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WWE WrestleMania 27 Interview: Cody Rhodes On The Atlanta Hawks, Georgia Bulldogs, And Dusty Rhodes

Marietta native Cody Rhodes, son of Dusty Rhodes, is opening WWE WrestleMania 27 at the Georgia Dome with a match against Rey Mysterio. The Lassiter High grad is also currently wearing a big Rip Hamilton mask to protect his nose, which was broken in a pro wrestling match.

SBN ATL: So what's it like appearing in WrestleMania in your home town?

I never really touted Atlanta as my home town. I never really made a big deal about being from Atlanta. The best part about it is it's like 15 minutes from my house, so that's the most exciting thing. It feels like Rocky, the first one, where he's running up the steps to the arena, you know? And it's kind of cool that I'm in the very first match of the night.

SBN ATL: Yeah, you're opening the show. As somebody who had to follow in his dad's footsteps so to speak, what advice would you have for somebody else in that situation?

Don't follow. Go in your own direction. Don't put on somebody else's boots. Like my brother, he didn't want to be Dusty Rhodes, he wanted to be Goldust. And that's the best thing you can do, is be different. Like Randy Orton and Cowboy Bob, you know? You don't want to give people that same thing.

SBN ATL: Do you root for any Atlanta pro or college teams?

Yeah, I'm a Hawks fan. They've gotten a lot better over the last few seasons. And I'm a Dawgs fan. I have a white English bulldog that I take around. So I'm a Dawgs fan. And it seems like all my friends are still in school there.

For more on WrestleMania 27 and pro wrestling, join SB Nation's Cageside Seats. Browse our family of 300 sports blogs to find a community devoted to your favorite team. And here's the WrestleMania 27 match card and weekend schedule.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.