8 Things We Learned From Cody Rhodes On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show
6. The Road Warriors Sold Him On Wrestling
If you're wondering which acts fascinated Cody when he was growing up, then wonder no more.
Rhodes reminisced about the magic of seeing live pro wrestling constantly as a child. The way people reacted to some of these guys tickled him, because he'd see them behind the curtain when he was with his dad. Cody wasn't judging - he'd cheer and boo the same way. Specifically, he recalls seeing “The Road Warriors run down here with their spiked shoulder pads” the most.
That visual and the energy Hawk and Animal conjured up made him want to become a pro wrestler. So, there you go. There might never have been a WrestleMania 40 moment or even an AEW had the Legion Of Doom not captured Cody's imagination as a nipper. He says he could always feel that something special was going to happen whenever The Road Warriors were in town.
It's easy to forget just how over Hawk and Animal were during their pomp. Something sticks out as interesting here though. Hawk and Animal left WCW in 1990 for a gig over in the WWF. They lasted there until 1992, then did some work in New Japan for years. The pair wouldn't return to Atlanta until 1996. Digging deeper, the duo only worked at Center Stage on Saturday Night once in '96.
They beat Butch Long and The Gambler on the 24 February episode that was taped on Valentine's Day. So, Cody fell in love with his life-changing faves on 14 February 1996. There's something sweet about that!