Cody Rhodes issues his first comments after winning the WWE title at Wrestlemania 40

As seen during the WWE Wrestlemania 40 Sunday PLE, Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns to become the Undisputed WWE Unviersal champion. While speaking to media at the post-show press conference, Cody commented on the celebration…

“In the moment, I was just so happy to see my friends. You have a lot of friends in wrestling, then they turn on you. Kevin Owens is a huge part of my journey, I wouldn’t have been able to meet the guys I met and do the things that we would do without him. Sami was a huge part of my journey last year with the budding rivalry and him having the opportunity at Elimination Chamber. I didn’t think I would see Randy because he would probably get on his bus and he’s Randy. To have the guy who took me under his wing and I got to watch be a champion, that was amazing. I drove Cena around for almost two years, learned everything I possibly could from him, but didn’t know I was learning because we were having such a good time. There is nobody who carried WWE, until Roman, like John Cena. My family. LA Knight. A lot of victims of the Bloodline. If anything, circling back to what you asked, I think it was just the joy. There is a respect for Roman and Bloodline, no doubt, but nothing is bigger than the company and industry itself. This was a win for the people and me.”

“I came to the back and Bruce Prichard, Triple H, and Nick Khan handed me this [shows watch]. It’s the same watch my dad had that he pawned so he could go to acting school. The level of investment and responsibility the company just put in my hands, I hope I can pay it back, pay it forward, 100 times over.” (quotes courtesy of Fightful.com)