Cody Rhodes appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vliet and discussed why his WWE Championship still features Drew McIntyre’s side plates. Rhodes won the title from McIntyre last week.. While champions typically receive custom side plates immediately, Rhodes noted that he was moving too quickly on the Friday he was supposed to receive them.
Despite their on-screen rivalry, Rhodes spoke about the professional respect that has developed between the two. He compared the situation to the respect his father, Dusty Rhodes, had for his own long-term rivals like Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair. Rhodes indicated that the physical struggle in the ring leads to a specific type of appreciation for a peer’s abilities.
Rhodes Offers Respect To Drew McIntyre
Rhodes stated that he has considered personally returning the plates to McIntyre as a sign of respect. Rhodes mentioned that wrestlers often forget to collect memorabilia during their careers, and he wants to ensure McIntyre has them for his collection.
“As much as oil and water as Drew McIntyre and me—Drew McIntyre and I, excuse me—as much as oil and water we might be in, fighting behind the scenes, fighting in the ring, all these things. You fight a guy long enough, I think you start to have a respect for him. I saw that with a lot of my dad’s opponents, with Tully, with Ric, and I’ve really come to, I don’t know what it is. I mean, respect his skill set and his body of work, for sure, but I almost want to take these off myself and give them to him. I don’t know if he’s ready for that right now, but I also don’t want it to feel petty or condescending. I just sincerely, a lot of times this stuff we collect, we forget to collect it. And then 10 years from now, somebody’s got your boots, or you want something for your kids, and you don’t have it, but that might be a moment. I don’t mind having them for right now, though it still feels good,” Rhodes said.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Insight With Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. Fans can check out the full interview on the Insight With Chris Van Vliet YouTube channel or on all major podcast platforms.