Cody Rhodes showcases dual persona in SmackDown sit-down interview

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WWE said we would be getting a sit down interview with Cody Rhodes on Friday Night SmackDown this week, with the man who calls himself QB1 responding to his indecision in punting Randy Orton’s head off his shoulders. It cost him, as he lost the match because of it. What does that do to a guy? Well, here’s what we got on the broadcast: Buttoned up Cody, doing his best to put a brave face on, saying all the right things, acting like the top babyface trying hard to represent the company the right way. He gets progressively more upset as the interview goes along, and ends things by saying when the situation with Orton comes up again “I’m not going to make the same decision I made at Sunday Night’s Main Event.” He seems almost troubled by that as he thanks Michael Cole for the interview and they fade out. And then Triple H went online and posted this: Sometimes you need to keep the camera rolling to get to the truth. @CodyRhodes #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Jrvwd3rAWz — Triple H (@TripleH) September 19, 2026 They wrap it up, he thinks the cameras are no longer rolling, and he tells Cole in his ear a similar version of what he said when he thought the cameras were still on but with a meaningful difference: “when it happens again, I’m going to kick his f—king head off.” I don’t know that you can even classify this as a step closer to a heel turn so much as Rhodes showing himself to be two different people — the man he presents himself as, and the man he actually is. To that end, he’s distinctly human. We all wear different masks as we bob and weave through life. But this is a decidedly sinister turn for a man who has pushed himself as a guy the company could value as the face of its brand. That we only got to see it when he thought it was a private moment is noteworthy. The pressure of the top spot is immense, the challenges unending, and the cracks are starting to show. You just have to know where to look for them. Or, like Triple H said, you just have to keep the camera rolling. However will Rhodes respond to this being posted publicly? Remember, last time this happened they deleted the footage posted online. We’ll see how things shape up from here but one thing I would argue is Rhodes is becoming a lot more interesting thanks to all this.