Last night at WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes concluded his storyline by defeating Roman Reigns, marking a significant victory that held a deeply personal meaning for Rhodes. During the Night Two press conference, Rhodes shared that members of WWE’s executive team – Paul Levesque, Nick Khan, and Bruce Prichard – presented him with a special gold Rolex following the event. Rhodes then revealed that this Rolex held sentimental value as it was the exact same watch his late father, Dusty Rhodes, once owned but had pawned to finance Cody’s acting education.
“Something that I wanted to share – I came to the back, and Bruce Prichard and Triple H and Nick Khan handed me this, which is the same watch that my dad had that he pawned so that I could go to acting school. So the level of investment and responsibility that the company just put in my hands, I hope I can pay it back, pay it forward a hundred times over,” Rhodes expressed during the press conference.
Levesque elaborated that the idea to gift Rhodes the watch originated from Khan, with Prichard spearheading the effort to acquire it. The trio aimed to provide Rhodes with a token symbolizing Dusty’s presence and support as Rhodes achieved victory and concluded his narrative.
When Dusty passed away in 2015, Cody penned his eulogy, wherein he recounted Dusty’s promise of bequeathing him the gold Rolex upon winning the World Title. However, Cody later discovered that the watch had been pawned to fund his acting education, adding an emotional layer to its significance.
#CodyRhodes just shared an emotional, beautiful story at the #WrestleMania XL Press Conference. pic.twitter.com/HOCjlvUEOz
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2024