During WrestleMania season, Cody Rhodes faced a frightening ordeal when the bus he was staying on caught fire, an event he detailed on his podcast, What Do You Wanna Talk About?, while speaking with Becky Lynch. Rhodes explained that exhausted from the season’s stress and having stayed on the bus instead of with family, he was abruptly woken by alarming noises that disrupted his intended short rest.
Startled Awake by Explosive Sounds, Rhodes Reacts Quickly
Rhodes described hearing two loud bangs that he initially believed were gunshots, jolting him from sleep.
“The part of the story people don’t know (…) before I went to bed, I might have had a few drinks,”
Rhodes admitted. Despite his fatigue, the urgency propelled him to act immediately when told to evacuate.
Confronting Flames and Salvaging What Matters Most
Outside, Rhodes was met with a horrifying sight. Flames engulfed the bus, resembling the dramatic effects of the Mummy ride at Universal Studios. He shared the moment’s raw emotion, saying,
“And then I just see this giant hole and this fire running up and down the bus – and again, had a few drinks, super tired – I grab my picture of my family, I grab my boots, and I’m looking at the bus and I’m looking at the bus like ‘I had more time…’”
Shock and Support Amid the Busy Chaos
Though no one was hurt, the bus was destroyed by the fire. Rhodes recollected his state of shock as he considered going back inside to save additional belongings, but instead, he found solace in the presence of fellow wrestler Seth Rollins, who noticed his distress.
“He was just looking at me like ‘You okay, man?’ He knew there was a fire, of course… but he’s looking at me and he could tell I’m shell-shocked. I’m in, what I would qualify as like pajamas, like Cesaro-high shorts and just a tank top and I’m just shaking and he’s just, like, looking at me,”
Rhodes recalled.
Desperate Attempts and Fire Department’s Bold Response
As the fire worsened, Rhodes observed two men trying to break into another bus with a hatchet in an effort to halt the flames. He expressed his mounting concern, warning,
“Then they start backing Miz’s bus up, I’m like: this thing’s gonna blow up! This bus is gonna blow up!”
When the Philadelphia Fire Department finally arrived, they promptly extinguished the blaze but did so in a forceful manner. Rhodes described their approach:
“They destroyed the bus. Because they just got up there, and they blasted it, and then they drove off!”
He added that the firefighters did not stay to verify the fire was completely out. Later that day, Rhodes even filmed a staged arrival scene on the remains of the burned bus.
Incident Leaves a Lasting Impact Beyond the Wrestling Ring
Though the bus fire ended without injuries, the experience left Cody Rhodes noticeably shaken, serving as a stark reminder that dangers can come from unexpected places outside the wrestling ring. The chaos and near disaster during the WrestleMania bus fire marked a tense, traumatic moment in his career, underscoring the unpredictability faced by performers on the road.
