10 Things We Learned From Cody Rhodes On Stone Cold’s Broken Skull Sessions Podcast
3. Indy Wrestling Healed Him
God bless independent wrestling.
That's how Cody Rhodes sees it, at least. Post-WWE, he did some work with bigger companies like ROH, Impact and New Japan. In between dates for those leagues, Cody also appeared on every indy fed he could get booked for. That was a conscious decision designed to get him out there.
An agent in LA, one recommended by Big Show, also suggested that Rhodes show up for every indy group wearing a suit. This professionalism would stand out, but it'd also display his respect for what these smaller organisations were trying to do; "I needed to do that. I needed to meet fans again", he said.
Working the indy scene helped Cody both as a performer and personally. He was still grieving Dusty - he always will, but there were early days during that process, and it helped big time to work with a lot of hungry young wrestlers who aspired to get to where he'd just come from.