During an appearance on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes, Cody Rhodes discussed his rivalry with Seth Rollins and WWE’s handling of injuries in the current product.
Noting the strict drug-free policy, the current Undisputed WWE Champion revealed he had not taken much pain medication prior to competing at Hell in a Cell 2022 with a torn pec:
WWE is very adamant about there is no substance abuse in this company anymore. None. The 80s are over. We’ve got to be healthy, we’ve got to be clean. So people ask all the time, if I had any pain medication or anything of that nature. I had four baby Aspirin because they didn’t even have regular Advil.
Looking at a photo from the match, Rhodes added:
I remember at the time being told, ‘Hey, if you’re in pain we are going to stop it. There is nothing to prove here.’
I’m walking this tight rope the whole match not sure if they are just going to ring the bell. But Seth was the perfect person to be in there with me. And the crazy thing about this photo is Seth Rollins and I recently wrestled at Crown Jewel and Seth finally beat me.
Rhodes went on to state that he was unsure as to the nature of the injury Rollins sustained during their match at Crown Jewel, simply saying that he knew Seth had “gone under the knife and got surgery.”
He then noted WWE’s approach to injuries today, pointing out a clear difference from a bygone era.
We don’t power through anymore. That might have been the very last example of ‘Hey, let’s power through.’ You just have more athlete-conscious people today.
Source: F4WOnline