Cody Rhodes announced today on Twitter that he and his wife, Brandi, are officially leaving AEW, and there are reports from multiple sources that Cody Rhodes has been in talks with WWE.
Rhodes, 36, had reportedly been working in AEW on a handshake deal since December, even as he won and then dropped the company’s TNT title in a brief feud with Sammy Guevara that culminated in a captivating ladder match that drew good numbers on “Dynamite” last month.
“I have loved my time at AEW,” Rhodes wrote in a statement posted to Twitter today. “Amazing locker room, amazing fans, amazing people. The ‘revolution’ was indeed televised, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to be part of that.”
Rhodes was one of the small group of people instrumental in the launch of AEW, and had been named an executive vice president of the company at its launch in 2019 by founder Tony Khan, who confirmed the departure of the Rhodeses in a tweet.
“Cody and Brandi Rhodes were integral to the launch of All Elite Wrestling,” Khan wrote in the tweet. “Cody’s ability combined with his boldness and his passion for our industry and his love for community outreach helped AEW deliver on our mission to give fans what they needed for far too long. Something new, innovative and lasting.”
Brandi Rhodes, 38, had the title of chief brand officer for AEW.
“Brandi helped us shape the AEW story, and I appreciate how hard she fought for us both in the ring and out of the ring, competing in the women’s division while advancing our efforts at inclusion and civic causes, including great partnerships with Kulture City and the American Heart Association,” Khan wrote.
“I have immense respect and appreciation for Cody and Brandi,” Khan wrote. “And I wish them both the best as they move on from AEW. Thank you, Cody and Brandi!”
Meanwhile, Rhodes’ older brother, Dustin Rhodes, confirmed today that he will continue his work with AEW.
“No, I am not leaving. I like it here in @AEW,” Dustin Rhodes posted to Twitter.
Dustin Rhodes, 52, has been with AEW since its launch in 2019. It was reported in August of that year that he had signed a three-year deal to work with the company as a wrestler and a coach.
Cody Rhodes was also at the end of a three-year deal with Khan and AEW. Cody and Brandi seemed entrenched with the company despite his contract status, given the extent of their relationships with AEW’s TV broadcast partners, TNT and TBS, the homes to “The Go-Big Show,” which features Cody, and the reality show “Rhodes to the Top,” which followed the wrestling power couple through behind-the-scenes doings at AEW and the birth of their first child.
“Rhodes to the Top” was just picked up for a second season, which could make for good show fodder, if the cameras were given access to what goes on as the couple takes whatever next steps are to come their way.
A return to WWE would be … interesting. Cody Rhodes worked in WWE from 2006-2016, his departure wasn’t on good terms, and he has been highly and very publicly critical of the company since leaving.
Rhodes, following that departure, had to work hard to remake himself from being used as an underneath guy in his WWE days to being a money-drawing main-eventer on the indies, then in Ring of Honor and New Japan, ahead of the launch of AEW in 2019.
In terms of creative with AEW, his momentum had obviously stalled. Early in his run, he lost an AEW world title match to Chris Jericho, with the stipulation being that if he were to lose, he would never again challenge for the title, something that he insisted repeatedly in interviews afterward he needed to continue to honor.
With Rhodes out of the world title picture, he became the centerpiece of the secondary TNT title, winning it three times, and his defeats were used to put over new AEW stars like Brodie Lee, Darby Allin and Guevara, and he also introduced AEW fans to the likes of Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks and Malachi Black in title and non-title matches.
Presented consistently as a babyface, Rhodes has had go-home-level heat from fans dating back to the odd spring 2021 feud he had with former UK pro boxer Anthony Ogogo, and was the subject of ongoing discussion among fans and industry pundits on the question of whether or not he should turn heel, which he resisted, both in media interviews and in-ring promos.
This could be at least one sticking point for Khan and Rhodes, who according to TMZ had experienced some sort of falling out in recent weeks, to be able to move forward.
Rhodes’ value to AWE at this point is questionable at best, as a babyface who gets booed more loudly than any of the company’s top heels, and a guy on the books for main-event-level money who insisted on sticking to a year-and-a-half-old match stipulation that keeps him out of the company’s world title picture.
At the least, the two sides need a break from each other.
Which is what this may be, in reality.
Vince McMahon may indeed see value to bringing Rhodes back just to try to stick it to Tony Khan, like he did with Rhodes’ father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, a generation ago, when he seized the opportunity to hire “The American Dream” when Dusty had a falling out with the folks at TBS who had just bought out Jim Crockett’s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.
It’s hard to imagine McMahon seeing Cody Rhodes as having more than shock value, though, maybe through Wrestlemania, but even then, Cody Rhodes isn’t going to get people to plunk down $9.99 for Peacock Premium to watch him work Wrestlemania.
And after Wrestlemania, does McMahon even have a use for Rhodes, another smallish (6’1”, 220 pounds) guy, when his preference is for big guys like Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and for god’s sake, Bill Goldberg, who at 55 continues to get main events almost entirely because he’s a big guy who’s kept himself in shape?
It wouldn’t surprise me if Rhodes ends up using this departure as a reason to get a needed few months off. He’s been in the daily grind of the pro wrestling business for the past 16 years, and as most folks know, pro wrestling doesn’t have an off-season.
That, plus the baby, plus the demands of being on two TV shows, plus the Cody Rhodes AEW brand having gone stale, would be a solid basis for Rhodes to take a sabbatical, to get his head right, his family life right, and to get the stink of the last several months of wrestling storylines off, for a fresh start maybe in the summer, or the fall.
At the risk of ending up on Freezing Cold Takes, this is what I see coming from this, though it would have to be tempting for Rhodes to at least listen to McMahon, even knowing that things with Vince McMahon never work out in the long term for anyone not named Vince McMahon.
Story by Chris Graham
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Chris Graham
