Heading into WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes was not a fan of Roman Reigns.

He hated the “Tribal Chief” for calling on help during their Mania match the year prior,

disliked how The Rock tried to steal his main event despite winning the Royal Rumble, and really didn’t like how the “Final Boss” talked about his bother during the show’s build-up.

Factor in a loss on Night 1 at the hands of Reigns and Rock,

and Rhodes had a massive chip on his shoulder heading into Night 2 of the “Showcase of the Immortals,”

with Dusty’s kid willing to do just about anything to leave Lincoln Financial Field with the strap over his shoulder.

But how does Rhodes feel about Reigns now? Well, in an appearance on The Pivot with Ryan Clark, the “American Nightmare” reflected on just that, letting the fans listening know that he would like to mend fences with the “Tribal Chief” at some point in the future.

“I think Roman and I are great opponents. I don’t dislike Roman, and I think he doesn’t dislike me, but when we see ourselves on the poster together, we get it. I’m supposed to beat you, you’re supposed to beat me, you’re supposed to be the benchmark, I want to be the benchmark,” Cody Rhodes declared on The Pivot via WrestleTalk.

“I’d love to sit with Roman at one point. We’ve never had that, to sit and talk. Even if we were to watch something back, if WWE organized it where we watch WrestleMania. Just because our families have been linked for so long, it’s kind of fate that put us together. I’m not a big believer in anything but there’s that element of destiny and fate with him and I going against each other.”

Is it easy for Rhodes, the WrestleMania 40 victor, to want to shake hands with Reigns after besting him definitively? Sure thing, but frankly, Rhodes is correct that the duo have far more in common than they would like to admit and are part of a wrestling fraternity many would like to join, but few have access to. If Reigns does end up returning as a babyface, having him a moment with Rhodes where they fight together would be an incredible sight to see.

Cody Rhodes reflects on the business side of WWE

Elsewhere in his appearance on The Pivot, Cody Rhodes commented on the business side of his return to WWE and how, after spending years raging against the machine during his time on the indies and in AEW, he has grown to actually appreciate digging into the numbers as it helps him to grow as an independent contractor.

“The number one thing I learned. As a talent, we are consistently delusional. I love confidence and swagger. You have to really know, ‘How many tickets are we selling? How many shirts are we moving?’ The numbers, socially, are so inflated. You have to really look at ‘What was the gross? What was the minute-by-minute ratings?’ If I ever have to look at another minute-by-minute rating, I’m going to pull all of my hair out. I saw all that and realized, all of us, myself included, have this layer of delusion. Especially when money gets involved,” Cody Rhodes declared on The Pivot via Fightful.

“You start asking around. ‘He’s making this, he’s making that.’ Number one rule in wrestling, do not ask anyone their pay. They’re going to lie to you. It’s going to always jump, like your weight. It gave me a new respect. I was anti-management. One of the reasons I left WWE. I was fighting that. I felt there was an element of being held back. I learned, as I went, it was more on me than on them. You can’t be emotionally attached to this. That’s a big one that I’m still… ‘I’ll do WrestleMania. I’ll wrestle WrestleMania for free.’ I’m missing a business note. Most wrestlers, because I think they qualify themselves more as artists, it doesn’t all compute. You have to have somebody look at it and break it down for you. That’s the best thing that can happen because then you go, ‘Okay, I have room to grow. Here is what I want to do.’ I get my merch sheet still of what I sold in the Garden, percentage, all this. I’ll tell you who I send it to. I don’t send it to him as ‘Hey, check it out.’ I send it to him because I know he’s going to tell me the truth. It’s (John) Cena. It’s never, ‘Unbeliavable, great job, you’re there. You’ve made it.’ It’s always, ‘Well, why don’t you check the other shows you’re not on and see how you’re doing there.’ Come on, man.”

Is it a tad unusual that Rhodes sent his merch sheets to John Cena, who is likely off in another country filming his next project? Sure, while Cena is still a member of the WWE Universe, he’s been moving away from the promotion more and more with each passing season and may soon officially retire to fully place both feet into Hollywood’s waters. Still, having that kind of foresight to talk to one of the biggest draws of all time proves that Rhodes didn’t just return to WWE to win the belt his father never could, but to instead turn himself into an international star who can potentially pull a Cena and try his hands at acting – his first love – at some point down the line.