to I don't want to hurt
41:45
it or anything like that. But man, sorry, you opened up an
41:49
absolute question so much with the kids, because it changes everything. I don't
41:53
want to curse. I felt bad when I finally bit back at Rock after
42:00
just just absolutely devouring us up with with very you know, non PG stuff.
42:07
And he's the literal boss in addition to being the final Boss, so
42:12
he can do that, and I felt, all right, if he can
42:15
do it, I can do it too, And I felt bad. I
42:16
wouldn't, you know, I just I want to set a good example for
42:21
them. And you guys were both there in two thousand and eight, two
42:23
thousand and nine, whatever it was when John was doing it, and how
42:28
good John was at being being somebody for the young young fans. So he's
42:32
just set a good standard and I'm very happy hopefully to be carrying it forward.
42:37
Well, if you're a great parent, go out and get the brand
42:40
new knuckle Cruncher Cody Road. Oh yeah, look at this bad boy.
42:45
Can you get those for with the with the promo code? Not yet?
42:50
Yeah, that's how you know you made it when you're the star of the
42:53
kid friendly toy line. Man, we're proud of you. It's a knuckle
42:57
Cruncher's way. Man. I got to send you some of the secrets that
43:00
it's coming up. It's it's it's all real fun. And don't forget to
43:02
order the premium live events. Mark. You got to open up the forbidden
43:10
door and ask me a question. I was going to ask you what figures
43:16
you collect? Or Actually here we've talked many times, me and you about
43:20
the the MO two stuff, So you just kind of put that on pause
43:22
now and and is that the only thing outside of your own figures that you
43:28
would consider collecting or that you look at nowadays. No, MO two is
43:35
the thing that I liked the most. Then I saw what MO two Classics
43:38
A shout out to our friend Pixel Dan who put that whole book. They
43:44
put that whole book together and how to what you're looking for what to shop
43:47
for MO two Classics was Oh my gosh, it's like a window into my
43:52
childhood. But it's also made for the adult collector. I really like all
43:58
of the MO two stuff, but actually the X and stuff from the nineties
44:01
animated series era and now I'm sure they've gone through the roof with X Men
44:06
ninety seven, which is and that's asurdly good, good show. But that
44:09
that archangel figure was one of my favorite things I ever had as a kid.
44:14
Shot the Little two deals out the wings. I could revisit the uh
44:17
the X Men toys for sure if I if I ever build Eternia, it's
44:22
in a box in my basement, untouched. I had to slide it buying
44:27
the bar because Brandy she would throw it away. I think so I stood
44:32
it buying the bar. If I ever set it up, I'll add some
44:36
X Men into it. Yeah, well you get some time coming up.
44:37
I mean once once the once the kids get a little older, you'll get
44:40
some time to yourself for sure. I don't know, man, I I
44:45
I had this. I'll tell you this, this this, Uh, as
44:50
long as I have this, I don't think I have any time. I
44:52
think it's true. I think it is what I think it is what it
44:57
is, and you wanted it your whole life, so all right here it
45:00
is. Take it. So yeah, no, but but maybe I'll open
45:02
the collection up. Obviously I'll ping you if I do, because you're you're
45:06
the resident Mochu expert. Sure. Yeah. And actually Joe Shoes, who's
45:09
part of our family here. He he knows everything. Is that the guy
45:14
that Matt takes you guys on VIPs with my guide? Yep? I heard
45:21
that was telling me about all right, well, let's hurk Kirk is one
45:24
of my favorite guys in all of the Disney VIP tours. And I feel
45:29
like I worry when Matt goes out with him, because you know how Matt
45:32
likes to get. He's been drinking a little, he said some crazy stuff.
45:37
You know this, you know, But yeah, Kirk's a good guy,
45:39
great VIP. Well, we got Kirk by accident. Matt was that
45:43
was startled. I thought that asked for him. Kirk saw me and he
45:46
asked for me. Got he knew it was you. It was Kirk.
45:52
Wendy Liberty really likes Ted. They don't They don't miss there. Yeah,
45:57
people are amazing, Yeah, exactly all amazing. I want to take my
46:01
family from like Christmas time to New Year's Broski said, way too busy,
46:06
don't do it. Mark said it would be absolutely magical. What do you
46:07
think, what are the actual specific dates. M I don't know. I
46:14
don't have that excitsly, I just said it would be those are the busiest
46:15
times that you I didn't say. Don't go in between Christmas Day and New
46:21
Year's Eve is like going to a different park in a sense of the amount
46:27
it's packed, the amount of people that are in there. It even takes
46:31
like those days are blacked out for even the most exclusive of season pass holders
46:37
to a degree. But if you're taking them during the Christmas you know,
46:43
the the Christmas period where the castle's all done up and stuff, it is
46:46
really it's euphoric. Yeah, it's exactly. It's it's the Disney High.
46:52
You can get nowhere else, but that Christmas Day to New Year's is tricky.
46:54
I'm actually getting ready to take Liberty to Tokyo. Dizzy in the seat.
47:01
Yeah, so we got to ride that Rapunzel thing. She told me
47:05
she's pretty into it. So yeah, well tangle, that's a big one.
47:07
Yeah, that's it right. Yeah, Well a day long pal w
47:14
W Champion taking on aj Styles Premium Live event class with the Castle. Thank
47:17
you so much for coming on the major rest of her podcast. We'll do
47:21
it again one day when you have some more figures, because we know when
47:23
you have way more Cody figures. Because you're the w W champ, you're
47:27
Toyotek, you're the face of the company, and you're one of, if
47:30
not my best friends. So wow, I'm so proud of you and being
47:37
your best friend. Here you are having torn your peck and you're wearing that
47:40
jacket. I feel like it's really I that jacket meant a lot to give
47:46
out, you know, and then when you said what you said, it
47:50
hurt. It hurt me so for you to have it, for you to
47:52
have it on uh, that that changes a lot of things. I really
47:55
appreciate it. Your guys show is amazing and I've been begging Matt to be
48:00
on it. He did not beg me to be on it. I wanted
48:02
to be on it, and it's oddly one of the few things written in
48:06
my contract that I can do, uh anytime I want to do. So
48:10
we got to do a live one eventually. Oh yeah, Oh Elliott man.
48:14
We had QT on the one of them recently. Do you know Qt
48:17
QT Marshall? Yeah, you know, QT. Dude's unrecognizable. I saw
48:22
him today at the Nightmare Factory. I guess he's getting ready for some competition.
48:25
He's got the face thing where his face is all leaned up. Now
48:30
that's the goal if you're cutting, you know, and you get that slice
48:32
alone stuck in faith. Oh yeah, his major Bendys is going to be
48:37
outdated. Oh man, can you get his major Bendies with the promo code?
48:42
You can't actually know? Oh, Cony Roads. Everybody appreciate, Thanks
48:46
boy, Thank you. Guys. Join the community at major marks dot com
48:52
and get access to exclusive content, behind the scenes footage. I become a
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