During a recent podcast appearance, WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes recounted a comical and awkward moment he shared with Triple H during a past European tour, providing fresh insight into their camaraderie. Cody Rhodes’ hilarious bus incident with Triple H took place several years ago, highlighting the lighter side of the lives of these renowned wrestling veterans as they navigated the WWE schedule together.
Revealing an Unexpected Moment Between Two Wrestling Icons
Cody Rhodes, now celebrated as “The American Nightmare,” holds a top spot on the WWE roster and even travels in his own personal bus, while Triple H operates as WWE’s Chief Content Officer and usually prefers the company jet. Despite their current roles in WWE’s corporate landscape within the Endeavor era, both men are deeply rooted in wrestling history, sharing many experiences both on television and behind the scenes.
On his podcast, What Do You Wanna Talk About?, Cody invited fellow wrestler Damian Priest to discuss memorable backstage stories from their wrestling careers. The focus soon shifted to an amusing and embarrassing episode from a WWE tour of Europe, a time when both wrestlers were enduring the grind of the locker-room, traveling by bus across the continent alongside other performers.
“I got a good Hunter story in terms of, where I thought, ‘I’ll never live that down.’ [Priest laughs] He doesn’t probably remember this as often I’ll tell him a story and he’ll be like, ‘That happened?’ I’m like, ‘Yep.’ We were on the bus, and this is back when Hunter would be on the bus on the European tours. We’re in the very back, and he’s got his headphones in, and noise-canceling but you can still hear the Motorhead. He’s really in it, long hair at the time, and I stood up to walk to the front of the bus. No big deal… I’m not drinking, I’m not doing anything dumb, I’m not being excessive, I’m not being vulgar, I’m just living back here,” —Cody Rhodes, WWE Superstar
Rhodes reminisced about the more humble days of his WWE career when he and Triple H, both respected grapplers, would travel by coach with the rest of the roster. That journey across Europe set the scene for his unforgettable mishap.
The Unforgettable WWE Bus Mishap Explained
While continuing their conversation, Cody described the precise moment during the European trek when things took a sudden, comical turn. As he made his way from the back of the bus, Triple H was seated nearby, fully immersed in his music, ironically listening to Motorhead through noise-canceling headphones that let in enough sound for others to hear.
“And the bus turned, and it took a hard turn, and right as it turned, I fell towards Hunter, and my entire crotch was just locked into his face, and because of the gravity and the centripetal forces that are happening here, I could not get back. I couldn’t pull myself back and he’s just going… [flails arms around] ‘What the?!’ and then we get to a straight-away, and I don’t want to… we think of him now in a professional sense, and we will obviously keep that, but he had a lot of words for me,” —Cody Rhodes, WWE Superstar
As Cody recounted, the bus unexpectedly made a sharp turn. He lost his balance, falling directly toward Triple H and, due to gravity, found himself unable to break free. For a brief but memorable moment, Cody’s crotch was pressed directly into Hunter’s face, making for a scene neither would soon forget.
The moment was made even more awkward by Triple H’s reaction, as he flailed his arms in surprise and then, once the bus steadied, had a few well-chosen words for Cody. The incident highlighted the unpredictable and often humorous interactions that happen between even the biggest stars behind the scenes.
Triple H’s Reaction and the Memory’s Lasting Impression
Reflecting on what happened next, Cody—known by some as “The Grandson of a Plumber”—admitted that his mistake was as embarrassing as it was amusing. He drew a lighthearted connection to Triple H’s famous DX catchphrase, referencing that he received more than just “two words” after the incident.
“He had more than two words for me. He had more than two but I felt like, ‘Well, that’s it. One of my wrestling heroes is now… had my… yeah.’ [Priest: he moves on pretty quickly] Yeah, he moves [on]… after hearing that story at the Hall of Fame it’s like, ‘Man, that was a flesh wound compared to what you were dealing with on [inaudible],” —Cody Rhodes, WWE Superstar
Sharing the story with Damian Priest, Cody noted that Triple H was able to laugh off the mishap and move forward quickly, a testament to the seasoned veteran’s professionalism. Priest agreed, recognizing that these kinds of awkward backstage moments often fade with time.
The conversation also touched on Triple H’s notorious resilience—Rhodes reflected that, while the bus misadventure was embarrassing, it was a minor incident compared to Triple H’s far more serious battle with heart failure in 2021. Cody alluded to Triple H’s emotional Hall of Fame speech in April, which provided perspective on what truly matters in life and wrestling, compared to fleeting, comedic mishaps.
The Broader Meaning Behind the Story
This tale of Cody Rhodes’ hilarious bus incident with Triple H offers wrestling fans a rare glimpse behind the curtain at WWE, where even icons like “The Game” and “The American Nightmare” encounter the unpredictable and sometimes ridiculous sides of road life. These stories illuminate the close relationships and human side of figures often seen only as larger-than-life personas.
For the WWE audience, hearing about real-life events involving wrestling heroes like Cody Rhodes and Triple H enhances the legacy of these veterans, adding another layer of camaraderie to their storied careers. As WWE continues to evolve under Endeavor’s leadership, moments like these contribute to the cultural fabric of the wrestling world, reminding fans that, behind the spectacle, even legends can be caught off guard by a twist of fate—and a sharp turn on a European tour bus.
