Cody Rhodes is one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling and the current WWE Undisputed Champion. But even he can’t escape the ever-watching eyes of Nintendo’s vast army of lawyers and legal representatives. After once adding the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda to his boots, the WWE star says he received a “kind” cease and desist from Nintendo to remove it.
On a recent episode of Kit Wilson’s What Do You Wanna Talk About podcast, Rhodes was asked about the Triforce logo he (briefly) sported on his wrestling boots around 2013. Rhodes explained that beyond just being a fan of Zelda and other Nintendo games, he believed the “principles” of the Triforce applied to his in-ring character.
“I thought the principles of the Triforce, which are power, courage and wisdom… were just applicable,” explained Rhodes. “And for those who don’t know, Zelda’s the wise one.”
He continued, “Obviously, Link is the one who’s got the courage, and power is Gannon. They make up the three parts of the Triforce. That’s the whole deal. And I just liked the idea of thinking and leaning towards your own wisdom or what you’ve learned and applying it. Of being ambitious and wanting to, you know, seek or be powerful.”
Makes sense, seems reasonable, but none of that mattered to Nintendo, who weren’t a fan of Rhodes adding the Triforce to his boots.
“I also got a cease and desist from Nintendo,” explained Rhodes. “It was very kind. They were polite. They weren’t coming after anybody.” Rhodes also has a Triforce tattooed on his finger. Let’s hope for his sake that Nintendo doesn’t come after that. Kotaku has contacted Nintendo about the situation.
