Cody Rhodes recently shared a memorable ranking of the hardest slaps he has ever taken inside a wrestling ring, placing Travis Scott third on the list. While the rapper’s strike gained plenty of attention, Rhodes made it clear it did not compare to the blows delivered by seasoned wrestling veterans.
Rhodes recalled a particularly brutal moment involving Hardcore Holly during a show in London, describing a slap that felt like it was intended to knock him out.
The Undisputed WWE Champion said the toughest slap of his career actually came from Natalya Neidhart, describing the impact as something that traveled through his entire body.
“Travis Scott did not hurt me. It looks like he hurt me. I took a photo with Travis Scott at the OBB studio event, and I never saw that photo. I like Travis Scott. I think it’s safe to say at this point, I like Travis Scott. I like that he lended us his time and that we had moments with him. I mean, he took a Cross Rhodes. Most people just remember the slap, and I’m going to be on this side of history with it. I know it wasn’t everyone’s favorite thing. That is not the hardest I’ve ever been slapped. That’s number three. That’s number three. I’ll give you the list of slaps. Number two, Bob Holly in London. He says, ‘Fire up out there, kid.’ I don’t want to say something nefarious that gets anyone in trouble. I think someone told him to try and knock me out, because the way he slapped me was trying to knock a man out, it didn’t. I have a decent little jaw. So I took said slap. The number one might shock you, but I felt it in both of my heels. I felt it in my feet. I had to plant my feet. It was so hard. Nattie Neidhart hit me. It felt like an MLB batter swinging the bat, and I walked into it. She leveled me. So Nattie is one, Hardcore Holly two, Travis Scott, I’d say maybe three,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes later dropped the Undisputed WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas after Travis Scott interfered in the match by pulling the referee from the ring. The distraction allowed Cena to land a low blow followed by a shot with the championship belt, securing his historic 17th world title.
Rhodes did manage to get some payback during the bout by hitting Scott with a Cross Rhodes. The rapper has not appeared on WWE television since that night.