Cody Rhodes revealed that instead of offering his soul to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during a storyline pitch, he actually proposed giving it to Simone Johnson, The Rock’s daughter, without ever informing her father about the idea. Rhodes shared this concept on the podcast What Do You Wanna Talk About, explaining that he only discussed it with two WWE creative team friends and no one else.
Rhodes described how he imagined the storyline playing out while Simone was the NXT General Manager (known then as Ava). He joked that upon being asked for his soul, he would concede—but not to The Rock—instead giving it to Simone, who would then speak on his behalf, with Rhodes staying silent. Simone admitted she was unaware of this pitch until Rhodes mentioned it and expressed enthusiasm about how great it could have been, believing her father would have fully supported it.
Rhodes never proposed the storyline to The Rock due to the complexities already present in the angle, and Simone herself didn’t anticipate the soul promo’s appearance. She recalled being surprised during the segment, calling it “crazy,” a sentiment Rhodes agreed with.
Although the storyline didn’t come to fruition at that time, both Simone and Rhodes left the door open for a possible future implementation.
In the same discussion, Simone talked about the fan reaction following The Rock’s return on the February 2, 2024, episode of SmackDown, where he shook hands with Rhodes and took over a much-anticipated WrestleMania 40 match against Roman Reigns. The fans responded strongly and negatively, chanting “We Want Cody” throughout the night, including during her taped promo segment at WWE’s Vengeance Day event. Simone recounted how WWE’s head writer, Johnny Russo, warned her about the boos, and how the intense fan reaction led her to reevaluate her perspective on wrestling fans and the industry, initially seeing things in a negative light.
Over time, however, she grew grateful for the experience, saying it increased her confidence and helped her focus on her own path despite external opinions tied to her family legacy. Rhodes confirmed he reached out to check on Simone during that challenging period, showing mutual support.
During this tense time, Rhodes admitted that although the “We Want Cody” chants were significant, he personally struggled to embrace them due to the emotional impact of recent events. Eventually, The Rock stepped back from the match, allowing Rhodes to face Reigns at WrestleMania 40, where Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship and continued his soul storyline into the spring.
Simone Johnson departed WWE in January and currently works as a junior executive at Seven Bucks Productions.
Fan Take:
This insight into behind-the-scenes creative decisions highlights how personal legacies and family ties shape wrestling storylines in unique ways. For fighting fans, it underscores how emotional storytelling and audience reactions heavily influence character arcs and industry direction, potentially redefining careers and matchups in vital moments.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
