Promo Data

Title:

"The son he always wanted"

Worker(s):

Paul Heyman,?Cody Rhodes

Date:

06.02.2023

Promotion:

World Wrestling Entertainment

Event:

WWE Monday Night RAW #1550?(Card with guide)

Promo

Paul Heyman:?"Cody, what you may one day find out in your life - hopefully not at my expense, but one day - is that life at the very top in this industry requires an understanding that the only week busier than the weak leading in to a major event, like the Royal Rumble or, watch the point, Wrestle Mania, is the week coming out of a major event, like the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. And I'm sure you know 'The Tribal Chief' and I have had a lot on our plates in the past week, and a few things fell through the cracks, admittedly, on the island of relevancy. One of which is 'The Tribal Chief' and I, in front of the entire world, want to congratulate you on winning the 2023 WWE Men's Royal Rumble match. Congratulations, you earned it. Very proud."?[the crowd chants 'Cody']

Cody Rhodes:"So... I know that my father had a nickname for you, my brother had a nickname for you, but, if you'll indulge me, I'm gonna call you Mr Heyman. Well, it's because I have an unparalleled respect for you. And I think you know why. But, if we're gonna pull back the curtain here, might as well pull it back for everyone here in attendance tonight, might as well pull it back for everybody watching at home: I want to tell a story that should be told, that should have been told a long time ago. The year was 2000, the till in my family had dried up a bit. 'Hard times' became more than just the promo.?[see Note 1]?Simply put; my family went broke. Hundred dollars in a Wachovia checking account for all of us. You need a visual aid for it? My dad doing local car commercials, and not for the money, just so that he could keep the car.?[the crowd chants 'Dusty']

But, then he- he got a phone call. You called him. You told him ECW is in town. You told him that Steve Corino was going to talk a little smack about him ,and that if he would just agree to appear on camera, if Dusty Rhodes would be on ECW, you would pay him and you would pay him well. You kept your word. In addition to the money that we sorely needed, ECW gave my father his confidence back, and I can never, ever repay you for that. Thank you very much. And we turn the clocks a bit forward here, I know we don't talk about it, but before I was here I was somewhere else causing a little bit of trouble?[referring to AEW's ratings victory over NXT], and from one disrupter in this sport, from one disruptor in sports entertainment in this whole world to another. You showed me a-- you showed me the way, thank you again."?[Heyman is moved by Rhodes's words, and wipes away tears. The crowd chant 'Thank you Paul']

Paul Heyman:?"Ohoho... you're good! You, uh, you really caught me off guard on this one; I came out here to schmooze a little business with you, and you, uh... phew... you, uh, got me personally... Um.... Well I- I-- If we're going to peel it back, if we're going to shoot from the hip, let's go all the way. Um, this isn't about me. And- and with all due respect, and love and admiration and adulation, and I'll even dare say the word, acknowledgment, this isn't about your dad. This is about you. This- this is about everything that you have fought for, from the bottom all the way up, out the door, back in the door, to winning the men's Royal Rumble, to main-eventing WrestleMania. And winning WrestleMania is a whole different story. Just getting there is a long, long road. And that's YOUR story. That- that's the story that you need to finish, to find out if it IS a dream come true, where you have to suffer the nightmare of coming just this close. Because you're not just main-eventing WrestleMania, you're trying to take away from the greatest box office attraction, the greatest champion of all time, Roman Reigns.

And that's no easy task for any mere mortal, but let alone someone that has no idea what it's like under that spotlight. Will you crumble under that spotlight? Will you wither under the stress? Will you self-destruct under the pressure? Because no one ever prepped you for that. You know, right down the road is the WWE Performance Center. And at that very Performance Center... your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped the biggest stars of this generation. Your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped Seth Rollins. Your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped Becky Lynch. Your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped Bailey. Your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped Kevin Owens. Your father, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, trained and prepped - for the highest level of success - 'The Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns.?

You know who your father didn't train and prep? Your father did not train, nor prep, you! Now, the father myself, I could counsel you that maybe, just maybe your father wanted you to make it on your own. That's how much love he had for you. Maybe, just maybe, your father wanted you to step out from a shadow of a National Monument like 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes. That he didn't want you to go through life as 'Dusty's son', but he wanted you to go through life as Cody - WrestleMania Main Event; the man that stopped 'The Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns! Maybe... God, Cody... I can't convey in words how much I loved your father. And I can tell you straight to your face, man, did your father love you. And, uh... I'll tell you this one personally... In my last conversation with your dad, he told me, you, Cody were his favorite son... But Roman Reigns was the son he always wanted."?[the crowd boos. Rhodes gets in Heyman's face. Heyman, off-mic: 'I'm just carrying a message' Rhodes offers his hands to Heyman, and forcefully shakes it. Heyman, off-mic: 'You're hurting me!']?

Cody Rhodes:?"You know, I'm just trying to win a wrestling championship, and everybody - everybody wants to make it personal. And that's what you just did, and you're not gonna pay for it Mr Heyman, your boy, Roman Reigns, is going to pay for it, at WrestleMania, when I take those titles, personally."

Notes

- Note 1: Referencing Dusty Rhodes famous?"Hard Times"?promo.