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Stephen A. Smith endorses Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matty Breisch | Last updated 4/9/24

When Cody Rhodes stopped by First Take last week to talk all things professional wrestling with Stephen A. Smith ahead of WrestleMania 40, the latter was excited to see him push forward, take a run at the table, and potentially leave South Philadelphia with the grandest prize in professional wrestling, the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Fast forward a few days into the future, and it’s safe to say mission accomplished.

Taking some time on his The Stephen A. Smith Show to weigh in on the Night 2 finish of the “Showcase of the Immortals,” the ESPN personality celebrated WWE’s decision to finally put the belt on the “American Nightmare” as he “has a lot of love” for the second-generation Superstar.

“I’m a fan of Cody Rhodes. I’m glad he finally won this title, it’s escaped him for quite some time. I actually interviewed him during my day job on Thursday morning before this event. I got a lot of love for this guy. I like him a lot. He’s the son of the ‘American Dream,’ Dusty Rhodes. Remember that? NWA days and all of that. Cody Rhodes is big time, he finally got the love. He lost on Saturday when The Rock took care of him. When he fought on Sunday in the main event for the heavyweight crown, I like him. I like him a lot. I’m glad he finally got his just-do. He was waiting for this, he wanted this bad. Ultimately got it done and to me, it ain’t just about your wrestling ability, you got to be an elite smack talker, okay?” Stephen A. Smith noted via Fightful.

“I come from the days of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Randy Macho Man Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, people like that. My favorite tag team of all time was the Road Warriors, but I loved the Four Horsemen, even though they didn’t do as good as talking as Ric Flair did. I like that stuff. I like that stuff and of course, nobody loves Goldberg more than me. ‘You’re Next,’ yes, he didn’t have to do so much talking. But, if Cody Rhodes can market the sport like that, I’m all for it y’all. I’m all for it.”

Well, if Rhodes has the Stephen A. endorsement, WWE clearly made the correct decision, as having a WWE Champion who is over with the mainstream crowd is precisely what TKO was looking for in 2024.

**Cody Rhodes reveals what Mama Rhodes told him at WrestleMania 39.**

Speaking of Cody Rhodes’ long-fought win at WrestleMania 40, the “American Nightmare” discussed the one person who played into his drive and determination: Mama Rhodes.

That’s right, before she became a major part of Rhodes’ storyline with The Rock, Mama Rhodes served as the inspiration for his drive back to the main event based on her post-WrestleMania 39 comments alone.

“One thing about my mom is, my mom does not want to be on TV. She doesn’t want to be Mama Rhodes. She’s usually asleep during the show. She doesn’t know this, but I’ll never forget, I was really worried when I didn’t win at WrestleMania 39, the journey that I fought, ‘How can I get back to WrestleMania 40 and do it all again?’ I remember saying to her, ‘I just want to be quarterback.’ She didn’t mean it in any negative way, but how she slid right in as I said that and said, ‘Just one time.’ When she said that, I realized that I was out of time. It was now or never,” Cody Rhodes told reporters at the WrestleMania 40 press conference via Fightful.

“WrestleMania 39, it felt this was it, this was the moment, this is the most obvious thing ever. No. What they asked me, what the challenge was, what the task was — I just heard The Miz, who I’ve known my whole career tell me that was an incredible amount of pressure. I’m not going to pat myself on the back here, but I feel the gauntlet was laid down and I was able to get through to the other side. Ultimately, the biggest challenge in front of me was the biggest movie star in the world, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Mr. Heyman, now a Hall of Famer, and of course, the Tribal Chief, a man on the Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling, sports entertainment, Roman Reigns. I’m lost in all of this, if that makes any sense, I am. If I learned anything from my dad, if it’s a good night, you don’t want it to end.”

Fortunately for Rhodes and his Mama, he was able to overcome the odds and become the champion his father never could. In the end, a happy ending indeed.