In an interview with The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor superstar Cody Rhodes discussed a variety of topics, including the one bad experience that he had on the independent scene.

“I made my first flight, I missed the first flight after going through customs and barely made the second flight. I’m so nervous because I don’t know when I am on because I had a suit on and my wrestling gear underneath it because I was convinced that this guy is not going to communicate with me I’m not going to make the show. Long story short, I decided that I made it, I had time to talk with (Donovan) Dijak, and let’s go balls to the wall. I am going to no sleep, but who cares, I can get through this and sleep all night, no big deal. We get through the match, we finish, everyone seemed really excited for the match. He told me that it was a record crowd. I felt a super sense of accomplishment, until afterward when he asks me if I am still up for that (post-show bar & grill fan event). I said that I honestly don’t think I will be able to make it because I haven’t slept, and I think I’m just going to hit the hay. This is my first bad experience was in this one phrase: ‘Well, do you want to get paid?’ I didn’t know what to do; like, part of me wanted to move my hand, and everyone is looking. I looked at him and walked into the other room and literally just texted my wife asking what I should do.

Brandi Rhodes is super, circle the wagon, let’s beat him (up) – she’s not helpful in this regard, and then I came back in and I told him that I didn’t want his money. I am going to sign these 8×10’s for the gentlemen in the restaurant and I’m going to go. My driver took me halfway to the hotel, and on the way to the hotel I said, you know what, let’s go to that dinner. We turn around, go to the dinner, nobody has any interest that I am at the dinner. The guy cards me when I come in, marks my hand and everything, okay cool, I start to eat and the guy who threatened to not pay me (got) a standing ovation from his minions. At that point I just got up and left; I just didn’t want to be attached to the event any longer. Sorry for such a long journey I took you on, but there is a second part when a referee said to me after he heard the initial phrase, do you want to get paid, this random referee seemed really nice up to that point, he said, hey man, you can’t blow him off like that, the last guy that did that was Kevin Nash. I’m thinking, I didn’t blow him off; I didn’t know. His whole crew is just staring at me, just a terrible experience. That was the one bad experience I had after the entire year.”

The interview is available in full at this link.