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WWE’s Cody and Brandi Rhodes are parents again!The couple announced that they welcomed their second baby on social mediaThe newly minted mom of two shared a sweet picture of her holding her newborn’s hand
WWE’s Cody and Brandi Rhodes are parents again!
The retired professional wrestler, 42, and her WWE champion husband, 40, quietly welcomed their second baby together, daughter Leilani Ella Runnels, announcing the news on Instagram on Friday, Aug. 29. The couple’s new addition joins big sister Liberty Iris, 4.
The newly minted mom of two shared a sweet picture of her holding her newborn’s hand.
“Welcome to the world Leilani Ella Runnels,” she wrote in the caption. “We are in love. Thank you God for answered prayers. Cody + Brandi + Libby + Lani = ❤️.”
The proud girl dad also shared the exciting news on his Instagram. He reshared his wife’s post on his Instagram Stories, before sharing another snap of their daughter Liberty wearing a pink hat that reads “Big Sister.”
The couple’s wrestling family shared their excitement for the new addition in the comment section. Professional wrestler Nattie Neidhart wrote, “Congratulations!!!!!! This is amazing!”
Retired WWE star Gail Kim-Irvine shared her congratulations and her surprise in the comments, saying, “Congratulations 🎊🎉🎈🍾 wow kept a little secret! 😃.”
On Thursday, April 17, Cody stopped by Today to talk about his win against Roman Reigns and how he planned to defend his title in an upcoming fight with legendary wrestler John Cena at WrestleMania 41. He also shared how he explains his unique profession to his daughter.
“I wasn’t thinking I would have to have this conversation this early with her, but we did, because I left the ring at Elimination Chamber, (and) Travis Scott of all people put a very large mark on my face and my eardrum was busted,” he began. “She had a lot of concerns.”
“So what I have told her — and I don’t know if this is the best strategy — is that I’m pretending to be a superhero and I’m playing with my friends. And so far, that works, but we’ll see,” he continued. “Because I think the moment she sees playing with my friends turn into somebody, maybe beating me up, she has an adverse reaction.
Cody and Brandi’s daughter Liberty wears a big sister hat.
Cody Rhodes/Instagram
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Cody spoke to PEOPLE exclusively earlier this year while attending a Monday Night Raw event in Los Angeles in January. During the conversation, he said that fatherhood “changed everything” and revealed that he considers wrestling to be an inherently “selfish” career.
“So wrestling is selfish, and you got to get to the top, and you want to be number one,” he said. “And for so long — I even said this to (pro wrestler) Kevin Owens last week in the ring — I wanted it for me.”
Cody Rhodes, Liberty Rhodes and Brandi Rhodes attend the world premiere of ‘Moana 2’.
Darryl Oumi/Getty
“To a degree, maybe I wanted it for my dad a little. I wanted it for him,” Cody added. “Having a daughter right out of the gate, all of that went away. It was not about where I am. It was more about the life that I could give her.”
“You have to really search inside your soul, like, how much do you really mean that?” the two-time Intercontinental Championship winner continued. “And for me, I felt like, no, that’s really it. I just want her to have the best life.”
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