Sgt. Slaughter reveals heartfelt Cody Rhodes moment after WWE show (Exclusive)

Cody Rhodes has been one of WWE's top fan favorites since returning in 2022 after a six-year absence. In an exclusive interview, WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter gave his thoughts on The American Nightmare's connection with the audience.

On October 11, 2024, Rhodes defeated Dominik Mysterio to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in an untelevised match after a SmackDown episode. Slaughter's daughter attended the event, which took place at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling Senior Editor Bill Apter, Slaughter praised Rhodes for genuinely caring about the fans.

"He's a real professional. My daughter got tickets to a match in Greenville, South Carolina, took my grandson and a couple of friends, and after the dark match, Cody was in it, he went around the ring, took pictures, took selfies with everybody, shook hands, hugged, and he ran into my daughter."

Watch the video above to hear Slaughter's honest opinion on what John Cena was like in the early 2000s.

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Sgt. Slaughter on Cody Rhodes studying his matches

In 1981, Pat Patterson defeated Sgt. Slaughter in an Alley Fight at Madison Square Garden. The match is widely viewed as one of the best WWE bouts of its era.

Slaughter was pleased to find out that Cody Rhodes watches his old matches, including the legendary battle with Patterson.

"She [Slaughter's daughter] had a Sgt. Slaughter shirt on. He said, 'You know him?' She said, 'Yeah, that's my dad.' He said, 'I just watched his match with Pat Patterson yesterday, and I'm watching all of his matches because you only learn from the best.' And my daughter was just like, 'Oh my God. You actually are speaking to me about something that means something.' It wasn't just like, 'Hey, hi, how are you? Thanks for being a fan.'"

In the same video, Slaughter revealed what he told Cody Rhodes after WWE's 10-bell salute for Hulk Hogan.

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Edited by Danny Hart