Behind the scenes of Cody Rhodes’ WWE scaremongering prank

It’s not always that WWE fans get to see Cody Rhodes outside the ring, but he decided to make an exception for one epic reason: USA Network’s first season Scaremongering.

A prank series rebooted by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. Scaremongering is the terrifying forum where friends and family select one unsuspecting person (or in this case, group of people) to experience the horror of their lives.

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And for the current WWE Undisputed Champion, his mission was no different; He decided to teach The New Day wrestling stable a lesson about who’s boss in the most dramatic way possible.

In the following look behind the scenes, Cody gives viewers an intimate insight into the creation of his Scare Tactic.

How Cody Rhodes’ prank came about

Hours before the prank, the Scaremongering The crew turned a house into a set for a fake TV show called “Thrill ride.” The faux series is described as an opportunity for ordinary people to overcome their fears and take on adventurous challenges.

The New Day, along with Rhodes, are introduced as hosts of the “Show” and are responsible for meeting potential contestants and ultimately deciding whether each contestant is suitable for the Thrill Ride. This is where fear comes into play.

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One of the many candidates presented to the jury is a shy, nervous woman who reveals a disturbing backstory.

In particular, she was shunned after she was accused of being responsible for the death of her bully. The worried contestant claimed that she just bravely stared into his eyes.

After Rhodes tells her that he doesn’t think she should be on the show, the woman starts staring at him – and Rhodes doubles over in pain. The New Day looks worried, but all three try to stay calm and continue filming.

Rhodes calls her a “freak” and the woman points her finger, causing an explosion. Flames shoot into the air, causing The New Day to run away in fear.

The new day calls for a prank battle: “It’s a war now.”

Rhodes explains in this special BTS look that he chose The New Day as his target because they teased him for being shy – a complete departure from his famously rebellious personality.

“Since I came back to WWE, I’ve been accused of being tame,” he explained. “Not real! And now I have the opportunity to prank The New Day.”

Rhodes also bet on which of the wrestling trio would have the greatest fear reaction to the prank.

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“My guess as to who would be the most scared is probably Big E,” he predicted. “But if you poll the room, most people will tell you Xavier Woods. He has a great dislike for scary magic. But this show is next level.”

Ultimately, Woods ran the furthest from the woman and the explosion, so Rhodes’ guess was correct. However, his prank may have backfired because after Woods recovered from the scare, he confirmed to the camera that Rhodes had just started a prank war.

“Just because you’re the American nightmare, you’ll be in our nightmares – no, Cody, we’ll be in yours,” Woods warned. “It’s war now.”

New episodes of Scare Tactics premiere every Friday night at 10pm ET on USA Network and are available to stream on Peacock.