Since his return to WWE, Cody Rhodes has established himself as the company’s top star. However, when he defeated Roman Reigns and became the world champion at WrestleMania XL, he was the undisputed face of the company. His fan following has been vast, evident in the robust sales of his merchandise. As such, whenever he wants to evaluate his merchandise sales, he calls John Cena for his opinion.

While having a conversation on The Pivot podcast, Cody Rhodes talked about John Cena‘s blunt response to his merchandise sales. He stated that when he asks for the 16-time world champion’s opinion, he doesn’t expect praise, but honesty. The American Nightmare revealed that Cena’s response has always been straightforward, advising him to check his sales at all shows, not just the brand he’s on.

The 39-year-old star was at the top of the merchandise seller’s list in 2024 for all of WWE. He came first on the list, followed by the likes of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Rhodes holds a special amount of respect for The Leader of the Cenation. He helped The American Nightmare win against Reigns at WrestleMania XL.

I don’t send it to him as a ‘check it out’, I send it to him because I know he’s going to tell me the truth. “It’s never ‘unbelievable, great job, you’re there, you’ve made it’, it’s always ‘well, why don’t you check the other shows you’re not on, see how you’re doing there?’ Come on, man! Cody Rhodes on The Pivot podcast

Speaking about his run as champion, he has proudly defended his title whenever he got the chance. Rhodes retained the title against AJ Styles at two different PLEs: Backlash and Clash at the Castle. Although the former Legacy member won’t defend his title at Money in the Bank, fans will see him in action against The Bloodline.

Cody Rhodes revealed the message he sent his dad, Dusty Rhodes, after winning at WrestleMania XL

When Rhodes became the undisputed WWE Champion at the Show of Shows, his family came in to celebrate. However, he also said a few words to his father, the late Dusty Rhodes, after finishing the story. He revealed on the podcast what he said at that time.

On the same podcast, Rhodes stated that he was just sorry it took him so long to get the world title. He added that Dusty fully believed in him and knew he would win the title. However, The American Nightmare felt it came later than expected in his career.

At Mania, I had a brief moment where I got to look up and I said, 'Sorry it took me so long.' I think I planned on saying a gazzilion other things, but that's really how I felt. 'This is really cool. My mom is in the ring. 'Your family is taken care of. Generationally, we're setting everything up, but I'm sorry it took so long. Cody Rhodes via The Pivot podcast

Dusty never had the honor of becoming the world champion during his WWE tenure. Furthermore, during his initial run, it never seemed like Rhodes was even close to holding the world title. Finally, after a long wait, he is the world champion and looks forward to holding the title for a long time.