Jelly Roll

Summary

Podcast Title: What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes
Episode: Jelly Roll
Release Date: August 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of "What Do You Wanna Talk About?", hosted by WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, the spotlight shines brightly on Jelly Roll, a Grammy-nominated artist and a three-time CMT Music Award winner. With a staggering 28 million monthly streams on Spotify, Jelly Roll brings a unique blend of music and storytelling to the conversation, seamlessly intertwining his experiences in the music industry with the world of professional wrestling.

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Early Influences and First Opportunities

Jelly Roll opens up about his initial foray into long-form conversations, emphasizing the importance of depth beyond quick promos or backstage interviews. He credits influential platforms like Joe Rogan and fellow podcasters Theo and Brendan Schaub for providing his first podcasting opportunities.

Jelly Roll [04:17]: "This opened the floodgates."

He reflects on his early insecurities about expressing himself in short interactions versus the profound connections he forms during extended conversations.

Wrestling Meets Songwriting

The discussion delves into how Jelly Roll aspires to "subvert expectations of what pro wrestling looks like", highlighting the diverse styles within the industry that often go unnoticed.

Jelly Roll [04:43]: "I always wanted to subvert expectations on what pro wrestling maybe looks like."

Comparing his songwriting journey to wrestling, he shares parallels between crafting a song and developing a wrestling match—both requiring meticulous attention to detail and storytelling.

Building Connections and Gratitude

A heartfelt segment focuses on Jelly Roll's gratitude towards mentors and friends who have supported his career. He mentions legendary figures like Paul Heyman and Matt Bloom, expressing deep appreciation for their guidance.

Jelly Roll [07:04]: "I consider them all lifelong friends now."

Cody Rhodes echoes this sentiment, appreciating Jelly Roll's respectful integration into the wrestling world and his efforts to bridge the gap between different storytelling mediums.

The Art of Storytelling in Wrestling and Music

Jelly Roll passionately discusses the essence of storytelling, whether it's through a song or a wrestling narrative. He believes that both mediums share the core objective of "connecting with an audience on a human level."

Jelly Roll [31:16]: "I think I'm starting to tell the story in the ring, but I'm proud of being able to tell the story outside of it."

Cody concurs, emphasizing the importance of authentic narratives that resonate with fans across generations.

Balancing Fame and Authenticity

The conversation shifts to the challenges of maintaining authenticity amid rising fame. Jelly Roll shares his commitment to genuine storytelling, ensuring that his personal success doesn't overshadow the narratives he crafts.

Jelly Roll [75:05]: "This isn't going to be a big shock on SummerSlam when it's like Jelly Roll's new album coming out next Friday."

Cody highlights the delicate balance between personal endeavors and professional commitments within the highly scrutinized environment of WWE.

Training and Preparation for Wrestling

Jelly Roll provides an insider's view of his training regimen at the WWE Performance Center, detailing the physical and mental preparation required to perform at the highest levels.

Jelly Roll [55:37]: "I'm having the time of my life, Cody."

Cody appreciates Jelly Roll's dedication, noting the rigorous standards and the camaraderie that define the Training Center experience.

Legacy and Future Aspirations

Towards the end of the episode, Jelly Roll reflects on his journey and aspirations, both in music and wrestling. He envisions a future where he seamlessly blends his talents to create unforgettable experiences for fans.

Jelly Roll [86:52]: "And I'm setting that Grammy right here."

Cody Rhodes expresses confidence in Jelly Roll's trajectory, anticipating groundbreaking contributions to both industries.

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Notable Quotes

• Jelly Roll [04:43]: "I always wanted to subvert expectations on what pro wrestling maybe looks like."
• Jelly Roll [07:04]: "I consider them all lifelong friends now."
• Jelly Roll [31:16]: "I think I'm starting to tell the story in the ring, but I'm proud of being able to tell the story outside of it."
• Jelly Roll [86:52]: "And I'm setting that Grammy right here."

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Conclusion

This episode serves as a profound exploration of Jelly Roll's multifaceted career, bridging the worlds of music and professional wrestling. His ability to weave intricate stories, coupled with genuine gratitude towards his mentors and peers, offers listeners an intimate glimpse into the life of an artist striving to make his mark. Cody Rhodes adeptly navigates the conversation, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between wrestling and music as powerful storytelling mediums.

For fans of both wrestling and music, this episode is a testament to the enduring power of authentic storytelling and the relentless pursuit of one's passion.

Transcript

[A]

Are you feeling more fulfilled now that.

[B]

You'Re back to work on August 15th?

[A]

No, I need a vacation.

[B]

See the movie that critics are saying is an awesome look at that crowd pleasing, fist pumping all out brawl of a film. You're right about that. They're coming after our family. Go fix this.

[A]

Oh my.

[B]

Nobody 2, rated R. Holding in theaters August 15th. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Life gets easier with great assists and State Farm is here to dish one your way. Get in touch over the phone or on the app to get the teammate you need. State Farm with the assist. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state. It's the American nightmare, Cody Rhodes on my home away from home. My tour bus. This is a WWE and fanatics original production. Welcome to what do you want to talk about? And today, very, very, very lucky. It's the first time we have had someone who has been nominated for a Grammy. Probably the only time that this is going to happen on the bus to discuss things. Not only that, three time CMT Music Award winner, People's Choice Award winner. He's got 28 million monthly streams basically on Spotify every month. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the podcast Jelly Roll.

[A]

We're here, baby.

[B]

We're here.

[A]

Everything in me wants to be like, so what do you want to talk about? Hey, I love the pod man. Let me start there. Thank you. For those watching, I'm on this podcast because I requested to be. I asked and luckily Cody didn't hesitate to say yes. But I was a fan when y' all did the first six episodes. Yeah, I'm a huge fan, man. I told you this off camera, but I want to give you your flowers in front of your audience. Like, I always loved you. I loved you as a wrestler, I loved you as a worker, but I fell in love with you when I got to watch you have long form conversations. You know what I mean? It was like because you can hide your depth in a 3 minute promo or in a quick interview backstage, but you can't hide the human you are for hours at a time with different people sitting across from you asking each other questions and having conversations. So you're an awesome human man.

[B]

Cheer.

[A]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

Thank you. No, thank you for wanting to be here. Thank you for that. Cheers. I have again our friends at Wheatley American Vodka. Our good friend's new bottle, by the way. Get the new bottle.

[A]

Bottles fire.

[B]

I'm on the American mule train as usual. And now that you've said this. I, this is not at all where I was going. But you've brought up, you can hide your depth in a three minute promo. And to me, I've always wanted to subvert expectations on what pro wrestling maybe looks like, maybe people think it is. That was why the suit's always. There was all these reasons for. I want them to think differently. I want them to think of the range that we might have, that they may not be aware. You know, if you're a pro wrestler and you go on an appearance, they're going to ask you, hey, cut a promo. And it's like, okay, I could. But I really appreciate you saying that because we can't stay one way. The, the wheel changes and the wheel, you know, continues to move. But here's why. What I was thinking as you said, that there are wrestlers that can get it done in 6, 8 minutes of a match, 15 minutes of a match, and then there are wrestlers that genuinely take 40 minutes, sometimes up upwards of an hour. And I feel it's, maybe it's underappreciated. There's a style in every company that you go to and it, it is really. You've got to work really hard to find your footing. How do I express my language? How do I tell my story? No pun intended. And you actually said this when we were talking off camera. Your first conversations that you wanted to do out there in your own career were long form conversations. And you mentioned some. Was it flagrant?

[A]

One of the ones you went, yeah, flagrant Rogan, Theo. Theo And Brendan Schaub actually gave me my first podcast opportunity.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yep. I'll never forget it, man. That opened the floodgates. And this was, you know, it was a big podcast at the time, but this was right before Theo became the monster that Theo is now. Like, God, I love you so much, Theo. I'm so proud of you. No human deserved it more than Theo. But I remember Theo was the first one. I was like, come on here, man, just share your story. Him and shop. So right then I told you this off camera, I knew that. I don't think I always was like, felt insecure about myself. In short conversations with people, I always walked away. Like, I bet I sounded stupid right there, you know, but anytime I've ever spent like an hour with somebody, I feel like we could get each other, you know. So when I started doing media, my publicist, when I first hired a publicist, 2020, 2021 after Save Me, she's like, you know, she's Thinking about traditional media. And I'm like, I'd love to do that, but, like, let me go show the world who I own long form first. So that's how we kind of jumped off of it.

[B]

So you mentioned Theo in that first podcast opportunity. It comes, you know, in wrestling, you get your first big breaks and you never really even know sometimes what your first big break is. You think, okay, I'm in, I'm in. And then something happens. For me, there was a moment at the BOK Center, I'm in Oklahoma and walking by the chairman's office, and Rey Mysterio pulled me aside and said, hey, I want to wrestle you at WrestleMania. We're going to go in the office and talk about it. And I was ready and I had my idea and it even had written down in my backpack. But when I went in that room, when I came out, my career was different. It genuinely was a break beyond just. It wasn't just an opportunity, it was a break. It was something special. I forever, even though I don't share it with him enough, I forever think of Ray as if there's nothing. I have nothing. If this moment never happens. And I often think about, how do you thank somebody? How do you. Do you thank Dom? Do you befriend Dom? Do you. Do you watch over him? What is it? And I've never really figured out, other than saying it. Hey, this was one of the most important things, if not the most important thing. So I'm asking in terms of. With Theo, do you just have like a. I always call it the Chewbacca. That sounds really ridiculous. Where you have like a life debt to somebody? Yeah. How do you. How do you express that to him now? Or is it just success? Is it just, hey, I'm going to go out there and continue to be successful, connect with an audience, do it on a real non performative way. How do you express your gratitude to somebody like that dude Theo?

[A]

I put him like in the same regard as Schultz from Flagrant. Of course, in Akash and Alex and all the guys, Dove and Rogan, because these were like the three biggest platforms that gave me a chance super early.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And all of them have turned out to be. I want to consider them all lifelong friends now. We're all pretty close and I try to make it a point. What you were saying is real, is like, I want to make sure that they know they bet on the right horse. So I think about them all the time. You know what I mean? Whenever I'm like, anytime I do something Cool. I'm quietly like, man, I bet Theo's proud, right? You know what I mean? Like, I bet Rogan's watching this and, like, losing his mind. And the cool thing is they're such good people. They'll be the first one to hit me when something cool happens. When I got nominated for a Grammy, I think, like, either Dwayne Johnson or Joe Rogan were the first person in my DMs that day. They were like, dude, Grammy, this is big. Win, lose or draw, you're the man. You know what I mean? And it's like. But I think about that a lot too. And it's funny how you compare, Dom, when you were asking that. It might be too personal to ask you this, but have you got to have that moment in reverse yet that you can talk about where you've got to look at somebody and go, yo, come here, I want to talk to you. I want to wrestle you at WrestleMania. And you knew you were giving that kid a life changing conversation in there, and he knew.

[B]

Ah, gosh, I. I think before I came back to wwe, maybe I. I found a couple of individuals now, you know, one, we just had them on the podcast, that being Ricky Saints somebody. And I, I would never want to take credit because it was their success. It was your talent. You. That's. Yes, they let you in the room, but you also got in the room. So I just. I don't know. It's almost a time will tell in terms of. I try to do it often. I often wonder if it annoys anyone backstage. You know, hey, I got my niece with me. I got my nephews with me. Hey, little Brody shadowing me. Hey, I got. I like to do that because when you get in these rooms and you're around Michael Hayes and you're around Mr. Heyman and you get to talk to Triple H and you see all the. You're. You can't not pick something up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I don't know if I've been able to really give somebody the. The full layup. Maybe I'm still selfish, right? Maybe I'm still trying to eat as much as I can. And then bad equity, because that's always how it was referred to by wrestlers who would do the honors for me is, hey, the equity is passing to you now. And one, at one point, it's yours to pass to somebody. So maybe in small bites, I don't know if I've done one yet that I can flat out say, that's my guy. I helped. I helped one of the things that.

[A]

You know, how humble you are is that I bet there's a locker room full of guys that would say the opposite right now.

[B]

That'd be cool.

[A]

You know what I mean? I bet there's a lot more guys than you know in there right now, that if I got to ask them this question, they'd be like, dude, Cody put me over here. Cody brought me here. Cody came to me in this moment and gave me a reflective moment I needed.

[B]

I hope so. One of my favorite things about the hall of Fame back in the day when my dad was still alive, is when he would sit with me and we'd watch. Not when he was having to present, which he presented a lot of years, too, but when he'd sit with me. Every time somebody came on stage that he gave a break to, and often it was the first break before they started talking, he'd go, like. He nudged me, and then they'd mention him. And he was basically, like, keeping tab. Like, he was getting, like, high off of, yes, yes, I did. And I always really liked that because I found. I was just talking about this with somebody else earlier today. They asked me, they go, do you want to mention Dusty in your interview tonight, your promo? I said, no, that guy's still getting over. I'm done. Like, what? No, no. He's somehow in, like, after death. It's still growing. Which of course I. I love.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it definitely wasn't on my bingo card that it would expand and that all of these seeds he planted, especially with, you know, nxt and all these seeds he planted ended up growing into, you know, the biggest of trees, basically. It's really. I hope. I hope you're right, though. I hope there is somebody like. Yeah, he actually did, you know, he actually was helping.

[A]

I think it's going to be more than you think.

[B]

I hope that'd be special. Hey, I. I was going to ask you. I was thinking. I was thinking, what's the thing I'd like to ask him the most? And this might be a really abstract question, but I went on this journey in my mind of matches that I've had that I wanted to see. What's the most complete match? What's the match where I feel like I checked every box, Where I was, where I was, you know, you're never perfect. Where I was close to perfect. What is it? And then I wanted to ask you, is there a song in your catalog? Is there a song where you felt, that's me at my best or not that's me Hitting every demo, every check, in every box, whatever it is. Just. Is there a song you find complete or close to complete?

[A]

Dude, that's crazy. You ask. Because I have a quote. I say, as a songwriter, which is like, if I met your grandmama and. And just introduced myself to her and she said, what do you do for a living? I would tell your grandmother, I was a songwriter.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because that's how I. I see myself the most, is as a songwriter. And my. My quote is as an artist is a song is never actually finished. I just quit. You know what I mean?

[B]

Does that make sense?

[A]

Cuz, like, if it was up to me, I would pick that thing apart forever, and it would never come out. I'd go in every other week and change a snare or a tone or try it a different way. So I think that the perfect match for me is still out there, and that's what I'm chasing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, more than anything, I'm chasing that perfect match. But Save me, to answer the question more directly, is very close to my heart, because I believe it burst the sound of jelly roll. But what I didn't like about that song, and I've never talked about this, is it didn't give any hope. It left with no resolve.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I got a chance to make that right with a song called I'm not okay.

[B]

Oh, that's my jam.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

I texted you about this. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Because I'm not okay. But it's all going to be all right. And that's like, I don't know if you've ever had a match where. I bet you learn in every match, but buddy of mine, Travis O' Gwen at Strange Music, built a compound, him and Tech 9 of buildings for their independent label. And the first building he shows you, he hates the kitchen. The first thing he says, look how small this kitchen is. By the fourth building, the kitchen was like, the size of a living room.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he jokes, I think I overcompensated by the time I got to building four. So it was for me, coming out of Save Me, I just remember being like, man, I wish I would have gave people just a little bit of hope at the end of that song. But I didn't feel hopeful at the time, you know? But so I was like. When I was writing, I'm not okay. I was like, this song ends with, but we're all gonna be all right. We're gonna give people hope at the end of this song. So that's the closest thing to my perfect match yet.

[B]

I love it. So it's. I actually feel it pairs up my match that I, as I was going through this. What is the match that I feel like I was best if somebody asked me, what's my favorite match? It's tricky because there's an answer I'm supposed to give. Yeah, there's an answer that sounds real good, but the actual answer is WrestleMania 39, the year I don't win it. And there's a moment in the match where I'm in the guillotine and crowds don't really respond so much to the submissions or near submissions like they used to. It definitely still happens, but it takes a lot of interest, a lot of suspension of disbelief, a lot of getting in there, and I pop my head out and I remember in a stadium where all the noise goes up. I remember in the stadium hearing them react to it, and I never felt that I was at that. That was. I was so connected with them. I was so. Everything was real. Everything was real. But it's a tough answer because I, I. We left there sad. We left there, you know, on, On a downer. And then WrestleMania 40 is where we're able to give them the. They, they feel like they're one match, right to me. But, yeah, I was so curious. I was like, I wonder if there's a song that he thinks, though, this is just the one where it was. Where it was me at my best. But that's the whole thing. We're always chasing and like you said, talking about the snare wrestlers who rewatch their stuff, it's kind of. It's kind of like, why, if it was bad, you know it was bad, right? You. You were there. If there was something that was really off or air this much or whatever, you, you're, you're pretty aware of the thing you need to fix. And when it was good, you felt it and it was great. And I, I just. It's. It's hard sometimes to watch your stuff. Cause that's all it becomes. It becomes snares. It becomes. I would have done this. I would have stood differently. I would have closed. Closed my mouth. These unique things. And it almost takes away from good, good things. You've done good work that you've had. Gosh, I love that I texted you about that song because it hit me in the bones, I think is what it told me. Country music. I grew up in Georgia. Oh, yeah. Okay. I used to have kicks 101.5.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Kicks 101.5. I grew up. What I would say I could be off here on 90s country. And I really. It was like, you know, Randy and it was George and it was Travis and it was Garth and it was Tim, but Tim was.

[A]

That was the 90s.

[B]

Tim was like a.

[A]

The.

[B]

Tim was like the young.

[A]

Young, athletic and.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. It was doing. Doing big high spots. Yep, yep. You know, and. And I. I remember my dad was. Was particularly old school, but also real open minded. Do you have an era of country music that you feel is just. Just speaks to you?

[A]

I was hoping we were going to talk about music. Dude, I have so many eras of country music. We'll start at the 90s. Cause my mama loved 90s country music.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Like I told Garth Brooks when I first met him, I think I know more Garth Brooks songs than Garth Brooks. You know what I mean? I think I was still buying Garth Brooks CDs until he did his Amazon Music deal two years ago. I was literally still going to Walmart every year because, you know, the skis would burn. But 90s was big. Even Tim. Randy, of course, you touching Tracy Lawrence.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, gosh.

[A]

Yeah, man. I just remember the distinctness of. That was the first time I ever heard a nasal singer that wasn't, like, bad. It was something charming about his nasally voice. Like, Dylan wasn't as charming, but his lyrics were so good. You just kind of. You just. It was so Dylan. And I'm a big Dylan songwriting fan, too. But it's 1970s outlaw country music. Have you ever went down his wormhole?

[B]

My only experience, would I say, with outlaw country is more being told about it.

[A]

About it.

[B]

You know, Dusty had his people that he loved and more being told about it. But also, it was so beyond me, generationally. I don't know how much I went back and really got into it, you know? Yeah.

[A]

I will say this. It would probably be fun for you to go get lost in it for a night down a wormhole. Because, I don't know, there might be something to draw there from. Inspiration.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, for this.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because I draw a lot of my inspiration from y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Right. Because I. I'm so easy at getting into another world and watching it and going, oh, that could apply here in my world.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? But Waylon Jennings. So I'm sure your daddy told you the story, but I was just talking to Kevin Owens about this. I'm like force feeding outlaw country music on your friend right now. I'm like force feeding it on him. But he's gonna watch this now, but I can't get away from this. Talking about. To me about Waylon Jennings. But Waylon was the first artist in country music history to have a platinum album. Think about that. Country music history of all the. Hank Senior.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, think about what we know about country music. Hank Snow, like, the first platinum album. And when Whan went to the label, he said, I want to do this album called the Outlaws. Going be me, Willie and Jesse, and. And we're going to put out this album, and it's going to be just kind of a compilation record. And the label was like, have you lost your damn mind? What is wrong with you? And he was like, dude, I'm telling y', all, this is. Y' all don't know because y' all aren't out here. Yeah, I'm in the clubs every night. People are climbing the walls about this stuff. Y' all are missing a moment. And they put out the album. And almost on. There's two stories I'll tell you about this happened in country music history, if you care to hear them, where the label looks at the artist and goes, all right, we'll do it your way, but it's your funeral.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Outlaws. The Outlaw album's first album to go platinum. The Outlaw movement begins, which would launch Waylon, Willie, Johnny. Johnny was a little bit before the Outlaw movement, but he just kind of fit right into it. It just. He was. He was like, on an island of his own without a home. And it's like, when this started happening, they were like, hey, no, we're for.

[B]

You fit in here.

[A]

Yeah. Chris Kristofferson. And what else is fun about it is I look at the Outlaws kind of like, I do, you know, some of. Some of the wrestlers in the aspect of, like, these four dudes were really close. Just like you and some of your homies. They're all really cool, but couldn't be four different personalities.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

You know, Johnny was like, I want to host 52 episodes of the Johnny ca. I want to be on tv. I want to be. You know, I'm. Waylon was like, I don't want to do an interview to save my life. Don't call me. I just want to do shows and write songs. Willie was like, I want to do everything from the Muppets to, you know, Kris Kristofferson wrote or just did a bunch of songs and was like, I want to go be an actor. Yeah, he just wanted to write big hits and be an actor. You know, he was so handsome. So they all had such their own unique thing, and the music lived. The story's so compelling that people hear the music, and if you can't get over the twang at first, you get lost. But, like, when you get into the content. I never would have thought I could have been a country music artist if I didn't hear Waylon Jennings go looking for trouble. And I found a son right down a barrel of a long man's gun. And I remember looking at my mama going, this is country music.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

She was like, listen to this. And she started playing. Don't you think this outlaw, be it as none, got out of hand. And I was like, ooh. It wasn't singing through my nose. It got me busted by the man, don't you think? This outlaw Bitters. I mean, I was like this dude when he was talking about. They locked me up for some possession, for stuff that was long gone.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

Like, he was just so clever and witty. And then I got. I was so sorry. You'll shut me up. Shut me up if you want.

[B]

No, not at all.

[A]

But Willie Nelson was.

[B]

He.

[A]

I identify myself with him and Johnny the most.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And Willie, because he's the most jovial guy, like, even when I met him for the first time, gives me a bandana with his autograph sign. His wife, sweetest chest pie. Son comes over all hanging. He's just the nicest guy. And then he's funny, he's charming. And then he grabs that guitar. Maybe I didn't love you. And you're just like, oh, yeah. Oh, you're writing that. You know what I mean? Like, even his fun song, Shotgun Willie, was fun. He's talking about sitting around his underwear. But, like, even on the Road again had, like, it. A feeling to it. It wasn't just, you know, it's like. I don't know. It's just all those dudes. The first time I heard Folsom Prison and heard the story of Johnny and Johnny and June's Carter and found out they were married. And even that was cool to me. It was like the idea of this married couple.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Singing to each other about, like, having a problem with each other and going to Jackson to drink and get over each other, you know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I carry that into my marriage now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, that's the kind of vulnerability I. I would die. I die for with my wife. You know what I mean? Is that so? I love the 90s. I love the 2000s and the 2010s because 808s came into play and these were all moments that were like little moments that happened that made it later would be the moments that were the reason I could come in, sure. But 100% 1970s outlaw outlaw country.

[B]

On WhatsApp, no one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately with everyone Brooks running reminds us that we're all powered by something. Whether it's the me time energy of a run after a day at the office, the electrifying energy of your first marathon, or the infectious energy of a group run with your friends. No matter what energy powers you, Brooks has gear specifically designed to unleash it. So lace up and let it out. Let's run there. Visit BrooksRunning.com today to learn more. Lowes knows when you're looking for reliability, the right brand makes all the difference. And now Lowe's is the exclusive home.

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[B]

Shop Pro trusted brands like Whirlpool and more in store or online Lowes, we help you save popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze. Talk about refreshing. You know what else is refreshing this summer? A brand new phone with Verizon. Yep. Get a new phone on any plan with select phone, trade in in MyPlan and lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan. This is a deal for everyone whether you're a new or existing customer. Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals. 3 year price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate only. Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers. I love talking about Willie. I don't know his tour manager. I believe he's passed on but did you ever meet a guy named Pooty? Yeah. Okay. So growing up Willie coming. Whether it was Lakewood, Amphitheater, wherever, we always had to go to Willie and I again I was case 101.5. This is 90s country. I knew obviously Willie and we had pictures all over the house of Willie and Dusty all over the house all over the house. So I kind of just figured it was his friend. But obviously he was a big time musician too. But the first time I saw it was really mind blowing. He's singing, mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. And all of a sudden he calls Dusty up on stage and they're just going at it. And this happened every time we went and saw them. And Dustin would get up on there and I always kind of wanted to, like, maybe this would be my time, maybe I'll go up. But I was always too shy to go up. But I have great pictures from all the times that Willie, Dusty and he did it with, I mean, every wrestler who wanted to go see Willie, they'd take care of him always. He was just, he was just so special. My. There's. Because you mentioned Johnny, too. We were talking about this earlier and this is, I've never seen this before, but one time, Tony Schiavone was doing an interview with Willie Nelson by the pool. It's supposed to be Willie and Dusty. Dusty. I think Willie was just doing a favor for Dusty. And my dad was late, 15 minutes late, but there was no reason for him to be late. And they went to his room and he's like, dusty, we're, we're at the pool. And my dad goes, hey, is, is Willie there? He said, yeah, he's been waiting on you. All right, I can come now. And that was this big power move that he needed to do to is. It was, I don't know if it was a rib or if it's something Willie was used to, but it was really silly, really. Just some odd power move or rib. But then when I saw there's, I think it's Gunsmoke. I think it's an episode of Gunsmoke. Could have this wrong, but he meets Johnny Cash. And I have the footage of my dad meeting Johnny Cash and he take. My dad takes his hat off. And I've never seen ever in my life my dad nervous except that moment.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And it is something about Johnny and how he came in the room. You know, sometimes there's just a power. Oh, yeah. You know, everyone says aura today. There's a, there's a thing, something about when he walked in the room, he took his hat off, he went over and shook his hand. And I, I, I kind of didn't like it. I was like, oh, I don't know. I don't know that man. Like. But I also loved it because he had such a respect for him and such a And not just a respect for the music. The music was in the heart, in the ears, when they were driving and all that, but the. The. The road and the. You know, Johnny, a master marketer and master entertainer, you know, not unlike Garth, would become where there were all these things you needed to do, like, the music's there, but what are these hooks that we can do to get them true, to pay, to come see us? And then. Oh, my gosh, there's this whole entertainment aspect to it. I love that you mentioned Kris Kristofferson.

[A]

He doesn't get enough love.

[B]

He doesn't. And my mom. My mom. If you ever meet my mom, talk to her about Kris Kristofferson. She loves some Kris Kristofferson.

[A]

I don't want to guess your mom's age, but if she's in her 60s and 70s.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Every woman feels that way about Chris. Every woman that grew up south of Indiana, you know what I'm saying, is, loses their mind about Chris.

[B]

He was just writing music. He didn't know. He was just writing hits.

[A]

He didn't care. He just. He loved it. He would do it on movie sets. He was like. He was.

[B]

Was a.

[A]

He was a real songwriter.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I love those guys, man. And I learned early. I call myself a songwriter, but. Because I write a bunch of songs, but, like, real songwriters, that's all they do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I. I do a lot more of this stuff, you know what I mean? Which takes away from that stuff where Chris. I think that's what made Chris make that decision.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He was like, I can't do the traveling and the writing. Yeah, I can do the movies and the writing, but I further write than travel. And, you know, our business was a lot like y' all in the old days. You've done this like, 200. I relate to y' all in this regard. 250. 300 days out of my bed a year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Super normal.

[B]

It's. It's the way it is.

[A]

Just what it is. I got. I think we count them now as a joke in the family. I had, like, 40 something last year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm gonna have, like, 53 this year or something like that. It's like just kind of standard protocol for us.

[B]

Are you ready to hold WWE history in the palm of your hand? Topps is bringing you closer to the action than ever before. With WWE Topps now highlighting the biggest matches and milestones from WWE shows and ples throughout the year. Topps now is enhancing the fan experience by connecting collectors to the Superstars and spectacles that ignite their passion. Featuring stunning event, exclusive photography, each card is made for the moment and for some lucky collectors, that moment could become the pull of a lifetime. Along with serial numbered parallels, some top Snow releases offer a chance at rare short prints, superstar autographs, and even pieces of the mat, gear or other items used during the featured match. So which moment will you collect with each card only available for a limited time, you won't want to wait to begin your TOPS now journey. Be sure to subscribe to WWE TOPS now mailing list on Topps.com and follow Topps on all social media platforms so you never miss a single moment. Been and out of the Pandemic I remember the first things that were going back on the road, like let's get these buses going. Whole fleets was at least out of the group we use was country music and pro wrestling. Nothing else was ready to go yet but country music, pro wrestling. We're ready to go. We're ready to get back on the road. Yep. What do you got? Let's go.

[A]

We went immediately.

[B]

Yeah, I, I, I love that you say songwriter because I mean as I get, I guess as I get older in wrestling, I used to say I was an athlete. I used to say I was a wrestler. I don't think I've ever said I was a worker. But now more than anything, I think I just like to say I'm a storyteller. Right. That may be easier to digest for someone who doesn't. I'm a storyteller. And then if they want to know further, you know, well, here's the type of story is that physically we tell these stories. This is how we did whatever it may be. How do you feel songwriter entering this world where everyone on this bus is aware, everyone in that locker room is aware, everyone who's gonna be in this arena tonight is aware. You clearly enjoy this. Oh yeah. You clearly are putting in the effort and then some. Do you feel it's just all happening so fast that you can't get a sense of it? Or do you feel you're telling stories in the ring already? Do you feel you're in that in that role now? How do I tell this story with these individuals heading into SummerSlam or as a part of SummerSlam?

[A]

I think I'm starting to tell the story in the ring, but I think more so I'm proud of this and I'm starting to be able to tell the story outside of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is the probably the value I thought I brought to this. The Most, if I brought any value at all, was that it was like, when Bad Bunny did it, like, it immediately brings a new set of eyeballs onto it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I was very, like. I remember calling Randy super early when we were, like, deciding to do this and being like, will you do, like, mainstream media with me? Yeah, Like, I think you deserve it. I think wrestling doesn't get enough of it. I think it breaks my heart that you haven't been on a late night show in 21 years. Like, I'm gonna host this Kimmel gig. Let's do something. You know what I mean? Like, immediately was like. And I think that's what I'm probably the most proud of so far, is that I've been able to be one of the first guys in a long time to take a wrestling storyline outside of WW presence or even, like, you know, I mean, as far mainstream media as you can go without not even just, like, a conversation. Like, we got to do the full thing. Like, we got to really bring a segment to late night television again. I'm proud of that. You know what I mean? Like, I'm proud of that. Well, and I'm not proud of much. Like, if you ask me albums I was proud of, you'd be surprised. I'm proud of, like, two. You know what I'm saying? Of 20, like, I'm truly proud of that. But the storytelling is what made me want to do this. I thought it was the only value I could bring because it's where I relate to y' all the most. I don't know. The physicality, I'm learning.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Brutal. Y' all are. It is so. Y' all do it so much and talk about it so casually that I think even fans are callous to how crazy that concept. I want to be the guy that keeps reminding y'.

[B]

All. Yeah.

[A]

That I'm doing what Y' all did 20 years ago, 30 years ago, for the first time. Y' all don't remember what that first three weeks was like, but it sucked. I mean, I've got headaches, neck aches, leg aches, shoulder aches, pinky aches. When you all say, we don't fight injured, but we fight hurt all the time. Amen. I didn't understand that quote at the time. I was like, what? What is hurt? Injured. Yeah. Maybe you didn't tear an acl, but it's like, no, y' all are hurt all the time. I always joke, I'm hurt now.

[B]

So that's funny because I tell my students two things I tell them in the beginning everything hurts. Just told a kid at a autograph signing this morning because he was asking about getting in the industry. I said, in the beginning everything hurts. Then none of it hurts. But I feel bad because whenever I tell my students at the Nightmare Factory, whenever I say, hey, don't wrestle injured. You'll always wrestle hurt, but don't wrestle injured. It's obviously, I've wrestled injured prior. So it just opens up a world of like, well, and it's. Well, you know. Yeah, like I'm just telling you, gosh. Okay, so you, you said something about mainstream media and there's this whole discussion online and I, I always like to be right in the middle of it. I really do. I like there's. There's the hardcore fan who loves this, has always loved it. There's the more athletically like high spot geared fan. Then there's the fan that likes good old fashioned, like blockbuster, good stuff, legends, nostalgia, Nostalgia. Just fun, whatever it may be. I like to just be in the mix and be in the middle. But there's always this discussion about, huh, they're doing this with Celebrity X, they're doing this with this celebrity. I wonder why does that take away a spot from such and such. And in my mind, I don't get furious about many things anymore, but it's like a rage will fill my body. Because growing up, whether it was the Rhodes, The Jarretts, the McMahons, the Watts, they all they wanted was that endorsement from somebody in another field of storytelling to say, hey, this, I like this. This is, you know, its own version of live theater and Broadway. I'm getting something from this. So whenever I see something like you and Randy together, that is, gosh, it's so valuable to what we do. I think I told Andrew Schultz this. We have to grow. I love our people. I love. I'm not trying to harm anyone. I'm not. I love you guys. Thank you. All the hardcore fans, great. We have to grow. And the Unreal show on Netflix, for example, a lot of people gonna be mad, right? It's not so much for those who are already here versus, hey, if you're not here, take a look at what it looks like now. See Rhea Ripley out there? You like her?

[A]

Cool.

[B]

You know what? You can come and see her. And it's even cooler in person. Like CM Punk, you can come and see him. So when I see you doing stuff like that and when I hear you say it, I love that because I have, I've always had this kind of hidden Dream of doing something outside of wrestling, perhaps, and being able to bring wrestling with me, you know, if that makes any sense. I don't like when wrestlers leave and they don't. They don't bring it with them. Thank you for doing it.

[A]

No, thank you.

[B]

Thank you for doing it.

[A]

Thank you for saying it. More of you guys saying, this is helping me, my heart. I mean, WrestleMania 1, Cindy, Mr. T. I could name every time, I could name all 12, 15 times celebrities have taken matches. So official matches to me. And I understand where fans are coming from because I felt this way for a long time as a fan is like, you ever read a good book that was so good, you almost didn't want to tell nobody how good it was.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Because it gave you so much power. You were like, you had to be. You were selfish for a second. You had to catch yourself like, I'm being selfish. I need to tell everybody about this book. Look at me. You know what I mean? Like, I understand that, like wrestling is so precious to us fans and it's our thing. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's like the idea that, you know what I mean? Like, this is our thing. Like, I don't want everybody to be in our thing. It might not be our thing of everybody.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? So I get that thought. But it's like I am the opposite. Now that I've gotten older, I'm more like the guy who's like, nah, man, we could change the world with this book. It's a really good book. We should tell everybody about how awesome this book is. It helped me. It changed my life. If this book helped change my life, I want everybody to know about the book. So I look at wrestling that way and when I. This, this is a two part thing. And this is probably the most shooting on it I've done yet right here, right now. 1. It was a little selfish and I don't do very many things selfishly. But there's nothing in life I wanted more as a kid than to stand in that brain, you know what I mean? Nothing. I didn't want a microphone more. I didn't want a sold out show more. I didn't have no, I didn't know I had a music bone in my body at the time. But I knew that something happened every Monday night that got me so emotionally fired up I couldn't sleep until Tuesday, you know what I mean? I knew I connected to the storytelling in such a way. I found myself in the characters.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I found myself in These humans, you know, that I wanted to, I just, I wanted to try it. And it became a North Star in my weight loss. So almost when I first signed up for it, it was almost like I'll never actually do it. Like I'll never actually lose £240 and take a max.

[B]

Is that where we're at? £240?

[A]

£240 times? So it's like what? When I walk on there that night, when I walk, when you watch me walk to the ring at SummerSlam, I will be the smallest I've been since the seventh grade.

[B]

Unreal.

[A]

Unreal.

[B]

Dude, congratulations. Thank you, man, that's amazing.

[A]

Thank you. You know.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

But then part two of it and I, I said, they said this was like, as a celebrity I'd always watch, like, man, I hope I get famous enough to get involved. Cuz I'd watch all these other celebrities do it and I would watch them, Cody, and some of them would make me mad because I could just tell they didn't care. I could tell they pulled up, walked in the back door, walked through Gorilla, did their promo, walked through the back door and got in their car, you know what I mean? And every time I've showed up for an event, the first day, Neil Lowy, who's my, my baby face in this whole scenario, one who brought me in all this, the first day Neil Lowy was at the Raw when I met you a couple years ago in Nashville. I go, neil, what time's the show start? He's like, doors open at 6, goes live at 7. I was like, what time can I come? He was like, Ah, 5, 5:30. I was like, what do the wrestlers do before that? And he told me, yeah. And I was like, can I come for that? And he was like, you'd have to come at like noon. I was like, I'll be there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was there from noon to 10 or 11 o'. Clock.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

I was, you know what I mean? Like, I was not going to miss a chance to get this, you know what I mean? Like, I've been like that almost every. I got here today at 2, 2:30 or 3 or something. I was trying to get here earlier, my flight got delayed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I had a moment. My second thing was with this, I thought we should share the book. Like I want people to see. When you're a big part of this, Cody, when the Roman era, what I call the Roman era, kind of. Cause it just happened, it felt like almost out of nowhere, kind of, you know, What I mean started really getting over. And then I was like, this story's gotta balance itself out. And then you came in and then it became about a story. And like, that I'd been watching wrestling, but casually again, like, I couldn't, you know, I just. I'm so busy, you know what I mean? And I started calling friends like, yo, am I tripping or is like wrestling getting, like, crazy good again? And they were like, dude, you gotta tune in. This was a few years, you know, four or five years ago.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Pandemic is right after coming out, going into 21, 22, and I just could not quit watching.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then what did it the most for me is that you went all the way to WrestleMania of 39 and lost. And I had a moment right then where I was like, I was so sad for you, but I was so happy as a wrestling fan that I was like, long term stories are back. They have found a way to feed us our need and social media era to give me my quick fix every week.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But they've also found a way to drag me along for a really long ride. And I was like, because if Cody comes back to WrestleMania next year, this will be one of the greatest eras in wrestling history. I felt it thin and as a. We started leading up and everything starts playing itself out. And then the curveballs come and then the they come. All that crazy happens. Going into 40 and then the fans ultimately decide. It just. It was like, I'm getting goosebumps, dog.

[B]

Oh, it's like, it's.

[A]

You catch them. Real, real, real goosebumps, bro. Like legit chicken skin, as we call it in the music business. We call that money bump. A money bump.

[B]

Chicken skin.

[A]

Chicken skin. Money bumps.

[B]

Money bumps.

[A]

You're writing a song and you get the money bumps. Yeah, it's a thing. But I just remember being like, man, this is really, really cool.

[B]

I know my fans have been waiting for something new. Well, head to WWE Shop and check out my new American Nightmare Stars and stripes collection, including authentic tees, hat, weightlifting belt, and everyone's favorite windbreaker jacket. The Cody Rhodes Stars and stripes collection is live now. Don't wait to grab yours now only on WWE Shop. For me, it became, I had in my mind, we're gonna get back the whole point, the story. Yeah, we're, you know, whatever the long term plans may be, I think they're there. We're gonna get back. But the issue with we're gonna get back became, oof. I have to do something for the next 300 and something days. That continues to capture their imagination, honestly, that continues to, to make them say the phrase all that all wrestlers want them to say. That's my guy, it's my guy. That's my girl. That's why I tune in and it sounded easy before WrestleMania 39. And then as soon as it was over, it sounded like, oh, this, there's no way. There's just no way. And that's why when the situation happened in Birmingham where I wasn't going to wrestle at WrestleMania, that's why I thought a really, just a moment where I thought, it's just not meant to be, you know, it's, it's just not meant to be. And maybe it is my fault, maybe it's not. It was just really tricky. But I, I'm so glad that we got to complete it and I'm, I'm so glad for the curveball because the curveball kind of dictates more long term stories and just, I'm glad, I'm glad you enjoyed it because on this bus, actually talking with Matt, who we've talked about before, my driver Matt, he's one of the only people I got to tell, like, this is not gonna be easy. This is gonna be really hard. You know, we were, we were staying after shows for sometimes an hour. They'd have to throw us out of the building trying to meet as many people as we could. And it wasn't for a viral video, it wasn't for anything like that. It was for an actual, hey, I really enjoy being here tonight. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm going to be back and when I come back, I'm going to bring the title. And every time we said that, I'm thinking, man, if I do not come back to Manchester and, you know, the United Kingdom or to Mobile, if I do not come back to Bakersfield, I'm a liar. And that baby face, as a baby face you that you can't be a liar. Right. And I just. Oh, man. So I'm so glad you said that because it was, I think we have better stuff ahead. But also I'm, I think I'm aware enough and hopefully not delusional. I think I'm aware enough to know if that was the best. It was, it was quite a ride.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Quite a fun time. And I'm glad you jumped back in and you talked about wrestling, you know.

[A]

Oh, well, I'm gonna give you some good news, brother. Everything that we do in art is, is lined out in decades.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know like when you look at music and we just. First thing we talked about 90s country. You started this podcast with a, with a era of music.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

I am honored to say that we will share the 2000s together.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

So I know that your best days are not done yet. I know your best days. I know the wildest curve balls in your career are in front of you, not behind you. Yeah, I know that. Because we are in the middle of this decade and we gotta close it. Oh, for them. For us to make the books the way we want to make them.

[B]

Absolutely. To close it.

[A]

We gotta close this decade strong.

[B]

Well, to closing it, as unbelievable as that is. And you were talking about the book, sharing the book. You've got this good story and I completely get you because Attitude Era, I remember, you know, third and fourth grade, before the era, I had one buddy who liked wrestling. We'd talk about wrestling, we'd talk about the pay per views. Ordering them wasn't the simplest of things. Where are you going to watch? Did you see Going to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and get an old vhs. I got this, I got that Hasbro collection, all this stuff. But then Attitude Era comes and I got a full living room and I'm behind everybody watching what I always knew. Yeah. And I'm. Oh, okay. Yeah. All right. But a part of me thought like, I don't know. I don't know if they deserve this. I don't know if they deserve this. But who. Who was it that. Because you're talking about watching and growing up and wanting to stand in the ring, who was it that you liked the most?

[A]

Who was your guy, man? Obviously a really sensitive week to discuss it, but I was a Hulkamaniac. Like every kid that's 41, I'm 41. So that's the easiest way to kind of age it is. Like, I thought the ultimate warrior was the evilest human on earth. You know what I mean? And I thought Hulk Hogan was the greatest guy ever. You know what I mean? And then I got to watch going into the Attitude era. And that was like coming into my teenage years. So that was like when it really started getting cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it was, I mean, every. Of course, obviously the Rock. Stone cold Steve Austin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I still think arguably the greatest storyline and one of the greatest characters ever is the Undertaker and Kane just like.

[B]

Sure, that's gotta be Kane.

[A]

You know what's cool? I was comparing this to my wife the other night. I got an 8 year old son who's in light of me getting him. So WrestleMania 40 was the first time he kind of tuned in.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Right? It's like. And we had the funniest conversation the other day. Y' all don't know if you can use this or not. It's. But if you can, I respect it. But he goes, dad, the Rock's our friend, right? I seen the video. I was like, he's our friend, man. He's actually one of them. You talking about a guy who gave me a chance early.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, before Theo's podcast, even, the Rock was in my DMs, encouraging me like, oh, yeah, I had 80,000 Instagram followers.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? He's the most famous person on Instagram. Like, yo, I love this song. It was so crazy. But I was like, the rock star, buddy. And I didn't know where that was going. I was just excited, you know, I was proud, dad. Like, yeah, the guy you think's really cool is my friend.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then he goes. His face gets flat and he goes, why was he so mean to Cody? And I was like, oh, you're getting in it, huh?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he was like, I am. And I was like, cool. You know, But I thought about him being at that age where, like, that was where I was around the Hulk's era.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then as wrestling grew, it's almost like wrestling grew with me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because like, by the time I was 13, it was Austin316 said, I just whipped your ass. And it was a little more edgy because obviously I was getting a little more edgy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? But it reminded me in that moment of my son of like two. I needed to have that conversation with him because sometimes I look at wrestling from my perspective as a 41 year old man who's watched it for 31 years or 32 years.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I forgot the magic of which.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Oh, buddy. I. I love a show that is flanked with the really nuance, really hardcore thinking, let's get our core audience. And I love one that's also just flanked by, hey, this is a simple story we're telling. There's kids out there, they like Bianca whipping her hair around. There's certain things that connect with and that are magic and I love them all being on the same show. So I know completely what you mean.

[A]

And what I told my son was. So we watched together, and the Wyatt Six comes out and I watched my 8 year old son get a little uncomfortable. Oh, okay. Like, I kind of watched him shift A little bit. And he kind of looked at me to make sure, you know how kids are. They look at me to make sure it's cool. Watch this. They're fine. You know, I just kind of watched this. They're fun, but it reminded me. And of course it's a. I'm going to get crucified online because this is no comparison, but the closest thing that he's ever going to feel to how I felt the first time I heard dawn and the lights went out and I was like, what's going on right now? I watched him have a similar moment. Oh, when the lights went out for the Wyatt six, you know what I mean? And all these creepy characters. And then I get to tell him the story about Bray and like then it get. Then it's got. Then it gets deep, you know, and then it's like. Cuz then he goes, oh, that, that really happened. I'm like, yeah, sadly it did. He was a really good guy and he really, really passed away at a young age. I mean, he meant a lot to the sport and these people are keeping his memory and name alive. So now it's like the depth of that, you know what I mean? For my 8 year old son who went from like being kind. Of course, I say this all the time. I was scared of Undertaker until I was like, you know what I mean? I'm still halfway afraid of him, by the way. When you see him in person, he's still relatively nicest guy ever, but still. He's still, you know, the Undertaker. But it was cool to see him have that kind of a moment for us to share that moment.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

And it reminded me that the generational storytelling y' all do is generational for us.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And I'd never connected that dot neither, for some reason.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was always so fascinated with you and your father and Randy and his. And like just even at the PC, you know this. And I won't say their names but like, it feels like everybody's got a kid at the PC.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, I hate to say it that way. That's the truth. It's fun. I think it's awesome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I was like, this really is the most generational business, but we do, you know, I was like. But then it reminded me of how generational the storytelling was.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That my mama sat me down and took me to Smoky Mountain Wrestling for the first time. You know what I mean? My mom.

[B]

Was that the first one you went to Smoky Mountain?

[A]

I think we went to East Tennessee to see a Smoky Mountain.

[B]

Oh, I love that.

[A]

And the Nashville fairgrounds had tons of.

[B]

Well, also Smokey Mountain. You were guaranteed that it was good storytelling for sure. Disciplined, good storytelling. Yeah. No, I. Gosh. Smoky Mountain. And I wonder, you know, I think it's totally. You were talking about Hogan. There's a moment from the Hoosier Dome that's my favorite Hogan moment. I think it's a Hoosier dome, but it's where he walks out, takes in the crowd, and he puts his hands on his hips. He just does a360 to turn around and take them all in.

[A]

All while the hands on the hip.

[B]

Yeah. And it just feels like that moment of knowing maybe this run is kind of winding down. Or already has. But what a run. What it. Like you're talking about a decade closing. A decade out, carrying it as long as you can. I didn't. I didn't think Hogan was going to be your guy.

[A]

Yeah, no.

[B]

I might have read a. Judged a book by its cover there.

[A]

No, for good. You had to think about my age. You know what I mean? Like, age wise. I was like 8 years old when Hulkamania was, like, in its prime.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

Seven. Like, I was at the ripe age to. And it was also. I think about it now, too, and I feel this way about you. I hope you don't take this wrong. It's like, also such a good role model. Like. Yeah. Oh, you're a great role model.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like my son looks at you the way I looked at Hogan.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

Like you're the all American good guy that's there to serve justice and fight. You know what I mean, bro, you've.

[B]

Made me feel so good. I'm about to run. This is real. And just have every heel bump and feed for me for 10. I feel great.

[A]

No, I'm telling you, man, this is real. It's like, it reminded me of that because my son gets it like the American flag.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, these were like the things that were big for Hogan. River Hogan, eat your vitamins. You know what I mean? I remember my mama tricked me into eating vitamins. The Flintstone vitamins. Because they were Flintstone. I'd be like, I don't want them. They taste bad. Like Hulk Hogan said, I'd be like, okay, Hogan said it. I'll do it. You know, I was that kid. I love the ultimate warrior. Later, too, when he'd shake the ropes a lot. But then I just. I stuck with. But I even got to watch Brutus the barber.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I'm just old enough that I caught the tail end of that a little bit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

I always like to say myself, Wheatley American Vodka are the American Dream Team. I think of my own team. And I'd ask you who is on your team? And if we're looking for specifics and qualifiers on what makes it could be zombie apocalypse, could be a war games team. Who is on the team with Jelly Roll?

[A]

Oh, goodness. Oh, God. It's great. Anybody? I just get to start picking this?

[B]

Yeah, we've had some animals. We've had somebody pick a whole NBA team. Who's coming with you? I like to say War Games because it makes a little easier. Yeah, you get your four or your five. Who's on your team?

[A]

Well, I'm going to start with Randy. Just because we are in the thick of it right now. And I'm riding with my guy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm taking my wife with me everywhere. Just period. Just. Bunny is a rider.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm taking my dog. I got a basset hound. That's my favorite thing on earth. I love that. Love him. I just want him with me.

[B]

What's the Basset's name?

[A]

His name is Bussy the Bus Dog. You can guess why we named him.

[B]

He's a bus dog.

[A]

He's a bus dog.

[B]

Yeah. There it is.

[A]

He's a bus dog. Dude. Last one. Let me think of something fun here. I'm gonna pick a country musician. You know, either Kane Brown or Morgan Waller. Cause they are extremely. Or Brantley Gilbert. They're all extremely athletic and all relatively aggressive alphas. So they would, like, surprise us.

[B]

Was Kane did Bury Me in Georgia.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And first time I heard Bury Me in Georgia almost took a backbone, really, because that's. Yeah, that's how I feel about.

[A]

Yep. Straight up.

[B]

It's my town, you know what I'm saying? And I always get back there, you know, so.

[A]

You know what I love about Kane? I'm sure he won't mind me sharing this. We're really close. Kane had just dropped. Thank God. Which was like, the biggest hit of his career at the time. Him and his wife just had this mega record. It was like this beauty. He talking about another wife, guy, family dude through and through, man. And he was going to pick his next single. And he was like, I want to put this Bury Me in Georgia record out. Because it mean, like, I just put this big love song out. I want to remind people I'm still that Georgia boy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know What? I mean, like, it was personal to Kane. And I love when artists take big creative chances. Like, especially when they know they might have a song that's more commercially digestible, but they're like, I'll put that out later. Right now, this is my message.

[B]

Take the swing. Yep.

[A]

He did the same thing with me and the song. He put me on Haunted. Like when he picked that for his second, his next single after Miles on it, he just had this big success. I put some Miles on it, back of the Chevy, huge record with marshmallow. And he goes and does this dark, like, mental health awareness song with me. Yeah, Like, Kane is just brave like that, man. Yeah. He's a Georgia guy.

[B]

Michael Hayes is like, you gotta take the swings. Can't play it safe.

[A]

No. For sure. We hit 100% of the shots. Well, we miss 100% of the shots we don't take.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Talking about your.

[B]

You talked about the PC and you talked about training. We're all aware. And there's almost a lore and mythos around you going down there and training. Yeah. How you're training. Are you enjoying it?

[A]

I'm having the time of my life, Cody.

[B]

I love that. Who, who do you feel if we could give them their flowers that you want to say has been helpful in this journey? Because this is. This is one match we're talking about. One match.

[A]

It's a.

[B]

But this is a village. Yeah, but I mean, you're. You're. You're in this.

[A]

Oh, brother.

[B]

You're in this.

[A]

I am in this.

[B]

You're.

[A]

You're.

[B]

You're. You know, go ahead and throw the bag in the locker room. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

I am a lot closer than. I tell you what. When Bad Bunny did it and he was supposed to do one match and ended up in a two year storyline and headline backlash. When I walked into this, I looked at my manager and said, I promise you this is just God's timing to do this right now. Everything lined up like, I won't put us through one of these again. I'll tell you this talking. I'll tell you this talking like homies. I told Triple H and I want to lose SummerSlam.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Just because no celebrities ever took an L, they always put them over. And if you don't put me over, I always have a reason. Yeah, there's always just something lingering there. I can pop up anytime. Any one of those three are there.

[B]

Oh, man, I love. I love that.

[A]

I love it. Cody. I'm showing up Every day.

[B]

It's gotten in your. Your. Your bones here. You were training with Baldo.

[A]

Yeah, I went, oh, Back to the Village, though.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Let me shout my village out.

[B]

Shout them out.

[A]

My one match has took a pork. Mama Mel is what I call her, the lady that runs that facility. She is like, gives me all my ring time, and she deals with me being just completely nuts. Like, I want to do 11 to 1 tomorrow. And then I hit her up and I'm like, hey, but actually, I want to do four to six, to seven, two. And, you know, everybody leaves at five. But she'll always find people to stay for me at night.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Matt Bloom has dedicated his life to me. I love you, Coach Bloom. Scott Moss.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Coach Brookside.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Coach Brookside.

[B]

Think about that. Your first show you're talking about going was seeing Smoky Mountain, and you're training with Robbie Brookside like that. Yeah, man.

[A]

And he's all over the place. He's so awesome. A couple of NXT kids that I want to shout out that really deserve it. Tag team champs over there called Hank and Tank.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I can't wait till they get called, though.

[B]

Oh, yeah? Yeah.

[A]

I am cheering for them to get called up. If the day they get called up, I'm gonna cancel the show to come show up for them.

[B]

Oh, that's great.

[A]

They've been that good to me. But even better to me is a kid named Mitch. They call him Stacks at the nxt.

[B]

And he's here tonight. Actually, he's here tonight.

[A]

Ben and Brooks. I brought them both. I flew him up here with.

[B]

You're doing the thing. Yeah, yeah. You're Theo and these guys.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I love that dude. They, like. These dudes have showed up for me every day and took tens, dozens of bumps for me every day while I'm learning this thing, you know? And you gotta imagine. Poor Stacks. Our first four or five body slams, you would hear three different thuds.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You'd hear his feet.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You'd hear his feet, his back, then his head or shoulders. Oh, man. And he'd just stand back up, like. And he was so nice. He's like, I just. What we're looking for is just one flat thud. And I was like, okay. Then I just throw him over again, and just one time, I damn near flipped him. Poor kid. But we got it, and they've been really sweet to me. Miles Bourne. Are you familiar with Miles?

[B]

Yes. Yeah. I watch the show pretty. I actually, I reached out to a group of them not Too long ago. This is an NXT talent. Just because there's this little transition that happens in terms of what they do in the NXT sphere. And then they come up here and they are the same. There's a ring and we wrestle and we tell stories, but there's a. It's very different. I never like using the term main roster, but there's just a difference in what we do in terms of what's the ultimate goal, what's a day look like, what are your other responsibilities, whatever. But I watch pretty regularly, actually. It's great. Sean's got him rocking down.

[A]

He's got him rocking. So you mentioned Sean's another one that's poured love into me. Yeah, KO Your friend has poured a lot of love into me.

[B]

That's hard to get. I mean, I don't know. I feel Sean's not the easiest to get love from, but he is, you know, my hero growing up. And then KO is almost impossible to get love.

[A]

No, I've gotten some love from K.O. dude, Damien Priest has showed up for me. Really? Big Fatu.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I mean, you're in there. Those are such great guys. And that's what I said. Throw your bag in the locker room. We're ready. But I have this story about Matt Bloom and I. I figured you'd mention him. I wanted to bring this up because I've never talked about this.

[A]

Oh, he's gonna love this.

[B]

And I don't. I hope he loves this because he's had such an unbelievable next chapter. Came down to NXT and this head trainer and, you know, Sean's. Sean's number one guy, and they're really piloting a ship and putting it in places. And everyone who you talk to talks about Matt Bloom. Immense amount of respect. Always wants to please him. My wife had done some stuff at the PC and he was so good to her. And, you know, I'm big on. When you do something for my family, I'm like, it's the Chewbacca thing. I'm yours for life, buddy. We need a posse. We round up a posse. We're fighting somebody. I'm in, you know? But I had this moment with Matt Bloom right around the time I'd hit kind of a professional rock bottom. I think I had the mustache still. And I say professional rock bottom. We go up, we go down, whatever. But I had a moment with him where I thought, that's also professional rock bottom. I've never talked to him about this, but you remember Tons of Funk used to have snap off bands. So we're in Rotterdam, not even Amsterdam, Rotterdam and we're doing this last show on an 11 show European Tour and it's okay, it's not the greatest crowd in terms of house. They're very vocal and kind. But here he comes out there and I don't think they've liked the first 10 nights of matches that we've had. He's doing the shovel and I can see he's just not really like excited about it. And then I notice he doesn't tear away his pants and I'm thinking what's going on? And then I look, he's got regular sweatpants on but his boots are on. So Matt Bloom, this big giant, intimidating, just barrel chested wrestler of a man has to sit down on his butt in the corner and I see him pulling his sweatpants off over his boots and I remember thinking I'm like, that's rock bottom. That's like he's so not wanting to be in this tag anymore and I.

[A]

Don'T want to be in this tag.

[B]

But to this day I don't think I've ever brought it up to him. But I always want to be like because it was for me I thought like, hey, it's not great but we're going to make it, things are going to get better, we're here, we're working, things are going to get better. But yeah, Matt Bloom's the best shout out to him for sure. And those guys you're training with, they'll never forget it and they'll never forget how, you know, that's an opportunity for them. We learn a lot when we teach somebody. I have an interview tonight for TV and I don't think it's the beefiest, bulkiest interview but I did promo class at the Nightmare Factory yesterday. That in a way is so helpful. Just seeing guys do their introductory promos and who they are. I get so much off of that, of oh you know what, that's that way of thinking before you ever start getting into the rules of all this. That's a good way of thinking. You know, it's an outlaw way of thinking a little bit. Yeah. I'm glad you're enjoying the PC.

[A]

Yeah, I think I'm getting love down there too because they, I didn't and I'm not throwing anybody under the bus or acting holier than now. But they're traditionally used to celebrities doing it a different way and the few that do commit, they, you know, they normally like clear the PC.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And like I've done the opposite. Like, I was very clear about that to the front. Like, I don't want the PC catering to me.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Like, I want to be a fly on the wall.

[B]

I don't want.

[A]

I don't want people feeling like, jelly's coming. We got to clear the rings.

[B]

Well, I know. I noticed fly on the wall where you and Gorilla Goldberg was in the ring the other night, and you were in gorilla with the headset on. Yep. And I thought, there's nobody filming this. Yeah, nobody. This is. He's. But he's hearing them talk. Yeah. He's seeing this one side of it because it is. If you come to tv, it is amazing to see the amount of production elements that you would never think about. I really think WWE's production is first.

[A]

You know, nobody does Live Live better than wwe.

[B]

And anytime I see Live Live, sometimes it's boxing, sometimes it's an All Star Game or whatever. Anytime I see Live live, I always wonder, man, you should have had us do this.

[A]

For sure.

[B]

It would have been as clean as can be. Clean. You would have thought it was taped. You would have thought it was, you know, because it's so. They just have a way of making it super uniform and correct, even down.

[A]

To, like, the commercials getting out of them, bringing back into the rest, and the wrestlers being able to keep the. The room happy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

While that commercial's going for five minutes but still end up back in a similar position. Not the same one, but just the same guy still on top.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's just really, really fascinating. And the more, like, when I get to go watch NXT on Tuesdays, I sit down and I just listen, and I do the same thing I do here in Guerrilla. I just spend the whole program sitting next to the coaches or in the. In their gorill. And I learned so much there, too, because you're getting to see what your producers want. What I'm really listening for is I'm listening for Hunter to go, hey, camera. Such and such. Look at that emotion. Don't miss that. And then I'm like, okay, Hunter liked that, that he's doing something really good. If he went out of his way to tell that camera guy, go and get it. Go get it. You know what I mean? So it was just really cool to hear that and see the way that Bruce is thinking about it. You know what else? I always knew that this was a. I've always been jealous of wrestlers, of how the business was always first, and I felt like country music was close. We're the Only genre that never necessarily completely imploded because we did always have reverence for the genre.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Does that make sense? Like, we never had too much of a lull because that's why we're still the only genre that has so many award shows.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, we still have, like, three or four big award shows a year.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because country nothing, none of us are actually bigger than country music. I mean, Morgan is, Luke is.

[B]

But you always come back to it.

[A]

Exactly. It's always a country thing. But I wish we did better at paying it forward a little bit. And I'm going to take that from y', all, because, like, not one person here has at least let me know they're not happy I'm here. And every person I've asked to help me just was like, all it took was asking.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, the first time I grabbed Paul Heyman, and I'm like, yo, wise man, like a lifelong fan of yours, brother, I'm fixing to go shoot my first promo out here. I want you to pick it apart.

[B]

He's right up.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I come in and he's like, 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. You want me to be a nitpicky, though? And I was like, Mr. Heyman, I have been praying to have a moment with you like this. And he picked down my promo apart to the point where I learned so much from him that time. Guess what I'm gonna do tonight?

[B]

Bring him in before. Yeah.

[A]

I learned a lesson. I'm not gonna let them criticize me afterwards. I'm gonna go in and go, this is what I'm thinking. This is what I'm cooking.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

Talk to me about it.

[B]

Did anyone ever tell you, you know. Cause wrestlers, even through the pandemic, always shake hands like ad nauseam. Shake hands with everybody. That's a big thing, is shake hands with everybody, keep shaking hands. Even Sean will be like, I've shook. I've shaken all your hands a hundred times. But that's a big thing, is that we all shake hands all the time. And my trainer, I remember Al Snow, who trained me, he asked me, he was like, do you know why we shake hands? And I assume, like, because we respect each other. I said, yeah, that's part of it. He goes, but the actual reason is different. And Al's very specific. Always. There's one answer. I'm like, okay, why do we shake hands? And his thought was, still, I believe it to this day. We need One another. You're gonna pick me up, you're gonna slam me. I have to go back to Brandi, where you can slam me again next weekend and I can return to. You know. And when we look at the marquee, it says such and such versus such and such. It's not just WWE featuring. It's. It's this concept of we need one another. And I feel like that, to me, has always been really special because no matter how much you might dislike somebody, because Unreal is a great example of how real our industry is, but it's real in a different way. But how much you might dislike someone or not love them, whatever it may be in terms of we can work with anybody. We still are a fraternity. We still are a sorority, a fraternity, a brotherhood and sisterhood. We. We gotta stick together no matter how bad it gets. So I'm glad that everyone has been willing to, to jump at it because it's, it's. It's special to have that when, when we have you here. And of course, I'm, I'm. I'm glad that you. I mean, to get Mr. Heyman's huge. I love that.

[A]

It's been fun, man. But I think it's a testament of my. He knows I'm taking it serious.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like. And I think he honors that. You know what I mean? But he's been really, really good to me, man. It's been special. I told the story. Fatu got in the ring with me and I thought he was just going to show me something and he bumped for me for two hours.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, it was crazy, you know? And I love his story anyways because we got a similar background.

[B]

Special, huh? Yeah, he's special, man. I met him at all pro wrestling show in San Francisco. I knew right away. We talk about it this day, but I knew right away who he was and we just started oosing each other because I'd been around Jimmy and Jay throughout my whole first run with wwe. But yeah, Jacob's really special. He feels like a little baby here that I just want to make sure everything is right. He's special. I know everyone here is incredibly impressed with Jacob too. He's really.

[A]

He radiates gratitude.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It just like screams off of him, you know what I mean? The genuine, like, I am just grateful to be here.

[B]

I love that, you know? You know why I love that? I don't radiate gratitude.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like. You know what I'm saying? Like, I. There are people who have that, like, one of the boys, like, energy that I'm always a little jealous of. Damian Priest is another one where he's just. If he wins something, if he does something big, there's like a whole crew of people in gorilla. Yeah. Like, all excited. And I'm like, man, like, how do you balance. Yeah. How do you balance that? And I. I love it. And you see Jacob, it's the same thing when something good happens for him. All of us are God. Awesome, man. Yeah, awesome. That's a. That's. That's a real good energy. I dig that, talking about SummerSlam. SummerSlam being one night, but obviously what we do is. Is about not just the one night. It's all the nights that lead up to it and even about the night that follows it in terms of your overall story. And I wonder if there is any similarities between building a wrestling match and building an album.

[A]

You know what's fun? I thought about it. It's a little bit like building an album as far as the match itself is interesting. But what I'm comparing it to more. And I keep defaulting to this by accident. It reminds me more of when an album's finally finished.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And you got to go tell the world it's finished. You know what I mean? Like, I'm enjoying this process of, like, I'm used to going on TV and having to promote an album.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's something else I'm proud of being here, Cody, is that I'm not here. I don't have an album coming out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, this isn't going to be a big shock on SummerSlam when it's like jelly rolls, new album coming out next Friday or it announces something I'm in. Like, I'm not doing this for any promotion of my personal stuff. So it's been really cool to, like, I. I look at it like my job right now is to make Randy Orton look like the apex predator he's always.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Like, my job is to make Randy Orton look like the biggest, baddest son of a in the W. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, my job is to make sure that everybody in the world knows that I think Logan Paul's a prick and that we're going to handle it on August 2nd or August 3rd.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's my job. And I relate to that in a way that's like when I need the whole world to know an album's coming out. Like, you go into a different mode because it's like you spend all this time working on this and Dedicating your life to it. And all these hours of just, you know this more than anybody about this business now. Of like, painful. Just trying to figure it out. Just doing a move 30 times on a crash pad and then moving the crash pad and doing it on a thinner crash pad and doing it 20 more times and then going, all right, now we're doing it on the mat, you know what I mean? Or going from sitting down and flat back bumping to second rope, the top rope to the snapback ropes, to just the middle snapbacks, you know what I mean? To. Then how do you throw the leg out? It's like I walked in there the other day and I knew walking in that my day was going through tables. That was the wildest concept for me ever, that y' all live this way. That like all the morning I knew on the drive there that my destiny was 10 to 15 tables, you know what I'm saying? I don't know what else I'm doing today, but I'm going through a bunch of tables. It is just. So I look at that. Like building the album.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Like I'm building the album. When I'm working, when I'm in there doing the quiet work, the work nobody sees three or four hours a day that are becoming legend at the PC, you know what I mean? But when I'm going out, it's like rallying the troops, like letting my people know that we get even at SummerSlam. The underdog beats the privileged rich kid at SummerSlam. You know what I mean? The poor kid gets. The kid that grew up in Westlake gets to get in his ass. You know what I mean? Somebody was asking, like, how did you fall into this storyline? I was like, this is the easiest classic American story.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

This is real blue collar, white collar story.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, this is my daddy sold meat out of a truck. Your daddy sold houses?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean? This is where. This is that old storyline. You know, I'm more Cleveland than Logan will ever be. You know what I mean?

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's this thing. But my job is to make sure nobody doesn't know that's happening.

[B]

What? It's so funny. What's the. I'm trying to think the Ted Turner quote, but he has this great quote about advertising. And then Arnold Schwarzenegger took it to the next level. But what I like so much about what you're saying is you're talking about promoting, getting everyone who's ever will open their ears and eyes to know you're having this moment and this match. But the product you're selling them is a good product.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That's what I like about WWE more than ever right now. If, if it's a bad product, I can, I, I can't have that. I can. And, and today with attention spans being what they're being, like you mentioned we're talking about long term storytelling not too long ago. Tension spans are tough. Quick to look at our phone, even in any form, in any genre of entertainment in the arts, whatever it may be. But I like the idea that you're talking about Randy Orton who is currently kind of. I, I don't think Undertaker would dislike this, but he really has become the undertaker of this locker room. If there was a real problem, probably going to go to Randy or Seth.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If there was somebody that I'd tell you, you know, little Brody might come to TV with me sometimes. I'll tell little Brody, hey, go say hi to Randy. That's the number one. Same way my brother one of the one time I came to a WWE show back in the day said, hey, you want to go meet Undertaker? Not just do you want to meet him, it's part of the experience. You're in his locker room like, oh yeah. But so to everything you're saying is authentic all the way to the fact that you have Logan Paul, who is the opposite in terms of how we view him, but also just going about this in such an aggressive way and seeking it on his own. It's a great product. Yeah. And I love that about the product.

[A]

Is I said this on Stephanie's pod, but I want to be a little. I didn't clear it. Say it the way I could have is the only people who can watch a WWE event and not enjoy it are those who will not allow themselves.

[B]

Yeah, that's a great way to put it.

[A]

Like just get out of your head and submit to the show. Allow yourself to see it through the lens of a teenager again and you will have the night of your life. Don't be the kid who's too cool that's in your head about. Just submit to it. Like, just allow it to be as good as it actually is.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Because you're the only one not getting it because you're not allowing it to, to be. You know what I mean? Like as soon as you sit down and turn that TV on and you put that phone away and you watch or you sit in that arena or stadium, I've been there. Now that's why I'm so addicted to this stuff. And I stand on stages and arenas and stadiums 200 nights a year as well. This isn't, you know, it's not like I'm one of the few people in this business. Even Logan had never experienced that because of where he came from. Like, he came from the Internet. He never knew what a 65,000 person pop felt like. I had felt that a few times, you know what I mean? And I still went in there. It was like totally different pop. This is a totally different experience, you.

[B]

Know, I want to ask you about this. You mentioned the pop. Okay, so you're performing. What's the largest crowd? You've been in front of?

[A]

75,000.

[B]

75,000 people?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Right at 80, what that sounds like? Did it change you? Did you always after that think they're always going to sound like 75,000. Did it make you. I've heard of this thing. Two of my heroes in the business who I'm going to keep nameless in this moment. They talk about the treadmill. Say when you get on the treadmill, man, it's hard to get knocked off once you're on that treadmill, but it's hard to get on. And I've thought a lot about the noise because for a while I was like, man, if they would just react a little. Oh my gosh. And then they react a lot and then they. Then it's. Then it's. It gives you, you know, the money bumps. It's this whole. Do you feel that it's made you more attuned to how can I do this on the regular in front of stadium sized crowds? Or does it always, every time, do you still feel like, oh, this is amazing. This is a gift.

[A]

No, it truly is everywhere. Cause it's like what I love about what we do. And you said this about the stadiums and I didn't cut you off right then, but it made my heart smile. Because it's another parallel of our business. When you were like, yeah, I'm in a stadium, you know, the sound goes straight up. People don't know that if they're not in our business. Like, if you put me somewhere that's a bowl with nothing to catch, that sound just escapes. So like I've had 12, 000 person low ceiling arenas sound louder than 75, 000 person stadiums. You know what I mean? Because the ceiling captures the sound. It's really unique. But to me, it's like the magic for songs is everywhere. Like if I sit in a room, if I break a guitar right now, And I sing. Y' all aren't gonna give me much, right? And I don't expect y' all to give me much because it's a very intimate moment. But I love that just as much.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I still get that feeling of like. Like, I will still go play the homie's backyard for his birthday if he wants me to. You know what I mean? Like, I have no problem, like, doing. Like, I love every single second of.

[B]

It.

[A]

Whether we're doing it in clubs or stadiums. Now, the difference in my business and Yalls business is there's always two people going against each other in Yalls business, at least in my. I get the luxury of experiencing. We're all there for one reason. One band, one sound, one soul, one feeling, one emotion. 75,000 people. We are one right now in this moment. You know what I mean? Where y'. All. And that's what makes yours so much cooler, because there is let down. You know what I mean? Like, the only way I'm letting somebody down is if I, like, get sick on stage and can't finish the show. You know what I mean?

[B]

Part of it, what we do is let down to bring them back up.

[A]

Yeah. For sure. To keep them stick with you and believe that it'll shake out that way. So, yeah, I love it anyway. What about you? Do you still love it everywhere? Are you chasing them stadiums now?

[B]

I've had an experience where a room with 400 people in a small. I don't even know if it was an armory. VFW hall sounded like 40,000.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I. I don't know anymore so much what I am cha. I try really hard to use my ears and not get in my ego. Not about what it is, what am I hearing, and. And what can I. How can I give them what they want? And it's. It's. It's not lost on me. It's not. It's just gotten bigger. Yeah. If that. And. And that was something I never thought I would get for this long.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So sorry. I'm getting, like, emotional. I'm grateful that it's still, like, when I hear it.

[A]

I.

[B]

All the guys who work with me regularly are always like, oh, it's going to be great. You go nuts for you. And then I'll hear it and be like, oh, cool. Yeah. All right. This is a good crowd. Did you enjoy doing Stephanie's pod?

[A]

I enjoyed Stephanie's.

[B]

She's so good.

[A]

She is such a conversationalist, too. She got deep.

[B]

So I gotta tell you the Stephanie story. And I only want to tell you because I feel like I've never gotten it out there. I don't think her and I have talking about it, but it's one of my favorite moments. And to this day I've never. She's always had. I mean, she was Stephanie McMahon, so she already had one on everybody. But I feel like she's got 20 on me because of this moment. So I was sitting at the monitor with my tag partner at the time, not aware she was standing behind me. And one of the girls who was heavy chested runs to the ring in a run in. And I'm watching and I'm just going, dum dum dum dum dum dum dum. I'm making, I'm making the sound. Dum da dum da dum da dum. And then I felt her like, hand and I went like that. And I saw her and this is my boss. Even if she wasn't my boss, she's my boss.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And she just goes, keep going. Go cool. And I, I thought, like, I was mortified and that ever since then, that's all I ever think about when we're talking. It's like this woman can't take me seriously. She can't.

[A]

You remember the time I drum rolled the girls?

[B]

Oh, man. Yeah, she's. I, I look forward to. I want to come on her pod because she, she's such, like you said, a conversationalist.

[A]

Y' all should do the pod swap school thing where you go do hers for an hour and a half and then y' all just walk right on the bus.

[B]

I like that. Well, pod swap.

[A]

Yeah, a little pod swap. My wife does it all the time with people. Looks like a thing.

[B]

Shout out to your wife, by the way. Sharing you with us. Physically sharing. You're getting beat up.

[A]

Yeah, she's proud of me.

[B]

She.

[A]

Dude, I'm, you know, I got really bruised the first week. I was. Yeah, I've never done nothing physical for the record. Like I got in jail fights and stuff. And like, I haven't lifted weights through this process. I don't have any background in anything, so just locking up with grown men, even though I'm just softly doing this, but doing this a thousand times that first week. I had bruises all down my shoulder. I had bruises on my back. And I would like FaceTime my wife every night like a high school kid. Proud of them.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I'd like intentionally talking or showing them the whole time, but not pointing them out. Just like waiting on her to acknowledge my bruise so I could be like, yeah, your man's working hard, ain't he?

[B]

Sitting there doing it.

[A]

Yeah, she's awesome, dude. You're like me, though. I seen your pod with your wife. Y' all are very rooted in each other. Yeah, that's kind of. Me and Randy share that wife guy. I probably shouldn't say this on this pod, but I'll shoot. Drew's the same way. Drew's wife totally changed his life. Big, big wife guy. Like, I don't look at my wife like something that's at home.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I know a lot of men that do that. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, the wife's bad. My wife going back home to the wife. Like, I look at my wife like my best friend. Like, I want her to be with me all the time. I'm saying, she's not here tonight, but she's watching, and she's going to be surprised whenever I. It turns out the way it turns out tonight. I'm scared. I gotta cut my first real promo.

[B]

We're gonna get you out there.

[A]

No, no, no. It's my first real promo. You got any advice? I've never had to go out and, like, talk like this, so, you know.

[B]

The way I. Promos were always taught to me. Matches a promo. Promo's a match. So there's a structure to a promo. If you're kind of going at it from the paint by numbers perspective of who I am, how exciting this is. Shine myself up, there's the adversity there. I go up on a comeback, and then there's a finish. When we're more dealing on the larger, more abstract, and you're amongst the great artisan that is a Randy Orton, for example. The best thing I could tell you is plant your feet in the ring, take them in the audience. Even if someone's telling you this, even if the clock is saying one thing, and just speak from the heart. Speak from the heart if you know what you're talking about. What you do. You have your feelings on Logan, you have your feelings on Randy. You can't go wrong and they'll. They know you're you. They want to feel like you're one of them. And every time you've been out there, everything you've done has made it feel like, oh, he's one of us. One of us, baby. He's a fan who transcended his own industry to jump into this industry, and he's treating it with. With reverence.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

So. Oh, man. Yeah. No, you're. I wanted to shout her out because she's sharing it. But one thing I'll say, and then we're gonna get into this game. There's a whole generation of people that did. Family at home and success away. And I feel like we're entering this new thing where it's no longer. You don't have to be afraid to. I do this for my family.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

I don't do this to share this with. This is.

[A]

This was our success.

[B]

Yes, this is. This is. Like, even at 4, I've tried to explain to my daughter, you know, why we get to do this? Because we do this.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Do you know why we're taking our time to say hi to all these folks here? Because it's. It's part of us. It's. It's ours. So I love that. I love that you're around. Other guys feel the same. Okay, so this here is our friends at Wheelie American Vodka. This is the jingle. I'll play it for you, and then I will ask you to replace a word. Wheatley so good, I drink it. This song right here is for the red, white and blue. You got good taste and you drink like it too. Wheatley so good I drink it neatly.

[A]

Wheatley American vodka. Wheatley so good I drink it what?

[B]

Wheatley so good I drink it neatly. And that would be the part that you change to tailor it to your taste. Wheatley so good, I drink it what?

[A]

Yeah, Wheatley's so good I drink it beastly.

[B]

Beastly, I love that.

[A]

Or you. Or you could do the bin word and use easily, but take out the vowel.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And go. Wheatley's so good I drink it easily.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

I like beastly.

[A]

Yeah. Beastly's gangster, though, right? I just went like, Wheatley.

[B]

Yeah. Thanks, man.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, ah. Because weekly, wasn't it? You know what I mean? So, yeah, I felt like beastly. Yeah. Just bear it.

[B]

Yeah. There we go.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

There we go. As we do more of these, I realize that we're probably gonna start running into repeat answers, but we haven't yet. Oh, not yet. Beastly's yours.

[A]

Oh, good.

[B]

Your Beastly.

[A]

Yeah, I think I'll own that.

[B]

Yeah, that's.

[A]

I think that'll be mine.

[B]

That's yours. Thank you so much for coming, dude.

[A]

Thank you. Can I say one more thing before we get out of here?

[B]

Say hell yeah.

[A]

I was thinking about something I love when I'm a big storyteller like you. And I love when stories stop where they start. And I love when there's a overarching theme. And we started this podcast with you saying, this is probably, this is the first time, maybe the only time I'll ever have a gl Grammy nominated artist. First of all, I hope you are wrong. I hope you have tons of Grammy winners and nominated artists on here and I'll give you my Rolodex. But I will say in the middle of this story, you said something that touched my soul when you said, I stayed in every night and I shook those hands for an hour in Bakersfield to tell them I'm coming back with the title.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I have been nominated for four Grammys and I haven't won one. Cody R. Yeah. When I finish my story, I'm coming back on this bus.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I'm setting that Grammy right here.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And we're going to turn it sideways and we're going to take a shot of Wheatley vodka out of it. Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Consider it done. I believe you.

[A]

I get you.

[B]

I love that. Yes, sir.

[A]

I'm going to finish my story.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

I, I, I'm just looking forward to it because I know it's going to happen. That's great.

[A]

And then, and then my goal is I might not be the first Grammy winner you have on this bus by then, I hope. But I'm going to be the first one that brings the Grammy.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[A]

For sure.

[B]

And bringing the Grammy. We were talking about this with Nikki Bella last week. Bringing the Grammy is the most wrestler thing ever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which I love it. I love it. Yeah. Do you have the gimmick with you? Yep, I do. Yeah.

[A]

So.

[B]

But be careful because you bring a Grammy around here, wrestlers start being like, maybe you hit me with the Grammy.

[A]

No, no, no. Can you hit somebody?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, man. Well, thank you. And I look forward to the next one.

[A]

Thanks for your time.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

What a fun brother. Love the pod.

[B]

Love you. We had fun. Love you too. Thank you.

[A]

Sorry. My problem is I'm nervous.

[B]

You gotta go shoot a promo support for this podcast. And the following message comes from America's Navy. The Navy offers new graduates hands on training and experience in careers like computer science, aviation and medicine. Plus education and sign on bonuses. Parents help your grads start their career [e-mail] youm say you'll never join the Navy. That you never track storms brewing in the Atlantic. And skydiving could never be part of your commute. You'd never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit or fly so fast you break the speed. Joining the Navy sounds crazy, saying never actually is. Start your [e-mail], america's Navy forged by the sea. You say you'll never join the Navy, never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit, or break the sound barrier. Joining the Navy sounds crazy, saying never actually is. Learn [e-mail], america's Navy forged by the sea.