Cody Rhodes Explains How John Cena Earned 'Ultimate Role Model' Tag

Cody Rhodes is all set for the main event of WrestleMania, but his first stint was not without its hitches and credited WWE great John Cena for how he carried himself between the ropes and when interacting with the fans.

Appearing on the "My Mom's Basement with Robbie Fox" podcast, Rhodes enjoyed hanging around Cena to the point that he called him the "ultimate role model."

"John's the ultimate role model as far as how he conducted himself, whether it was with the media, with the fans, the good fans, the more unruly fans, everything. Before he became a bus guy, I got to drive him around a little bit. He was just talking. I was, in my mind, just writing everything down that he was saying," Rhodes mentioned.

Cena's career is universally recognized as one of the most important performers to grace a WWE match card and just like Rhodes, his initial run was not as hotly received.

Introduced to WWE audiences as "The Prototype," Cena had his first big-name match on the main roster against Kurt Angle which had him being congratulated by established vets like Billy Kidman, Rikishi and, most importantly, The Undertaker.

Despite getting the on-screen approval from his co-workers, Cena's bland personality made him hard to connect with the fans until Stephanie McMahon heard him rapping on a WWE tour bus and pushed him to adopt the gimmick full-time–becoming the "Doctor of Thuganomics."

From that point on, Cena's star would continue to greater heights and part of what made him so special is the talent that he grew up with right in front of both the live audience and those watching at home, known amongst pro wrestling fans as the "Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) 4."

Composed of Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista, these four men grew to become WWE's most recognizable faces for the better part of the 2000s and early 2010s until other stars came in.

More importantly, Cena's inspirational gimmick for much of the 2010s had children looking up to him to the point that he became the face of the Make-A-Wish Foundation after granting over 650 wishes for children recognized as an official Guinness World Record.

Rhodes was impressed with everything that Cena had shown him through his early years but acknowledged that how he handles his business in the locker room is completely different and alluded to his time as All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) executive.

"I think if you try to copy what he did, everyone's gotta do it their own way. I think my style if I ever was to be somebody that was a locker room leader, would just be to lead by example. I know from my time in management as an executive," Rhodes mentioned.

"There is no true formula for success in sports entertainment and pro wrestling. It really is. You just know it when you hear it."

Regardless of what many may think of Cena's body of work inside the ring, it cannot be denied that his willingness to put in work outside of the ring has made him a pro wrestling fan's favorite at one point or another in his career.