July 7, New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to America with the G1 Special in San Francisco.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes takes on newly crowned IWGP heavyweight champion Kenny Omega in a continuation of the long-running Bullet Club storyline.
Speaking with media members today, Cody was asked about the importance of the match and meeting Omega on his level in the wake of Omega’s recent “seven star match” with Kazuchika Okada.
“I’d say it’s probably the most important thing to me internally,” Cody said. “That’s when I’m talking about inside, that feeling in your stomach and fire in your belly type as a competitor. I’m aware of my presence as far as what I can do on the microphone, my presentation and the smoke and mirrors -- no pun intended -- that comes with me. But I love professional wrestling. I love it.
”Matt and Nick Jackson and I have an expression, I’m obsessed, I can’t be on a show and not be out there in the ring, as we call it, bumping and learning. At 32, heading toward my 33rd birthday this month, there are things I’ve got to improve at. There are things I have to get better at. The best place for me to be to do that is a place like New Japan Pro Wrestling.”
Since leaving WWE in 2016 and debuting the famous “list” of things he aimed to accomplish in the new phase of his career, Cody has been an almost unstoppable force. While becoming a main event player everywhere he lands, he has proven doubters wrong.
As All In draws closer, and with a second huge clash with Omega looming, Cody’s confidence appears to be peaking.
“I think I’m incredibly gifted in the ring,” Cody said. “But you have to show it. It has to be there, and these are the opportunities to do so.”
Cody and The Young Bucks have been controlling their careers more than almost anyone else at a high level in wrestling, using Being The Elite on YouTube to direct narratives along with social media and the lead-up to All In.
It’s a level of control that’s ultimately unheard of in the world of WWE, something Cody spoke passionately about during the call.
“I think that’s one of the most backward ass things about wrestling in the first place, writers?” Cody said. “What are you writing? What on Earth are you writing? I have some friends who are writers for WWE and the most thing they could every offer as far as pre-tapes and backstage interviews, there were there to provide a little direction, a little coaching. They were there to look at the shot. In that vein, they were very valuable.
“But as far as this industry, if anyone ever tells you it’s scripted, I dare you to find me a wrestling script. It doesn’t exist. We’re a rare thing, a rare bird in the world of entertainment and an important bird.
“Same with producers, I love all those legends, I love them to death. Some of them are like family to me. But how the hell are you going to tell me what to do out there? You don’t. And that was my biggest mistake with WWE, ever listening. There’s a difference between collaboration or advice and being told to do this. Because that’s not how it works. You go out there and you’re the one on TV. You take the heat if it sucks and you reap the rewards if it’s a grand slam.”
As he hits a career defining few months, Cody is still studying and learning his art and the subtle changes that come with going between the USA and Japan.
But, he stressed, there’s a single truth buried in it all, and it’s not about working the face/heel divide.
“For me, as a student of the game, the biggest difference I’ve noticed is that in some towns I’m the absolute hero of the people, in other towns I’m the lowest of the low, I’m the worst thing they’ve ever seen,” Cody said. “That is the biggest challenge for me. I honestly think it’s very new in the business. I’m not talking about a split reaction in the house. I’m talking about a drastic change in the town from being loved to being hated. That’s my favorite thing right now, to learn how to do it. That’s why I don’t use any of these dumbass terms like ‘heel’ or ‘babyface.’ That’s not real.
“You’re a wrestler or you’re a star. You want to be a star.”
You can see Cody vs. Kenny II and the rest of New Japan’s G1 Special in San Francisco when it airs live on AXS TV, July 7 at 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific.