Simmons followed up that question by asking Cena which WWE talent had done the most to take the leap from where they had originally been placed on the card. Unlike the previous question, Cena didn’t have any hesitation in his answer, naming one of his more recent rivals.

“Cody, Cody Rhodes,” Cena said. “He asked for his release from the company and left…I felt he had, man, the first time I heard that kid speak was at the Hall of Fame in Chicago, when he and his brother inducted his dad. And I’m like front row going ‘I’m out of a job…This kid is coming for me. I better go back and practice.’ And, you know, generational talents have big shoes to fill. And gosh, he did the best he could with what he had, but he realized if you start up here and watch the stock go down. 

“And essentially the company dissolves, of like ‘I’ve got to go.’ And I’m like ‘Man, what is going on with this guy?’ And back he comes, and he’s in a…he’s our guy now. I don’t think there’s any arc better than that. Like, to be kicked out to be out of the club, and then not only earn your way back in, but earn your way back in and prove that you can compete and perform, every day, at the top level. Not a top level, like the top level.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Bill Simmons Podcast” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription