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Cody Rhodes leaving All Elite Wrestling, company he helped found; rumored to be returning to WWE
- Thread starter Serene
- Start date
Cody taking himself out of World Title contention put a cap on his success in the company. At the time I thought it was a sign of humility but now it looks like arrogance.
Still can't believe he got that dumbshit neck tattoo.
Still can't believe he got that dumbshit neck tattoo.
Soon as the next notable signing joins AEW barely anyone is going to care about Cody leaving. Life will move on.
It's a start of a new chapter not the end.
By the time Kenny and the Bucks leave, if they even do, there will be plenty of new stars to replace them.
That sounds like some BS to me...if anything I buy that Cody was the main driving force between them in making AEW a thing, I just can't buy that statement.
still one of the WOAT promos
youtu.be
Cody Rhodes Held Nothing Back! | AEW Dynamite, 1/19/22
#AllEliteWrestling #AEWDynamite #AEWRampageSubscribe now and never miss a new video: https://www.youtube.com/c/aew?sub_confirmation=1AEW Dynamite airs every ...
youtu.be
What? Even if, and it's a huge if, The Bucks and Omega leave, the company still has Moxley, Danielson, and Punk for big names - and they also have loads of immensely popular homegrown talent because they actually understand how to cultivate new stars. They're continually killing it in the ratings and Warner is super happy with them. AEW will be fine in two years.
If I remember correctly, it was TK who reached out to the Bucks about starting the promotion.
They initially wrote it off as you always hear of someone promising to have money and wanting to start a promotion but when they realised who he was they decided to take the meeting.
Ohh damn ,guess I am mistaken , with the way Cody carried himself , I would assume he was the main driving force, he just comes off as the most business like out of all of the EVPs.
All In was the catalyst which was mainly Cody's thing, people acting like TK just called up the Bucks out of the blue or something
And even if he does still somehow get the idea without All In happening, I don't think as many wrestlers sign on without All In showing the fans interest
I don't know all the details but I think Cody can be credited a lot for All In initially, with the bucks and Omega heavily involved but AEW itself is a Tony Khan thing. Doesn't mean they weren't involved of course, hence them being given EVP roles.
All in showed TK that there was room for a WWE alternative and he had wanted to start his own company for years so he took that first step of speaking to the elite and his TV network contacts to get the ball rolling.
Cody is a big part of why AEW is around but only in a specific way and not in anyway near the same way that TK is since it was his idea, his money, his TV contacts, his vision etc.
It's this that I think is the biggest issue for Cody, judging from the reports from Keller etc. He saw himself as instrumental to AEWs creation as TK and felt burned by not having an even bigger role backstage or getting the pay increase he thought he deserved which is delusional.
Minor correction. All In is what Cody can be credited for in part. All In was a standalone night using ROH's production crew to have an indie and international promotion supercard crossover show.. Not All Out, which is the current one of the yearly AEW PPV. I know you know and that's just a minor typo, but just for everyone's clarity.
Lol, I always mix them up but yeah I meant All in. Will fix that.
I was just re-watching that. What a mess, but you wouldn't be able to tell by the comments alone.still one of the WOAT promos
Cody Rhodes Held Nothing Back! | AEW Dynamite, 1/19/22
#AllEliteWrestling #AEWDynamite #AEWRampageSubscribe now and never miss a new video: https://www.youtube.com/c/aew?sub_confirmation=1AEW Dynamite airs every ...
Cody leaving AEW because Tony Khan thought he and his wife werent good enough for top dollars made my day because of the good tweets
Then I remembered the ten mediocre wrestlers that Cody probably wants to bring in like Flip Gordon which will make WWE even worse than it already is
Then I remembered the ten mediocre wrestlers that Cody probably wants to bring in like Flip Gordon which will make WWE even worse than it already is
Not delusional its what every EVP deserves, I don't believe Punk should be getting significantly more than the Bucks or Omega either
Cody played a big part in bringing in, Darby, Sammy, MJF, Starks, Hobbs etc yeah he has a real eye for mediocre wrestlers
I mean delusional in the sense of Cody apparently believing that he should be seen or be treated as instrumental in AEWs existence and success as TK is.
I do think that Cody, Bucks and Omega deserve to be paid well but comparing it to Punk is a little apples to oranges.
Punk isn't paid well because of his behind the scenes actions but because he is a massive name in the Industry (bigger than Cody and the elite for sure) and he had given up wrestling for 7 years. His impact in the growth going forward by using his name is what he's paid well for and so far he has more than made up for it in merch, mainstream attention and storylines. It's why Fox were apparently pissed at Vince for not being willing and able to sign him when AEW did.
No one is saying he didn't have an impact. What is being argued (primarily by me so I'm assuming that is who you are referring to) is his role in AEW specifically.
He can be directly credited with setting up the event that sparked the fire of TK starting AEW but he isn't directly responsible for AEW, not in the way he seemingly thinks. On screen he had a big role at the start but behind the scenes, setting AEW up by actually starting it, financing it, using contacts to get a TV deal etc was all TK.
I mean TK felt the need to take away a lot of the EVPs creative control a few months after starting because of fan backlash, which might I remind you was universally praised at the time by us knowing fans and has lead to consistent growth in ratings and reception since then.
I'm not taking away from how much Cody has done, just putting it into perspective with regards to how Cody reportedly feels about his role and deserved reputation behind the scenes and how things actually happened from what we do know.
Oh it is like clockwork; I wonder if WWE will book him like Ric Flair after leaving WCW. He had a good good run, But I could dream…
Not enough gets said about this but Cody was the most over person in the company when he had more creative control. It was Omega and the Bucks that were floundering with Kenny Omega losing way too much and the Bucks coming off the terrible re-introduction of the Dark Order and their masked jobbers.
People are like thank god Cody lost creative power but that directly correlates to him being more aimless and directionless and when the Codyverse critique started
Found Kevin Nash ERA account
Alright, who where they against that fucked that Haitch's run?
I don't think you are 100% wrong, WWE is not going anywhere soon, but it's pretty disingineous to say that "there's no evidence" when AEW is the only wrestling show on TV that has grown in the last year (up to 50% even, when everybody else has dropped their audiences). The mere fact that NXT was burned to the ground and is pulling Rampage's late friday nights number under Vince's direction says A LOT.
The thing is that AEW has a lot more room to grow and it's already not that far from reaching's WWE numbers in ratings for example. WWE's strength, specially financial, come from doing questionable deals, questionable business decisions, and then there's the TV deals. The USA network was pretty pissed that they lost a wednesday live show, which is what they paid for. What's going to happen if their other shows keep dropping while another Network's TV wrestling show is growing and growing?
To add to this -- Cody's stock on the show had absolutely declined and his interest were at odds with what the audience wanted in terms of story telling. His segments had regularly become the worst. Would he pull out an occasional surprise here or there? Absolutely. I liked Cody matches once in a while. His last match was great. I was there in person and lost my mind when he went thru a burning table with Andrade. Other times they were quite boring and plodding and dragged the show down. Cody just wasn't consistent with bringing quality. Like almost everything after the end of 2020 was real hard to sit through.
I've said in the main AEW thread -- I am grateful for the good he has done. But I think AEW has totally out grown a need for him and if he's unfulfilled with his duties and thinks he's not getting paid what he's worth? Do you, man.
You understand they still have full input on their own booking, right?
i think that can be directly attributed to Cody's decision to book himself out of the title picture permanently, which apparently TK was against but Cody insisted.
After that he was focused on the TNT title which started off really well but after his first run he became aimless because all he could do was have random feuds or stay in the TNT title picture because he had limited his storyline potential.
As someone who was probably one of the more long lasting Cody fans who was hopeful of Cody pulling through and delivering some long term story that paid off with his 'will he, won't he' heel tease, I pretty much agree with all of this.
Cody has had a lot of banger matches but the biggest complaints people often had for AEW was that both the best friends/OC and Cody feuds were dragged out too long and lost a lot of steam and actively hurt others. Black was red hot but by the time the feud had finished it felt like wasted potential.
I maintain that the Cody and MJF feud happened way too soon. Like MJF having Cody's back despite being a complete turd should have been lore. Then you turn MJF on Cody once there's something at stake. A title. Some kind of accolade or award... Something they both want. So that's why it always felt like a lost opportunity to me when they did it with nothing at stake other than "Yeah! I beat that guy!" The fact the match ended up being over booked and forgettable (with added bonus of awful live music intro with a pitchy singer and all) I think all of that did a lot of damage to MJF and Cody's rep with a lot of viewers. Like after that Cody was out of the title picture for good and his next feud was set and bizarrely ended just a month or two later. Where do you go from there? IMO Cody and MJFs love and then hate should have been one of the core aspects of AEW's story telling. And it just ended up not being the case. :/
That's all fair enough.
For me, I just think the 'no more title shots' stip was the biggest problem. He could have easily decided, kayfabe wise, to focus on the TNT title like he did without that stip and that would have at least kept options open going forward. Instead he ended up limiting his feud potential because they couldn't really have him getting involved with anyone who wasn't directly at the TNT title level because then it starts causing an issue with rankings etc.
The fact that 'the cody-verse' is a widely used term shows how disconnected his feuds really were.
I think that's mostly what I'm saying. Once you put a clear separation between MJF and Cody with a win where there's no outside organization around them like a tournament or the TNT title and don't find ways to put them in one another's orbit anymore that kinda... kills the possibilities WITH the "Can't compete for the World Title" stipulation. There's no eternal thorn in his side. They ran that angle too soon and too definitively to warrant playing with it further. Cody's story doesn't become "He can't chase for the title" it's "Cody and MJF can't escape one another cuz once they start moving away, they turn around and the other is right there..." To me that was the thing that felt like they were broadcasting early on.
Not to say it would be a never ending feud, no. It'd just be a thing that you'd keep simmering, have some kind of thing (again. a tourney. an achievement like the Dynamite Diamond ring, one of the titles) cause it to boil over. You get the chase down feud, you get the pay off for something that matters other than bragging rights (like the TNT title), then you move on and then once you put them near one another again so it's like "AW SHIT THEY GONNA DO IT AGAIN?!" then maybe you keep that one in the back pocket and find another context for them to meet and run things within a new context or circumstances. Maybe someone they're in a stable with is feuding so we revisit that bad blood. That kind of thing.
To me that should have been Cody's non-world title story in AEW.
The more in-depth information seems to paint this as all Cody killing his own stock. If he had just turned heel then he might have been hot enough to get Tony to give him what he wants. Instead he used the freedom given to him to go out and do long segments teasing the turn, that was apparently never going to come based off what we know now because he legitimately didn't want to turn, where he and Brandi got booed out of the building. The creative freedom given to Cody ironically helped him kill his own stock in the company from day one.
The weirdest thing about the Heel turn that never came was that Brandi was all for it and even tried to push him to turn on their own reality show and he still wouldn't do it.
Agreed.
As a kid with no access to dirt sheets, the biggest moments besides the PPV matches were the wrestlers moving back and forth from the Feds and territories, which instantly freshened matchups up. This happens now but it's mainly because someone has lost their job, so even though I don't watch the WWE, good on Cody for making a decision that's better for his career. Either way, whether he returns because this is a work or he goes back, it makes his character way more interesting than what it was.
The cynical side of me says that he's going to get buried in WWE and/or this was a move to excite investors for the always rumored sale. But Cody does seem to have a lot of relationships with the young AEW talent and others, and really if they treat him as not just another returning wrestler but as some kind of actual invasion angle, that might actually move the needle (and let him remain a face). Seems unlikely but still better than the "I'm still a face, right" schtick he has going on right now.
Doesn't the Bucks book say that of the Elite Cody was the one who was most in favor of them signing with WWE in lieu of starting AEW?
Yeah I think that all sounds good. Them forever being linked and crossing paths over the years and at different stages of their careers could have created some unforgettable moments.
I'm not sure on that as I haven't read their book but maybe someone else could clarify that.
reading this and it's actively making me like cody lessWade Keller from PWTorch did a podcast and went into a lot of depth and it confirms everyone's assumptions
Reddit - Dive into anything
www.reddit.com
I was full rooting for that dude but he seems like a goober from this interview
JUST ACCEPT THE HEEL TURN
it would be so cool for the son of the plumber to become the next ric flair but noooooooooooooo
FWIW -- Wade's reporting is super sensationalist. So take that with a grain of salt. I don't doubt for a second Cody kinda was his own undoing in AEW, but Wade is trying to make money on gossip. There's AEW roster members saying that this article is horse shit.
Wade Keller from PWTorch did a podcast and went into a lot of depth and it confirms everyone's assumptions
Reddit - Dive into anything
Obviously this is a bit sensational, but there probably is plenty of truth to this. Cody probably wanted to be one of the highest paid people in the company, which was reasonable at the start, but less reasonable now that they were able to sign CM Punk and Brian Danielson. And the simple fact is, removing all the behind the scenes stuff, he just isn't as valuable as he was at the start as an on-screen performer anymore, AEW has a lot more depth and talent now.
The fact is, he's worth way more to WWE right now, who desperately needs fresh blood that isn't over the age of 45 because they are awful at developing new talent, and could afford to pay him Brock Lesnar money if they wanted to without batting an eye (they won't do that, but they can afford it).
This is an example of how you actually put people over. Cody won a majority of his matches, to the point where you can actually put together a list like this after 3 years, noting all his losses. His big ones in putting over younger talent were strategically timed and done in a way to maximize the building star process- I thought for SURE Cody was beating MJF after how the angles went, but no, MJF just flat out beat him. Darby was well on his way to being over and you probably could have done that match a month or two earlier, but it was done to not make the TNT title a joke by not hot potatoing it. The Malacki one was huge- no one was expecting the borderline squash cody took, and it quickly established Malacki as a killer after he hadn't been on TV for a long time. And the Sammy match was a huge star making performance for Sammy, who came out of that match looking like a million bucks.
Cody wasn't doing random jobs to guys like Cesar Benoni or Lee Moriarty or even guys like Ricky Starks. He was constantly winning matches, so when he lost, it felt important, and done in ways to actually elevate people. He wasn't doing the Kevin Nash or HHH, where he would just beat and beat and beat guys like a drum, and then do 1 job to them, and go back to beating and beating them. He made them look great, and usually moved on from it to let that talent continue on
At the end of the day, I do wonder where Cody was going to go. I think he needed to lean into being a heel more and the "American Nightmare", but I also think he was capped too.
One of my friends thinks that neck tattoo was one of the worst things he could have done for his career. I don't agree but I don't disagree either. That tattoo is genuinely awful.
There was so much "heels that think they're faces" space for Cody and Brandi to explore. They could have set the standard!
Yeah, this had all the ingredients for an eternal blood feud, and it just never happened. There wasn't even a point to the turn, and it felt like they wanted to get past the Cody/MJF program ASAP and move both guys on to other things.
I don't think the tattoo mattered in the long run. But the combination of the bad remix of his theme and the neck tattoo reveal completely taking the wind out of the sails of his big grudge match with MJF that had so much heat going in was an impressive bit of shooting himself in the foot.
Cody burned bright and fast in AEW and that's exactly what they needed him to do to get the promotion off the ground. He's had a few supernova's in between but it's clear that what he wants at this stage of AEW (main event, top guy money) isn't aligning with where AEW needs to be (giving new starts time, and letting the new signings shine). It makes sense. I'm sad to see him go, but this might be necessary for his continued growth as a performer. Wouldn't be shocked at all if he's back in a few years.
If not giving Cody his pay day frees up some "salary cap" room for Tony to get guys like Keith Lee then it's an even bigger no brainer. The guys that they have now at the top of the card as opposed to 2 years ago all have such a higher ceiling.
This is a joke right?
Jericho going back to WWE is not only a possibility but has been a probability since day 1 of AEW.
The bucks and Kenny going to NJPW has *always* been something that everyone has considered could happen.
But, at the end of the day while all of these stars are key parts of AEW they are not the be all end-all. AEW operated without Mox and Kenny for 90 days and the ratings were up overall.
AEW (at least their mens roster) is stacked absolutely beyond belief right now. There is more top tier wrestling talent today than at any point in any of our lives.
If AEW loses these stars there are others they can bring in - either from the indies, WWE or NJPW.
The notion that wrestlers are stuck in one promotion forever is a relatively new concept. Back in the day it was very common for wrestlers to switch promotions with some regularity.
I do agree that I think Cody really capped himself at the company and wound up putting over talent to the point of looking like a midcard talent. The stip that he wouldn't challenge for the title again in hindsight was very stupid unless he was going to turn heel and go back on it.
2 years ago I thought Cody/MJF was going to be THE feud for the first 5 years of AEW. MJF would get the title and Cody would go back on his word and say "that son of a bitch is the reason I lost in the first place" and take the belt off of him. But instead... MJF has been catapulted into the upper-card of AEW and Cody is wandering around in other peoples intermediary feuds while they wait on something better to do.
Its very strange how aimless he became. I think it started with the TNT title belt run - but the Factory/Nightmare Family feud cemented him as a mid-card wrestler and doing the job to black repeatedly while commendable cemented him as a geek. Even whatever that brief third TNT title run turned into just getting Sammy over.
Cody the wrestler can put on bangers, but I think Cody the character booked himself into a corner he couldn't get out of and the fans were tired of what he was trying to sell... and honestly that promo to end racism was the turning point for 90% of the fanbase.
I hope this works out for Cody and I will actually miss him because him coming out at the end of shows in the first year of AEW meant a lot and you could tell how happy he was. Back in what I call the "super indies" early days of AEW when it wasn't clear it was going to become a real competitor to WWE. I'll miss that. But I won't really miss Cody and Brandi on my screen every week at this point. If they can take America's Top Team and The Inner Circle with them I'd feel similarly.
I understand business is business, but I don't see how Cody would want to go back to the WWE with the possibility of Vince screwing him over. Just seems a bit naïve of Cody if you ask me and I am leaning to this being a work and will come back to win the title.
I also think this is something that has not been planned, but was thought up once the Shane McMahon junk started happening in the Rumble. Its almost like AEW has a chance to play off of what everybody thinks WWE is doing with Shane.
Bottom line... its wrestling and nobody ever really knows.
I also think this is something that has not been planned, but was thought up once the Shane McMahon junk started happening in the Rumble. Its almost like AEW has a chance to play off of what everybody thinks WWE is doing with Shane.
Bottom line... its wrestling and nobody ever really knows.
I was thinking how does AEW address the Cody situation tonight? I kinda want to see Tony Schiavone thank him on behalf of the the roster. Regardless of everything that's taken place, Cody helped create the first alternative wrestling product in 20 years. Something as an NWA/WCW fan, I never thought I would see.
I turned off the show during this promo. Really fucking pissed me off.
So Cody wants Brock Lesnar money? WWE would gladly pay for AEW poster boy to get jobbed to Roman, Seth, KO and Drew.
Cody just wants to be paid at this point.
Cody just wants to be paid at this point.