It’s no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr is a pretty big fan of the WWE. From his undying love for Stone Cold Steve Austin to decoding Ric Flair’s rivalry with Dusty Rhodes, Junior now has a newfound appreciation for the WWE’s latest World Championship belt holder, Cody Rhodes. After appearing on the Dale Jr download last year and unraveling the deepest stories in the world of WWE, Rhodes went on to clinch the WrestleMania 40 title over legend Roman Reigns.

But whilst many in the NASCAR community wonder why Junior seemed so shocked at the result, the JR Motorsports owner took fans through Rhodes’ tumultuous journey to the top of the sport, following the footsteps of his iconic father, Dusty. Still, Junior was interested to know just how WWE had come up with a script that saw the Rhodes name finally win a Universal belt.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is thoroughly impressed with Cody Rhodes’ climb to the top of WWE

For over 1316 days, Roman Reigns terrorized the world of WrestleMania with his claim over the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. But that would all finally change after Cody Rhodes, a man who would hide his face behind a mask owing to judgment earlier, was now in prime position to become the new quarterback of the WWE for years to come. In a sport where the outcome is already decided upon before the competitors even enter the ring, the fact that Rhodes had beaten all odds to change the narrative left Junior thoroughly impressed.

Taking fans back to the start of Cody Rhode’s WWE career, Junior highlighted the troubles he faced while trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. After not agreeing with the direction his role in the WWE was going, Rhodes opted to cement his brand elsewhere and came back with an irrefutable image. Junior added, “He self-created this persona that he has to the point that they made the push for him to win the world championship? Wow! That’s fu***n incredible!”

For years, Rhodes had struggled much like his father to have a picture-perfect story. But for WWE, the idea of his trial by fire was too good to give up on, until finally, Rhodes proved his worth. This is what intrigued Junior. He stated, “So that’s why I watched, to see if they would actually let him win it. Were they going to let him win this or were they going to continue this narrative that the Rhodes are always gonna almost get there.”

For Junior, the fact that Rhodes had managed to convince the management at WWE of his worth as a champion spoke volumes of how far he’d come. The JR motorsports owner concluded, “If you look back over time, Roman Reigns has had the championship for three years, and Rick Flair had it forever. They were all heels, the sell really is that the heel is always the championship and the hero is always chasing and almost getting there. And that’s what keeps us watching is that, ‘will he win it tonight? Oh, maybe tomorrow.’ Well, they finally let the hero win.”

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After taking a look at how impressed Dale Earnhardt Jr is with Cody Rhodes’ climb to success, it’s safe to say WWE may have lured the NASCAR veteran back into becoming an avid viewer. With that said Junior also revealed which WWE superstar had rejuvenated his love for the sport the last time around.

Here’s the man that restored Earnhardt Jr’s faith in WWE

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With how promptly Earnhardt Jr analyzed WWE’s operations, it’s no secret Junior is really interested in the world of entertainment wrestling. Growing up watching the likes of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Four Horsemen, and several others, Junior’s world revolved around two things; motorsports and wrestling. But that would all change as the greats began to hang up the wrestling attire.

Fortunately, the arrival of one of the most iconic WWE wrestlers quickly changes all of that. Junior shared, “In the 80s I was heavily committed, Saturday morning, right after cartoons…(…)…Then I disappeared for a while, didn’t care about it anymore. Then Stone Cold comes in, bam! I’m back in!” For Junior, a fresh face like Stone Cold Steve Austin was all it needed to get back into the world of WWE.

With how relatable the wrestler was for a majority of the WWE fandom, Junior too found a new star to support and cheer on. He concluded, “This guy looks like somebody who lived in town here. He looks like a normal dude. I get back in it, and The Rock and all that starts happening. That was a great little run. And I was in hardcore, but then when Stone Cold phased out I phased out.”

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Although Stone Cold’s retirement may have left Junior with little interest in WWE, the rise of Cody Rhodes may swing the pendulum back the other way once more.