By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes says he anticipates reaching the top of WWE because he doesn't see many others in the WWE locker room at his level of dedication and commitment.

"I guarantee you I'm going to make it to the top of this job because I don't think many people here do that any more. Actually, there's very few," Rhodes told Brian Soscia of Mix 106.1 Philadelphia promoting this weekend's Smackdown tour.

Rhodes prefaced his statement by saying the best career advice he received was from Shawn Michaels, who told him getting over and staying over is a full-time job. Rhodes noted many WWE stars are content with riding the middle and coasting to obtain a "good life," but he plans to push to the top.

Throughout the 15-minute interview, Rhodes spoke from a perspective that his mindset is to differentiate his character in a variety of ways. Rhodes said he did not wear kneepads to avoid looking like his father, Dusty Rhodes.

Not wearing kneepads put a lot of pressure on Cody's knees, though, so he began wearing the pads for support. Rhodes also said he felt not wearing kneepads to bug people "wasn't a money-making way to get heat."

Rhodes also talked about working with a mask, bringing back the classic Intercontinental Title belt, and the amount of time and money he puts into his ring gear.

- Rhodes said he feels like the mask saved his life at one point in the ring. Rhodes recalled taking a kick so hard to the face from Randy Orton on the final night he was to wear the mask that it cracked straight down the middle. Rhodes said it "saved my life to have that mask." He said he then gave it to WWE to save for a potential physical WWE Hall of Fame in the future.

Rhodes also credited the mask for helping him "learn more about myself than any other point in my career." He said when he removed the mask, he felt like there was something wrong with his face.

- Regarding the classic white IC Title belt, Rhodes said it was "100 percent my idea." He noted it took a "great deal of selling and pestering." He said he was more of a WCW fan growing up, but he paid attention to the classic IC Title belt in WWF. He said he wanted to connect the 1990s IC Titleholder lineage to his current run, and pay homage to Shawn Michaels in the process.

- Rhodes said his philosophy on ring gear is "you have to spend a little money to make money." Asked by Brian Soscia who pays for it, Rhodes avoided the independent contractor discussion by noting he's more than willing to buy everything he wears. Rhodes noted he ordered his WrestleMania 28 ring gear two months in advance.

Audio: Rhodes's interview can be heard below.



Audio URL: http://www.mixphiladelphia.com/player/?mid=22075368

[Torch photo (c) PWTorch.com]

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