Cody Rhodes didn’t just have to ask permission to leave WWE for a movie — he had to ask while holding the company’s biggest championship. On the Double Coverage Podcast, the American Nightmare revealed he was genuinely nervous about asking Triple H for time away to film Street Fighter, and how the WWE chief’s surprising response showed just how much the company’s attitude toward Hollywood has changed.
Triple H and Cody Rhodes (Credits: Ringside News)
Rhodes plays Guile in the Street Fighter film, released October 16, and the filming commitment meant taking the WWE Championship off television. “I don’t think I’ve ever shared this before, but I was nervous to ask Triple H,” Rhodes said. “That’s really my coach and my guide in the wrestling world.”
Triple H didn’t just approve Cody Rhodes’ Street Fighter leave — he planned the return
What surprised Rhodes wasn’t just the approval. Triple H immediately started working out the dates — and then went further, brainstorming how the Hollywood appearance could flow into WWE’s storytelling once Rhodes came back. “Not just to jump to the traditional, ‘let’s set them on fire and throw them off the Tron’… not the traditional ‘book them on the way out’ type,” Rhodes said, praising the creative thinking.
Rhodes explained that Triple H understood wrestling was still the priority, but saw the value in a WWE champion starring in a major film rather than treating it as a problem.
WWE’s new stance on outside projects under Triple H and Nick Khan
Rhodes pointed out that the conversation used to be a flat “no” — in the past, asking for a month or two away for another project would get rejected immediately. Under Triple H and WWE President Nick Khan, he said, the company now recognizes the benefits of its wrestlers appearing in major productions. “It’s a really good time to work at WWE in terms of that,” Rhodes said.
With the movie now in theaters and Rhodes back on WWE television, that gamble paid off for everyone involved.
Also Read: Cody Rhodes Says He Was ‘Nervous’ To Ask Triple H About Leaving WWE To Film Street Fighter
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Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
