Nearly a year after he won his first WWE Championship, Cody Rhodes still considers himself "incredibly lucky."
Rhodes sat down to talk about his path toward becoming the top guy in WWE with Stephanie McMahon as part of the ESPN show "Stephanie's Places." A show that explores the history of WWE through its current stars and legends, the second episode of the show dives into Rhodes' family and what he "envisions as his legacy."
In an exclusive clip shared with USA TODAY Sports, Rhodes looked back at his win at WrestleMania 40 over Roman Reigns to win the Undisputed WWE Championship. He said he's still the same child that wants to do the same thing is father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, did.
"I got it so I count myself incredibly lucky," Rhodes said.
When Rhodes made his stunning return to WWE in 2022, he cited the major reason he came back was to win the WWE title his father never did. It became part of his "finish the story" goal leading up to the victory. Now that he's the title holder, he still feels like it legitimizes both his and his dad's career.
"To get it to validate him, also at that point, validate myself. To me it was the greatest story for our family, and wrestling, and sports entertainment that we could have," Rhodes said. "Very treasured."
The champion for 360 days, Rhodes is scheduled to put his title on the line at the event he won it at last year. At WrestleMania 41, he will face John Cena in the main event of WWE's grand event.
"Stephanie's Places" airs on ESPN+ and is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ for Disney Bundle subscribers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cody Rhodes: Winning WWE Championship validated father Dusty Rhodes
