WWE’s Cody Rhodes says Philly is the ‘perfect spot’ for WrestleMania’s 40th edition in 2024

The Wells Fargo Center is the favorite wrestling arena of WWE’s Cody Rhodes, also known as the “American Nightmare.”

Flash back to the 2013 Money in the Bank pay-per-view event. Fans gathered at the sports complex to see stars like Sheamus and Randy Orton, who eventually won the briefcase for a guaranteed world title match at any time of his choosing. But it was Rhodes who received some of the most adulation from the fans.

It was a moment he’ll never forget.

“About midway through the match, the Philly crowd started to get behind me,” said Rhodes, who’s the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, better known as the “American Dream.”

“It was just a lightning-in-a-bottle moment, and I never forgot it because I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. There’s nothing Philly about me, and they didn’t care. They were glad to choose me, and just after that, every time I came, I wanted to make sure they knew how important they were to me.”

Rhodes, who performs on WWE’s flagship television program, Raw, stood at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday afternoon, dressed in a suit and tie. Behind him, a billboard in the stadium read, “WrestleMania XL.”

Professional wrestling’s signature showcase will come to the Linc on April 6-7, 2024. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. Friday. Both nights are expected to sell out quickly, as this year’s WrestleMania at SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, drew 161,892 fans over two nights.

In one of the biggest annual sports entertainment events of the year, Rhodes, who was in the main event at WrestleMania 39, said Philly is a “perfect spot” to celebrate the 40th edition. The event has not been held in the city since 1999.

“I’d say a Philly wrestling crowd is a contrarian wrestling crowd,” Rhodes said. “Whatever the narrative might be, Philly is not going to guarantee you that they’re going along with that narrative. In a sense that if they really liked someone, they’re going to let you know, and if they don’t like someone that perhaps they’re supposed to, they will also let you know.”

Rhodes has become a top performer after leaving the WWE briefly to get involved in the business side of professional wrestling. He attributes his success to learning under his father.

“My dad was willing to sacrifice a great deal to be the top personality or a top star in the business,” Rhodes said. “But as he grew and matured, he was not willing to sacrifice his family. ... That’s been the biggest thing that he passed to me, and now I have my daughter, my wife, Brandi, they’re very much a part of this. I don’t do this outside of them. I really do it because of them.”

» READ MORE: WWE WrestleMania returns to Philadelphia in 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field

Rhodes recalled that his father, who died at age 69 in June 2015, always found ways to fit in with the Philly crowd, doing things he normally would never do, like painting his face when he came to the city with the Road Warriors, a professional wrestling tag team that featured Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal.

In the end, the fans here will decide the performers’ fate, but when they do, Rhodes said, the atmosphere and energy changes.

“That’s the best feeling. ... It’s not knowing what you’re going to get from them and being able to play with it,” he said. “When you’ve been doing this job for a long time the crowd takes you on a different ride — it’s special.

“Wrestling here and the way a Philly wrestling and sports entertainment fan is and how they can take to somebody, but to do it on this scale two nights in a row with 80,000 to 90,000 people, it’s just a really good omen — feels good.”

Vaughn Johnson contributed to this article.