Cody Rhodes expresses interest in being Paul Levesque’s successor, lists other WWE wrestler candidates

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Paul Levesque waited many years to take WWE creative control from Vince McMahon. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes told ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike that he and others already have an eye on being next in line. “I think there’s starting to become a fight for it, and I didn’t see that at first,” Rhodes said.

“I thought, well, obviously I’m the best candidate. I don’t know if I’m actually the best candidate [laughs]. I felt like I had some experience, and I’d be interested in something like that, but also, it’s very clear that CM Punk is really great at helping develop young talent, probably has a knack for it more than anybody. Seth Rollins is a little bit more rough around the edges, but probably would be an outstanding boss when it comes down to it.

“I’d love to throw my name in the hat. I don’t know if I’m ready to do it officially yet, but I like the fact that there’s the three of us, plus tons of other people. Bayley, Roman [Reigns] will always have a say. You’ve got an older locker room right now, so eventually those positions, see if you can do good, because it’s not always booking. The industry is not easy, and Triple H is doing a great job, so thankfully, we have him for quite some time.” Watch the full interview below or via ESPN’s YouTube page.

Powell’s POV: It would be a trip if Punk went from being a punk rock kid to becoming one of the most powerful players in WWE’s corporate office. Cody threw out some interesting wrestler names, but one can only imagine that some non-wrestlers, such as Paul Heyman or longtime creative team member Ed Koskey, or former WWE creative team leader Brian Gewirtz, would be considered whenever the time comes. It’s worth noting that Gewirtz has a pretty powerful ally in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, though it’s certainly possible that Johnson could be interested in that role for himself. After all, Johnson made a play within Warner Bros. Discovery to take control of the DC Universe, and is a member of the TKO board of directors. Cody also spoke about becoming the top star in WWE, the company’s partnership with ESPN, his father, and starting in WWE as a “nepo baby.”