‘The Worst Match I Have Ever Had’: Cody Rhodes Recalls a 2011 Bout Where Vince McMahon Unsuccessfully Tried To Cover Up a Botch by Blaming the Referee

Vince McMahon and controversies go hand in hand. Even though his contribution to the pro wrestling business is undeniable, it’s safe to say that McMahon did countless weird things throughout his tenure with WWE. After stepping down as the CEO of the company amid a scandal, McMahon resumed his role earlier this year, reportedly for the sake of felicitating the sale of the company.

A top performer of the company, Cody Rhodes, recently came up with a weird blame game McMahon once played with a renowned referee to safeguard the former WWE star Ted DiBiase.

Back in 2011, the American Nightmare once felt too confident before an infamous SmackDown match, which later came out as a total disaster. A confident Rhodes even had a backstage conversation with Michael Hayes over the planned match and behaved rather “arrogantly.”

Cody Rhodes reveals Vince McMahon’s controversial deed

On the June 17th, 2011 edition of SmackDown, Cody Rhodes joined Ted DiBiase Jr. and Wade Barrett to face off against Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, and Ezekiel Jackson. Speaking to the Hot 106 with Mike D, Rhodes noted how the match finish went poorly after DiBiase got pinned much earlier than the planned time. He also mentioned how Vince McMahon unexpectedly blamed the botch upon Referee Rod Zapata to safeguard DiBiase.

Rhodes noted, ‘Ted thought he kicked out. He looked at him and before Vince could yell at us, he said, ‘Where is that referee? He was trying to [f**k] on us.’ The way he worded it, everyone was staring at him. There is no justice in this, the referee, Rod Zapata, he’s still with WWE, great referee. Vince called him over. ‘Hey ref, you were totally out of position.’ He’s validating Ted. He said, ‘I know sir, but on covers that face the hard camera, I can’t block the hard cam.’

Read more: Cody Rhodes Voices Discontent Towards His Own Employees Whom He Provided a Living: ‘They Don’t Even Remember Us Anymore’

Rhodes, who was so confident about ‘tearing the roof off’ before the bout, not only received frustration after the match but also considered it the ‘worst match’ of his entire career.

Cody Rhodes has been on a roll since his return

Cody Rhodes returned to WWE after a gap of six years in a breathtaking match against Seth Rollins at last year’s WrestleMania 38. Later in the same year, his phenomenal performance in Hell in a Cell match against Rollins earned him a lot of praise and a match of the year award as well.

Following this event, his torn pectoral muscle caused him seven months of detachment from the sport until 2023’s Royal Rumble return in January.

Again, his electrifying win in the Rumble bought him the much-desired WrestleMania 39 spot where he will face off Roman Reigns in a main event match.

Watch the story: 5 Best Trios In WWE Ever

Do you think Cody Rhodes will be able to dethrone the Tribal Chief to fulfill his childhood dream of bringing the title home? Let us know in the comments.