Cody Rhodes Can’t Wait To See This WrestleMania Match

Cody Rhodes made his WrestleMania 42 media rounds on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday morning, and when asked which match on the card he was most looking forward to watching, the Undisputed WWE Champion did not hesitate to answer with a pick that says a great deal about what he values most in professional wrestling.

“There’s always a little bit of that split between the sports entertainment and the wrestling — the sports and the entertainment. And the one that’s old-school sports style that I really like, just good, old-fashioned wrestling: Gunther vs. Seth Rollins. I’m all about that. That’s a wrestlers’ wrestling match,” Rhodes said.

The endorsement of Gunther versus Rollins as the match he is personally most anticipating is a pointed one given that Rhodes is headlining the event himself. That he is choosing to spotlight a match entirely defined by its in-ring credentials rather than its storyline drama or celebrity involvement is entirely consistent with his established aesthetic as a performer and wrestling fan.

Cody Rhodes Calls Pat McAfee a “Rat” During His ESPN Get Up Appearance Ahead of WrestleMania 42 Night One

Rhodes also continued his public commentary on Pat McAfee’s involvement in his championship program during the Get Up appearance, this time describing McAfee as a “rat” surrounded by people who do not tell him no often enough. The comment marks an escalation in Rhodes’ public positioning on McAfee heading into their Saturday Night One main event, where McAfee will be in Randy Orton’s corner as Orton challenges for the Undisputed WWE Championship. WrestleMania 42 Night One takes place April 18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, airing on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan.