WWE Wrestler Cody Rhodes Shares the Unique Way He Explained His Job to His 4-Year-Old Daughter — Who Had ‘Lots of Concerns’

WWE Wrestler Cody Rhodes has a unique way of describing his job to his daughter.

On Thursday, April 17, the professional wrestler stopped by Today to talk about his recent win against Roman Reigns and how he plans to defend his title in an upcoming fight with legendary wrestler John Cena at WrestleMania 41. Rhodes, who’s a dad to 4-year-old Liberty Iris Runnels, also shared how he explains his unique profession to his daughter.

“I wasn’t thinking I would have to have this conversation this early with her, but we did, because I left the ring at Elimination Chamber, [and] Travis Scott of all people put a very large mark on my face and my eardrum was busted,” he began. “She had a lot of concerns.”

“So what I have told her — and I don’t know if this is the best strategy — is that I’m pretending to be a superhero and I’m playing with my friends. And so far, that works, but we’ll see,” he continued. “Because I think the moment she sees playing with my friends turn into somebody, maybe beating me up, she has an adverse reaction.”

Rhodes shares his daughter with his wife, retired wrestler Brandi Rhodes. The couple, who tied the knot in September 2013, welcomed their first child together in June 2021 in Atlanta, their rep confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.

“Just like a Rhodes … she’s early never late! Liberty Iris came right on time. We are so in love with this tiny angel we can hardly describe it. Grateful is an understatement,” the couple told PEOPLE in a statement.

Ahead of their baby’s arrival, Brandi spoke to PEOPLE about their daughter’s Disney-themed nursery and her excitement for her then-baby on the way. The All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite stars have been going to Disney since they first met while working for the WWE, Brandi said.

She shared that the idea for the themed nursery began with hanging the couple’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears when returning home from their Disney trips.

“When we found out that we were having a baby, I thought that’s the perfect room for her nursery to go in because it’s already kind of started with those ears,” Brandi said.

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Rhodes spoke to PEOPLE exclusively earlier this year while attending a Monday Night Raw event in Los Angeles in January. During the conversation, Rhodes said that fatherhood “changed everything” and revealed that he considers wrestling to be an inherently “selfish” career.

“So wrestling is selfish, and you got to get to the top, and you want to be number one,” Rhodes said. “And for so long — I even said this to [pro wrestler] Kevin Owens last week in the ring — I wanted it for me.”

“To a degree, maybe I wanted it for my dad a little. I wanted it for him,” he added. “Having a daughter right out of the gate, all of that went away. It was not about where I am. It was more about the life that I could give her.”

“You have to really search inside your soul, like, how much do you really mean that?” the two-time Intercontinental Championship winner continued. “And for me, I felt like, no, that’s really it. I just want her to have the best life.”