WWE executives recently disclosed the backstory behind the forceful slap Travis Scott delivered to Cody Rhodes during the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event. The incident occurred during the now-viral segment featuring John Cena’s heel turn where he joined forces with The Rock against Rhodes.
Speaking on The Ankler Podcast, Triple H and Nick Khan addressed the surprisingly stiff strike that reportedly left Rhodes with legitimate injuries including a ruptured eardrum and black eye. Khan revealed Scott’s explanation after being questioned about the force behind the slap.
Triple H spoke with Travis afterward: ‘Look, that slap was pretty hard. We’ll show you how to pull your shots a bit.’ Travis responded: ‘Dwayne Johnson told me I better hit him hard or people would think I didn’t have what it takes. So that’s what I did.’ Both Triple H and I laughed about it.
Triple H added further context about Rhodes’ reaction to the unexpected shot.
It was amazing. Ironically, the only person who didn’t complain about the slap was Cody Rhodes himself, he just wanted it to look good. As I mentioned, Travis was like a kid in a candy store in that moment.
The segment generated significant social media attention, with footage of the musician’s involvement quickly spreading across various platforms. The moment has become one of the most discussed non-match elements in recent WWE programming as the company builds toward WrestleMania 41, where both Rhodes and Rock will square off in high-profile matchups.
