WWE Champ Cody Rhodes Discusses Pressure Of Having A Successful Wrestler For A Parent

Cody Rhodes is riding high at the top of WWE as the Undisputed WWE Champion, but even he has felt the pressure of the wrestling business weigh him down, to the point where he has had more pressure given his family name. 

As his entrance music states, "Wrestling has more than one royal family," the Rhodes family name is something that "The American Nightmare" recently talked about during an appearance on the "Gabby AF" podcast. He explained that while having a parent who was a wrestler gave him a proverbial headstart in the business, having a father like Dusty Rhodes made things extremely challenging for him in his formative years. 

"What's really tricky is when your father, your mother, whoever precedes you, what's really tricky is when they were popular," Rhodes said. "If your dad was an enhancement talent, and a good one that, but didn't make it to the next level, then the pressure's less. But when your dad or mom is somebody who has a complete photobook of memories in people's minds..."

The Undisputed WWE Champion used Jacob Henry, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, as a prime example of someone who he wants to talk to as he is already known before even having a match, but has to be able to survive the difficult role of being a second-generation wrestler. He also used Charlotte Flair as an example of someone who has not only thrived as a second-generation wrestler but is so good that younger fans associate the Flair name with her first and then her father Ric Flair.

Please credit "Gabby AF" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.