WWE Legend Backs Cody Rhodes After Brutal SmackDown Verbal Attack On Sami Zayn
The American Nightmare’s harsh words to his friend have sparked debate, but one Hall of Famer sees it completely differently. The tension between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn reached a boiling point on this week’s WWE SmackDown, leaving fans stunned by the verbal lashing Rhodes delivered to his longtime ally. But while many viewers cringed at the exchange, a WWE Hall of Famer is defending Rhodes as being exactly the friend Zayn needed.
The confrontation stemmed from last week’s main event action. During the February 13th edition of SmackDown in Fort Lauderdale, Rhodes defeated both Sami Zayn and Jacob Fatu in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. The victory came despite interference from Drew McIntyre, who attempted to derail Rhodes by taking out Fatu.
What happened backstage afterward has become the talk of the wrestling world.
When Zayn confronted Rhodes about the match, the former WWE Champion unloaded on his friend. Rhodes reminded Zayn that he had lost his own title opportunity by trying to do the right thing, then delivered the line that cut deepest: he told Zayn that he’s never been WWE Champion, and there’s a reason for that.
The comment landed like a gut punch. Zayn, who has chased WWE’s top prize for a decade without success, responded simply: “There it is.”
A Different Perspective
Mark Henry, however, watched that segment with a completely different lens.
On Busted Open Radio, the WWE Hall of Famer identified the Rhodes-Zayn confrontation as the best part of the entire show. Henry dismissed the notion that Rhodes was being cruel, instead framing it as tough love from someone who genuinely cares.
“Cody, I thought, was in the right in this promo because it was him correcting his friend and getting him out of his own head,” Henry explained.
Henry broke down the psychological warfare that athletes wage against themselves after failure.
“Those are the things that play in your head when you fail: ‘Am I good enough?’ ‘Why is the world always conspiring against me?’ ‘Why…why…how did I lose?’ and ‘When am I going to get a break?’ It’s like all that negativity sometimes will poison the Kool-Aid.”
From Henry’s perspective, Rhodes wasn’t attacking Zayn. He was refusing to let his friend drown in self-pity.
“And Cody was basically like not having it,” Henry continued. “So that was my part of the show where I got fired up and I started saying to myself, ‘Damn, I wonder if the people watching, if this touched them in any kind of way. ‘Because sometimes you need a good talking to. Hell, I have to get one myself every now and then.”
The Aftermath
The segment took another turn when Trick Williams inserted himself into the conversation, telling Zayn that with friends like Cody Rhodes, nobody needs enemies. Williams then mocked Zayn’s failures before walking away laughing.
Later, Zayn approached Rhodes again, this time to apologize. Zayn acknowledged that everyone expects Rhodes to reclaim the WWE Championship. But he added a warning: don’t forget you had help along the way. Rhodes promised he wouldn’t forget.
What’s Next
Both men now head toward the Elimination Chamber event on February 28th in Chicago. Rhodes will enter the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match alongside Randy Orton, LA Knight, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, and the winner of the Bronson Reed-Jey Uso-Original El Grande Americano qualifying match.
The winner earns a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Zayn, notably absent from the match card, will watch from the sidelines as his friend—and now antagonist—pursues the very championship that has eluded him for ten years.
The question lingering in the air is simple: was Cody Rhodes being brutally honest, or brutally cruel? Mark Henry has made his choice. The fans in Chicago will likely have their own answer on February 28th.
WWE Elimination Chamber streams live this Saturday, February 28, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
