Triple H Reacts To Cody Rhodes’ Throne Smashing Spot In AEW

Triple H reflects on Cody Rhodes’ famous throne-smashing scene when he was in AEW.

Cody Rhodes made headlines at AEW Double or Nothing 2019 when he destroyed a throne, which looked similar to those seen in Triple H’s WWE WrestleMania entrances, with a sledgehammer. Seven years later, Rhodes and Triple H acknowledged it in tandem during an episode of What Do You Wanna Talk About.

According to Rhodes, Triple H never once asked him about the spot since he returned to WWE in 2022. From Triple H’s point of view, he felt that Rhodes was just trying to create a fun moment, rather than take a spiteful shot at him.

“I saw it as your hammer because it was smaller than mine [laughs]. No, look, that kind of sh*t to me is like, I remember when people brought it to me and were showing it to me and I was like, ‘F**k yeah, all right, good for him.’ You know what I mean?” Triple H said (H/T Wrestling Observer). “That’s the kind of sh*t you do, you’re trying to make a name for yourself, you’re trying to get out there, you’re trying to do some cool sh*t, trying to do some different stuff.

“Believe me, if I would have thought there was malice in it, and maybe indirectly there was some at the time, I don’t know. But if I would have thought there was any serious malice in it, I would have called you and said, ‘Hey, dude, like, are we okay?’ Because I was so close to your dad, but then I always felt like a connection to you.”

Triple H & Cody Rhodes Look Back On The Latter’s WWE Exit

At the time of the throne-smashing spot, Rhodes had been three years removed from his WWE departure. According to Triple H, he personally struggled with Rhodes’ exit as he felt connected to him and his family. Moreover, he wanted to strongly encourage him to rebuild himself outside of WWE, so much so that WWE would then pursue him for an eventual return. Given his position in WWE, though, Triple H “couldn’t [go] over the top” in his approach.

“Sometimes you got to get out of the rut you’re in,” Triple H said. “You just got to bite it off and go in a different direction. Make the left turn, right? And it was so difficult, but during that time, I remember thinking like, alright, that’s getting out there. That’s being bold and making a statement.

Looking back on his 2016 departure, Rhodes remembers Triple H telling him to “Go rattle the cages.” This advice ultimately fueled him to make moves outside of the company.

“You kind of made yourself the target for me to rattle in terms of the optics of wrestling,” Rhodes told Triple H. “And there was no malice for sure because this is after I won the Ring of Honor title. One of the first texts I got back to was yours: ‘Congrats.’ As I was walking to the hospital in Lowell because my lip was busted open, holding my first World title.”

“It’s one of those things where you see somebody going off, doing their own thing, and having success. And I’m like, ‘F**k yeah, Cody. Come on.’ Like, get yourself in that spot where we’re like, ‘Hey, we should go like, I don’t know what he did different, but let’s go get him.’ You know what I mean?” Triple H added.

Currently, Cody Rhodes reigns as the Undisputed WWE Champion. His former mentor, Randy Orton, is set as his WrestleMania 42 opponent, with Pat McAfee now in the latter’s corner.

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