Cody Rhodes on One Major Difference as WWE Champion

Ahead of defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes discussed a change to his perspective as champ

This story is part of the Sports Illustrated SummerSlam Series.

CLEVELAND, OHIO – Cody Rhodes entered the wrestling business with one goal: to become champion.

This past April at WrestleMania 40, that happened in spectacular fashion. Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns, winning the Undisputed WWE Championship in a phenomenal match that featured cameos from The Rock, John Cena, and The Undertaker.

Life as champ, Rhodes has learned, has its perks. There are elements to daily life that remain unchanged, but being the face of the company is an opportunity Rhodes earned through an unrelenting work ethic from the moment he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.

A major difference Rhodes has noticed is one he sees on a daily basis.

“The thing I notice most about being champ is everything I do has a direct effect on WWE,” said Rhodes. “That’s a scary concept, right? Everything I do, even to what I eat, impacts WWE. That extra donut might make my abs pop less, right? Before, I would be more focused on how something impacts me, but now I’m looking at it from all angles. I’ve been neurotic about it, but I’ve looked at it as a real positive.

“To have that pressure is really good for me. If it happened earlier in my life, I don’t know how I would have been able to handle it.”

Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa battle at Money in the Bank last month / WWE

In addition to promoting SummerSlam throughout Cleveland–as well as ESPN earlier this morning–Rhodes is looking forward to doing what he does best, and that’s putting on a compelling match against Solo.

“I defeated the true ‘Tribal Chief’, and that’s Roman Reigns,” said Rhodes. “Now it’s time to go out and defeat the pretender.”