Cody Rhodes has spoken out about online wrestling rumours, questioning how unverified stories can become accepted as fact among fans.

Speaking with Zach Hirsch of Double Coverage, the WWE star discussed criticism of the company and the differences he sees between conversations on X and the atmosphere at live events.

Rhodes stressed that he does not want to dismiss supporters, even when their opinions about him are harsh.

“I’m sure it’ll be misunderstood, but I went on this whole kick of trying to explain that there are certain things you never want to say. You never want to say, ‘Well, that’s not real.’ You never want to say, ‘Oh, that’s a small percentage,’ because I don’t want to dismiss a fan and their opinion. If they hate you, they hate you. If they think you’re fat, they think you’re fat. If they think you suck, they think you suck. There’s no wrong way to be a fan.”

However, Rhodes argued that some online discussions give fans a misleading impression of what happens behind the scenes.

“But what I can say is the conversations that take place on, say, X specifically, they only take place there. If you could just take that one step back, get out of your bubble and look at the product, none of this is real. You don’t know any of these guys personally. They’re a business that needs content on a daily basis. These stories are wildly made up.”

As an example, Rhodes pointed to a story claiming he had pitched losing his championship to Drew McIntyre. He said seeing that claim repeated months later as established fact showed him how far a rumour could travel.

“Here’s how I knew it had gotten crazy. There was a story that I had pitched to lose the title, and now I saw somebody referencing this. It was like eight months ago. They were saying, ‘Well, don’t forget when he pitched it.’ If you ever hear a story of a wrestler pitching to lose the title, you should know right out of the gate they’re lying. There’s a difference between an old man figuring out who his last opponent is, but no wrestler has ever said, ‘Yeah, I want to lose the title.’ My gosh, that’s the meal ticket. You never want somebody to take it from you. Don’t pitch it.”

Rhodes encouraged fans to attend a show and experience the crowd reaction for themselves, saying the enjoyment inside the venue offers a different perspective.

“I saw that being talked about as if it was actual evidence, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, I wish you knew.’ You know, I wish you guys knew that these conversations are just here. They’re just here. Come to a show. Come to a show, and you will see.

“Oh, people are having a great time. They love all of it.”

Do you agree with Cody Rhodes about the difference between online discussions and the live WWE experience? Share your thoughts in the comments.