Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Brandi Rhodes On Cody Returning To WWE, Will She Ever Wrestle Again?

Episode Date: August 11, 2023

Brandi Rhodes (@thebrandirhodes) is a professional wrestler and media personality. She joins chats with Chris Van Vliet on the red carpet at the premiere of "American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes" in Atlanta, GA to talk about her husband Cody Rhodes leaving AEW for WWE, her reaction to his torn pec before the HIAC match with Seth Rollins, would Cody make a good politician, will she ever return to the ring and much more! Quote I'm thinking about: TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All systems are gathered. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Blin. Oh, yes. Welcome back to another audio adventure here on Insight. I'm CVVV Chris Van Fleet. So good to see you here for episode number 502. And as you know, I'm not usually one for counting episodes, but we're two episodes removed now from the big milestone of episode number 500,

which was a great conversation with my friend Diamond Dallas Page, and we recorded that at his house. And the reason that I bring this up is because, number one, if you haven't checked out that episode, it might be my favorite conversation that I've ever had on the podcast. A DDP is just, he's such a good guy. And the world is a better place because Diamond Dallas Page lives in it. But the reason that I bring it up is because I recorded that episode with DDP,

and this episode with Brandy on the exact same day. I was in Atlanta. DDP was kind enough to let me stay at his house with him and his lovely wife, Paige McMahon. Isn't that great? He's Diamond Dallas Page. Her name is Paige McMahon, like, yeah, actual, like McMahon, real name, no relation. But I did this interview with DDP in the morning.

And then later on that night was the premiere for Cody's documentary called American Nightmare becoming Cody Rhodes. So I interviewed DDP in the morning. I interviewed Cody at night, and I also interviewed Brandy while I was there at the red carpet. So I had the pleasure of sitting down with, actually, it wasn't sitting down with her. I was standing up with Brandy.

We were on the red carpet. I knew she'd be there. I didn't know that we'd be able to do an interview with her. So we were able to borrow a little bit of time with her. I guess we could call this a mini view, a mini interview, because it's just a handful of minutes. But it's a great catch-up with Brandy. We also did a previous episode with her right before they left AEW.

So if you want to go check that one out, it's, I think, about, man, 200 episodes back. I probably should have pulled up the number here to let you know. But you can go check that out. Two very different conversations because they were in two very different places in their lives. But I hope you enjoy this. It was episode number 267, October 2021. so almost two years ago. And yeah, lots of changed since them,

but two great conversations, the one here and that one, man, episode 267, and we're already in the 500s. Woo! This thing is really growing here. If you enjoy this, please snap a screenshot.

Please share it with somebody who you would also know would enjoy this. She's at the Brandy Rhodes. I'm at Chris Van Fleet, and here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, Brandy Roads.

It's so good to see you again. Good to see you too. Yes. Congratulations. I don't think I've talked to you since becoming a mom. Well, thank you very much. Yeah, probably not. Yeah.

Well, congratulations to you too. Thank you. Maybe you can give me some parenting advice. Oh, my gosh. We are going through it right now. Well, here's the advice. You get used to something, and then something changes, and you go through it all over again. I feel like that's what's happening right now.

Yep. So a lot's changed, and I feel like a lot's changed for Cody, too. Like, I feel like he's a completely different person since the last time that I saw him, which was a few years ago. Yeah. What do you think's been the biggest change professionally for him? Honestly, I think just becoming comfortable with everything that he's done and confident and who he's become, it really just shows in the presentation of Cody Rhodes now.

I mean, 10 years ago, that Cody, he had a presentation, and, you know, he had something about him, but it wasn't this. I think he had to grow into this, and he had to experience a lot of things to become this. How much does, like, do you help him dye his hair? Is it every week? Is it every other week? What is this? I don't know nothing about white folks' hair dye and stuff. So I stay out of that because I would have his hair like an orange color on accident or something. No. No, he handles his own hair. He handles his wardrobe. Like, he does his thing. I am very much just focused on the hair and wardrobe of me and a two-year-old right now. And the two-year-old doesn't like what I'm doing half the time. She's like, no, I don't want to wear this anymore. He is impeccably dressed all the time.

Well, good, I'm glad, because I don't want to be on the opposite end of that. I mean, but looking at this. You look amazing. Look at this. It's incredible. Any chance we'll see you back in the ring? You know, not as an active competitor. For sure.

You've retired as a wrestler? Yeah, I mean, it was really anticlimactic, but yes, I did. I just said, you know what? Okay, well, is there's really going to do this, the Becky Lynch, you know, Seth Rollins's way, and they are amazing for doing it. Yeah. Because I can't. It just was too hard.

Well, not too hard, but just something that I just didn't think would be the best for the family. So, you know, we've gone a different route, and I've started business ventures on my own, and he's doing his thing, and we're just doing a couple of different things. Yeah, yeah.

I feel like when Cody's done with wrestling, whenever that happens to be, 40 years from now or whatever, I feel like he would make a great politician. Oh, please don't wish that. I feel like I should tell him. He's right there. I think he feels the same way.

No, you know, he probably would. I don't know that I make a great politician's wife. Therein lies the problem with that. Have you seen the final cut of this film? You know, I don't know. I've seen a cut of the film. Okay. I don't know that I've seen the final final.

So, you know, I might be seeing some new stuff here, too, along with everybody else, which is cool. Was there something that when you saw it, you went, wow, they put that. Not in the film. I can't believe it. No, but I was the most impressed with everything I say that's kind of shitty. Not like shitty, like it's just kind of like, well, telling the truth, I'm smiling. It's kind of look like an asshole. But it's kind of funny. This is like a smile delivery of, well, that happened, and that was a mess.

Yeah. I mean, I'm sure there was so many different things that went into Cody being back with WWE, but how difficult was it to kind of keep that between you? you guys for so long? You know, it really just didn't come up for me very much. I mean, I'm sure he was getting asked, like, left, right, and in between. But, like, you know, Cody's, he's socially different than I am. The way that I'm social, I think people know, not asking her, because she'll straight

up tell me no, and I don't want to be told no. Whereas Cody will maybe be coy or be around the bush. I'll just say, no. What's something that you would say you're most proud of of your husband? I'm just really proud of his ability to just stick with whatever it is that he originally planned. I'm a shapeshifter. Like my original plan sometimes don't work out and then I will just shift and mold and I'll become something else. Cody is Cody Rhodes.

He's the same Cody Rhodes I met when we met 10 years ago and he's had the same dream. And he had that dream since he was a little kid, you know, and he's going to see this through. Is this your drink? I just got a drink. Is there vodka in that? There's tequila in that. Oh, my. Oh, wow.

Look at Daniel getting the show. I love skinny margarita, y'all. Man. What was the phone call like when Cody tore his peck? So it's so disappointing on my part because he called and he said to me, don't panic. And immediately I thought the baby fell, something happened there at the hospital. So I went, oh, my God, what, what, what, what? Just tell me, just tell me.

He goes, I think I tore my peck. And I said, oh, thank God. You'll be fine. The baby. though. But then, of course, I was like, did you really tell you, are you sure? You know? And yeah, he had torn it.

And then were you like, and what do you mean you're still going to wrestle at hell in a cell? I was that person that wanted him to. And I did check with Doc Amon to make sure that I was giving sound advice. So I was like, well, if nothing really worse can come of the situation, if you feel okay with it, then I'm giving my blessing too. So, yeah, I mean, I was a performer. So I know the feeling.

Like, if you can, you want to make it happen. And those people are counting on you. And, you know, people bought tickets for the show to see that main event with Cody and Suss. So, yeah, if you can do it, do it. And look, you weren't a performer. You are a performer. Once a performer, always a performer, right? I guess, you know.

You heard me ask this question of Cody when we were on the bus. But what are three things that you're grateful for in your life? Oh, wow. I'm going to do what you did because it just gives me three more genius. wishes by saying family. So everybody, you know, Cody, baby, my mom and dad, my brother, his kids, whole family. The dogs. Not Yeti. No, I'm just kidding. No, Yeti's in there. And then honestly, drive. Just, you know, I'm 40. I did, when I was 16, 40 was old, I don't feel old. I feel really driven. I feel like I just kind of

got a new second wind and I'm in the best shape I've ever been in and I'm embarking on this crazy venture that I never thought I was going to do and I just feel really good. And wisdom with age. I feel like every year older I become

the less stupid things bother me anymore. They just don't. And so I'm happy for that. That allows me to be clear-headed and just move forward. Look at this ladies and gentlemen. I'm sweating. I also just turned 40 as well, and I'm like, yeah. Woo.

What a great way to end this. Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you. Okay. So good to spend some time with Brandy, even though it wasn't quite as long as the last episode that we did together. But great to catch up with her and, you know, find out what's going on in her world.

Brandy, the mother now. And from the sounds of it here, a retired in-ring performer. And if you listen back to the Cody episode from a few weeks ago, it's interesting because Cody talks about how the thing he really enjoys now about being in WWE is that he can put his focus on what he loves the most, what he wants to be the best at, which is working in the ring. And it sounds a little bit like all of the other stuff he had going on behind the scenes with AEW really got in the way of what his main focus was, which was becoming the best in-ring performer that he could be. So it also sounds like with Brandy not

focusing on the in-ring stuff and focusing on everything else she has going on, it sounds like that's a better place for her and everything that she has going on right now. Cody's documentary is streaming now on Peacock. Let me know what you think of it. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was such a deep dive into who Cody is from the beginning to exactly where he is right now. I'm not ruining anything by saying this, but it's funny at the end of it. He's like, oh, this documentary would have been a lot better if I had,

actually won that match at WrestleMania 39. But send me a tweet, send Brandy a tweet or a message on Instagram. Let us know what you're thinking. Take a screenshot and tag us. She's at the Brandy Roads. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. And Benjamin Franklin has this great quote, which I will share with you now. You may delay, but time will not.

That's a good one, right? You can put things off, but time's just going to keep on going by. So it's basically an idea of like, let's make this stuff happen. And I feel like that's kind of exactly the story for both Brandy and Cody Rhodes. Be great. Be grateful. Go back and listen to some back episodes if you're brand new to the show. I think there's a whole bunch of conversations in there that you'll really enjoy.

Have a great weekend. We will see you on the next one for some more insight. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock. But there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley. Whatever happened to Hammer Alley? How did they go from top of the rock?

I'm looking for a music video. They're a band from 1987. Hammer Alley. Ever heard of then? To Rock Bottom. Dude, I was born in 1987. I can't believe he's doing this. Hammer Alley.

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