Cody Rhodes talks New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Kazuchika Okada, his father, being world champion and more

Cody Rhodes didn't get much sleep after defeating Christopher Daniels for the Ring of Honor World championship back on July 23.

Instead of sleeping, Rhodes stayed up all night looking at his phone, which was flooded with messages from fans and peers within the wrestling business congratulating him on his crowning achievement.

If Dusty Rhodes saw his son reveling in his success to that extent, he would have told him to act like he has been to the end zone before.

But that was impossible.

It was impossible for Cody to act like he has been somewhere he has never been. This really was his first time in that proverbial end zone.

Not only had he reached the peak of his career, he brought a world title back to his family for the first time in 31 years. The meaning of what he had done was not lost on him.

Cody will not have to wait that long for a chance to make more history, as he will challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight championship at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Special in the USA Saturday, July 1 in Long Beach, Calif.

If Cody comes out victorious, he would be the first to ever hold the Ring of Honor and IWGP world titles simultaneously.

As much as Cody could talk about the historic significance of his upcoming encounter with Okada, he spent a good portion of his AXS TV, who is airing the G1 Special live, conference call Tuesday afternoon talking about what being a world champion meant to him and his family.

"I don't know," he said during the call. "I thought I knew. I don't know. I thought it would be vindication for me, but then because it's my family it's more than that."

"It didn't just feel like a win for the Rhodes family, I claim total credit, it felt like a win for everybody and that's not knocking Christopher Daniels (the man he defeated for the title)," he added. "I think a lot of people just identified with it. "I'm glad I ended the 31-year drought and I'm glad it's been treated as a real world title."

Cody becoming a world champion is not only an accolade he shares with his father, it is a plateau his older brother Dustin Rhodes, better known to wrestling fans Goldust, has yet to reach.

But that didn't stop Cody's older from showering him with praise after reaching the peak of his career.

"It was a private discussion, but I know there's been such a competitive streak between myself and Dustin. Such a competitive streak," Rhodes said. "It was one of those moments where he let that competitive streak go and he just offered me up what you want the most from your sibling and family. He offered me up that simple congratulations and 'I love you.'"

"Me and him have had some rough times," he added. "Not just because of the passing of my father, but because we weren't destined to work as a tag team and maybe not even as opponents. We're singles performers. We're single acts. For him to let his ego go and say something to me, it meant a lot."

"I love my big brother. I absolutely do and if the shoe was on the other foot and he became world champion, if he becomes world champion I'll be there. I'll be there the same way he has been for me."

Cody and his older brother share the same profession, but are seemingly worlds a part. While Goldust is seemingly in the twilight of his career in WWE, Cody has hit his stride after leaving the promotion.

While WWE provided comfort, Cody was not happy with his position within the company and decided to leave a little more than a year ago to try his hand at being an independent wrestler.

Although his own mother doubted Cody's gamble on himself would work, it has. He has checked off nearly every name on that list he put out after he left WWE and has solidified himself as a top-level star within the industry.

However, one name that was not on that list was Okada's. That wasn't because Cody didn't want to face New Japan's top star. Cody didn't think he would get the chance.

"It wasn't until I realized places like New Japan Pro-Wrestling and places like Ring of Honor didn't necessarily need me to sign a contract," he said. "It's definitely a perk of being the son of Dusty Rhodes for sure. That's not missed on me that if I wasn't the second generation of somebody who's on wrestling's Mount Rushmore I probably wouldn't be getting this special treatment, but they were okay and in fact I've seen why they were okay. It's been reflected in everything from buy rates to tickets and merchandise sale."

But merchandise and ticket sales aren't enough for Cody. He wants to show people what he is truly made of July 1, and in his mind, there is no better opponent to do that against than Okada, who has had some of the best matches of all time over the last couple of years.

"This is a moment and I'm not going to be star struck standing out there," Rhodes said. "I'm all about this is and what we can make it. It needs to be more than just polarizing discussion. It needs to be the next day, everybody weighing that opinion and essentially saying, 'You know what? I'm on board with New Japan Pro-Wrestling.'"

Although Rhodes reveled in his current position in professional wrestling, he was inevitably asked about his former employer in WWE.

At one point, Cody was asked whether he has more success outside of WWE than he had while he was in it. Cody said yes, but also said that his recent success would not have happened if it weren't for his time with the prominent wrestling promotion in the world.

"Gosh, I don't mean to add to any conspiracy theory or anything of that nature, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm actually outside of WWE," he said. "They were my home for a very long time. I met my wife there. I went through some very difficult times and I went through some very great times."

Cody also left the door for a possible return to WWE at some point in the future.

"As fans we've seen everybody return to WWE someday, no matter what they did or no matter the bad blood was," he said. "I don't think about it and I recently stated and I stand by it, there's currently not necessarily incentives just because this has been so lucrative for the soul. It's been so damn fun. This has been so damn eye opening. It feels like being part of a revolution. My brain is on fire in such a good way for the industry right now."

"It's also been more financially lucrative, which blows my mind," he added. "Now, I wasn't one of the highest-paid guys in WWE, but if the incentive is to get to the big, major company that has WrestleMania because of the money, that incentive isn't there for me. I'm doing better outside."

"Maybe the door is open. I'm just not looking at the door. I would love to be part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. It's named after my dad and if I got to do anything with my brother ever again I wouldn't want to fight him. I'd want to have him as my partner in that Dusty Classic, but I don't know what he's got going on these days so who knows? I'm sure the door is open. It wasn't left on the coldest of terms. There are some people that are pissed off. I wouldn't come back without a long list of demands that they wouldn't meet. We'd be going back and forth forever. That's probably why I don't think about it at all."

Vaughn Johnson has a podcast with Nick Piccone called the Straight Shooters on WildfireRadio.com. Check it out here HERE.