WWE star, Cody Rhodes, has candidly discussed his feelings toward his famous “American Nightmare” neck tattoo, revealing that while he respects the quality of the artwork, he regards getting the tattoo as the biggest regret of his life.
Rhodes recently welcomed TNA star Santino Marella to his “What Do You Wanna’ Talk About?” podcast.
The pair spoke about their respective neck tattoos, prompting Rhodes to revisit his own decision to get the prominent piece of ink.
During the discussion, Marella brought up a joke made by a comedian during the Roast of Ric Flair, which targeted Rhodes’ tattoo. The comedian reportedly said, “If Vickie Guerrero were any uglier, she’d be a tattoo on Cody Rhodes’ neck.” Marella also recalled that Flair was unhappy with the comedian over the remark.
Rhodes admitted that he continues to appreciate the quality of the tattoo and the work of the artist behind it. However, he acknowledged that his decision to have it done remains a major source of regret. He said,
“I stand by the fact that I think the work is great, and the artist is great. But I also will reveal, as I think I’ve revealed on this pod before. The neck tattoo I would consider the greatest regret of my life.”
“You know what? I’ll live with it. I ain’t trying to get it removed, and we’re gonna’ rock this till the very end.
“When I saw it, and it was in my jaw, and it was so big, my life changed looking in a mirror. If my dad were to come back to life, he would not say congrats. He would lose his sh**. ‘You’ve ruined yourself…’ I’d say it’s the greatest regret of my life. But it’s had some very beneficial elements of it. I don’t know. It’s complicated- the best way to put my relationship with the tattoo.”
