Unhappy with his role as Stardust in WWE, Cody Rhodes left the company in 2016 and hit the independent circuit. After establishing him as "Cody" (the Rhodes name was caught up in a copyright dispute with WWE for a fair few years), he helped found AEW as an EVP and, in 2022, returned to WWE.
He's since become the company's top babyface and is now on course to headline WrestleMania for the second year in a row. However, looking to make a statement and put his time in WWE behind him at AEW Double or Nothing in 2019, Rhodes used a sledgehammer to smash a Triple H-inspired throne.
It was a moment which got fans talking and The Game has finally broken his silence on what became a defining moment during AEW's early days.
"I laughed about it then. People make that stuff out to be so much more than it is," Triple H said, making it clear he took no offence. "If I was in his shoes, I'd have done the same thing. And it's one of the things that I love about Cody is, I watched Cody go from being a kid in this business, and I don't mean that as disrespectful. He's literally a kid."
"His dad was in some way a mentor to me. We started NXT together. He was a big part of that system, I learned a lot from Dusty and sort of sitting under his learning tree as well," he continued. "We had a wonderful partnership. And to see him grow from literally this kid to coming in, trying to find his way in the business, and come out of his dad's shadow which was monumental. Then gambling on himself to go find himself and find who he was."
In 2022, Rhodes said this about discussing the stunt with Triple H upon his WWE return:
"We did speak and I think Triple H did it in such a Triple H fashion. Everybody had come on that bus to say hello, talk a little bit about what may happen and the very last one was Triple H. My former assistant from AEW came as a friend and he was on [the bus] and he knows the world's worst kept secret that Hunter is my favorite wrestler. That was a really, [starts to tear up] jeez, this has been a wild tear-filled weekend, but it was just a good moment. Also to see him healthy and I know the retirement came as it did but to do some justice to not only see my favorite wrestler and somebody that gosh I wanted to model so many things after and such. Seth being his protégée and to be able to give some of those fan service moments for the fans and also for Triple H."
"That was really touching and especially, you've got to put it in perspective, I talked a lot of smack, I destroyed his throne, I was very loud. Very intent on getting angry, I was just angry and that was just a moment of no anger. Because why would I be angry? You guys are paying me this absurd amount of money and I get to be me? I get to be me and especially coming from where I had left here, there's nothing to be angry about. It's more of a matter of one chapter ended, a beautiful chapter in AEW which I'm so proud of, and then to start this new chapter here. I just kept saying out there finish, I wasn't talking about the match, but finish as far as what's next, what I started here, I have to finish if that makes sense. But I spoke right before with him and I'm very excited to see him."