One of those times was in early 2025, when The Final Boss asked Rhodes to become his champion and give him ‘his soul. Cody Rhodes ‘ encounters with The Rock after his WWE return became some of the most memorable moments in WWE’s modern era. ‘ As fans witnessed, Rhodes didn’t sell out to The Rock; he originally planned to sell his soul to someone close to him. It was none other than The Rock’s own daughter and former NXT General Manager Ava.
On the road to WrestleMania 41, The Rock returned to an episode of SmackDown and wanted Cody Rhodes to become his champion. The Final Boss, alongside Travis Scott, met Rhodes at the Elimination Chamber 2025 PLE. During their conversation, The American Nightmare revealed that he wanted to sell his soul to Ava instead of The Great One when she was in charge of NXT.
In a recent episode of his podcast, “What do you want to talk about”, Cody Rhodes’ guest was The Rock’s daughter Ava. Rhodes said, “When The Final Boss asked me for my soul, I don’t know did you [Simone Johnson] ever tell him this? In a moment, it seemed like The Prodigal Son would sell his soul to The Rock, but he refused and told him off.
I never shared it with him. We kept it between us. When he asked me for my soul, I thought, ‘You know what would’ve been funny? Is to relent and give my soul, but not to him. This is at a time when you were the NXT General Manager, to you. I thought that’s got legs. I’ll never say a word again. She’ll speak. We would’ve crushed that. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Often people are, ‘He don’t want to be a bad guy. I’m open to all things. Whatever is the best, but I thought that would’ve been a real good spin. However, right after, John Cena, who was also standing in the ring, shockingly turned heel and laid a beatdown on Rhodes. The night itself became one of the most memorable moments in WWE history and led to a captivating rivalry between Cena and Rhodes, while marking The Rock’s final appearance on WWE television as of this writing. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.