Wrestler Cody Rhodes found his true self after leaving the WWE

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Former WWE star Cody Rhodes finds own wrestling path

Beyond the Ring with Cody Rhodes: Former WWE star Cody Rhodes opens up about his wrestling family, carrying his father Dusty Rhodes' torch, and taking his new fight to Ring of Honor

Cody Rhodes is wrestling royalty.

The son of wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes spoke to Fox News on why he left the WWE and carrying on his family's legacy.

Fox News: Did you have any fear of what awaited you on the outside after leaving the WWE?
Cody Rhodes: I reached a point where nothing scares me in this industry mainly because I grew up in it. My earliest memory is 4-years-old getting in a wrestling ring.

Fox News: How would you define Cody Rhodes?
Rhodes:  I’m a second generation professional wrestler. My family, the Rhodes family has been wrestling for 50 odd years. I get to carry the flag now, and I’m just a father-son trying to do what he did. I had several decorated characters within the WWE that I was really proud of, coats of paint that changed that I could show a different side to the audience because I’ve been in front of them since I was 20-years-old, and none of them were necessarily the right one.

Fox News: What was your ultimate goal to achieve by leaving the WWE?
Rhodes:  The goal of leaving was to find myself.

Fox News: When you left the WWE, you created a short list which became the talk of social media. It included opponents which you haven’t had the chance to face yet, tournaments you wanted to be in, among a few other things. Take us back and tell us why you created this?
Rhodes: I think I created the list because I wanted people to know, hey this isn’t talk, some of these matches are already signed, and they’re gonna happen. It’s an insurance policy, it’s my promise. That was my way of saying it’s gonna happen and it’s gonna happen against some of the absolute best that are outside the WWE.

Fox News: In less than a year you were at WrestleMania (WWE), Bound for Glory (IMPACT Wrestling), Final Battle (ROH) and Wrestle Kingdom (New Japan Pro Wrestling) each of the company’s biggest show of the year. The only wrestler to ever do that.
Rhodes: Honestly, I didn’t intend on being at Bound for Glory, Final Battle, Wrestle Kingdom, WrestleMania all in the same calendar year. I said it after my match at Wrestle Kingdom, I said nobody but me and that’s the cocky side of me and a lot of pride and the fact that I was able to do it. I was able to cross some streams in companies that don’t always work together. In this case they allowed it.

Fox News: What makes Ring of Honor different?
Rhodes: Ring of Honor, it’s consistency and it’s tradition and the people that it’s turned out. I mean it’s been a factory for stars that would end up going to NXT (WWE) as the stars they were in Ring of Honor, and it’s fans represent the hardest fan to please. If you’re in front of a Ring of Honor crowd and you suck, they’ll let you know. This was a place for me to find out is Cody Rhodes even worth a d--n and worth all this fuss.

Fox News: Having that freedom to be able to work just about anywhere, why did you choose ROH?
Rhodes: As I got older I realized my dreams are allowed to change, my dream in the wrestling business has changed a bazillion times. You can’t plan it right? It’s like a really good wrestling match if that makes sense, a really good wrestling match is one that yeah maybe you did plan A-Z but within that A-Z there’s magic that you didn’t plan.