Summary

Cody Rhodes says one old-school wrestling idea he would gladly bring back is the use of time limits.

Rhodes argued that time calls can give even a match without much storyline buildup a stronger sense of urgency. In his view, hearing the remaining time announced gives the crowd a reason to invest and raises the feeling that the match is building toward something meaningful.

The Undisputed WWE Champion is heading into WrestleMania 42 to defend against Randy Orton, and the comments come during a busy week that also includes an advertised SmackDown appearance.

Quote from Cody Rhodes

"Time limits. I'd bring time limits back because, say you have a cold match, meaning there is no previous heat or previous equity or storyline. There are natural stakes when you first hear, 'Five minutes gone, ten remaining.' There is a clock. Jim Ross told me that, and he was accurate about it. You can give a match stakes that didn't really have them. Crowds are the most important engagement we have for this. We don't just do this for ourselves. So, they're involved with 'five to go.' As you see, sometimes with New Japan. When they say, '15 minutes gone,' you start to feel the crowd come up. It's getting serious, and we're getting into deeper waters. I love time limits. They will never come back. Unlikely, but I love them."

How Cody Rhodes thinks time limits help WWE

Rhodes' point was less about nostalgia and more about match structure. He sees time announcements as a built-in way to make the audience feel the pressure of a bout, especially when two wrestlers are not entering with a heated rivalry already in place.

That idea has long been part of wrestling presentation outside WWE, where periodic time calls can shift the atmosphere of a match once the crowd senses the clock becoming part of the story.

What it says about Cody Rhodes' view of WWE pacing

Cody Rhodes is talking about WWE presentation as much as match rules here, and the consequence is clear: he believes the company could create stakes earlier in certain matches without needing a full storyline to do it.

It also fits Rhodes' broader reputation as someone who values wrestling tradition, even while operating at the top of WWE's modern main-event scene. That does not mean time limits are on the way back, and Rhodes himself made that clear, but it shows the kind of detail he still thinks can deepen crowd engagement.

Sources

Cody Rhodes while speaking on the SI Media podcast