Latest Reports Prove Vince McMahon Had Hit a Jackpot By Signing Cody Rhodes Amid AEW Rivalry

After his return to the WWE in April last year, Cody Rhodes has been the company’s biggest star alongside Roman Reigns. One could argue that The American Nightmare has been its biggest babyface of the past few years.

With his improved promo-cutting skills, Dusty Rhodes’s younger son has found a new connection with the WWE Universe. And this factor is helping the Stamford-based promotion. According to recent reports, Vince McMahon and his son-in-law Triple H, may have unearthed the proverbial pot of gold by signing Cody from rival AEW.

Cody had initially left the WWE in 2016 after the end of his contract. According to reports, he felt underutilized by Vince McMahon as WWE failed to give him the push he envisioned for himself. However, when an opportunity presented itself, WWE was quick to make amends and get the star to join the roster. 

It helped McMahon and Triple H that Cody Rhodes had a professional fallout with AEW owner Tony Khan.

WWE’s digital, social media views skyrocketed in January and February in presence of Cody Rhodes 

The pro-wrestling giant amassed over 7.5 billion digital and social media views in the first two months of 2023. The number has gone up 15 percent from the same time period in 2022, according to an AP report.

While there are many factors aiding the growth, one cannot overlook the current Royal Rumble winner’s contribution. The time frame that has witnessed the boost has heavily featured Rhodes, going head-to-head with Reigns, as fans await their high-voltage clash at WrestleMania 39.

Rhodes and his emotionally charged promos with the current WWE Universal Champion, Reigns, and his special counsel, Paul Heyman, have kept the audience hooked. They were instrumental in raking up social media views, which culminated in massive growth.

But all this could not have happened if Rhodes didn’t jump ship from the AEW. His departure has led to a WWE Hall of Famer slamming Tony Khan for committing an Eric Bischoff-esque blunder.

Airing his views on the matter, Diamond Dallas Page told an outlet that Khan did what Bischoff had done with Stone Cold Steve Austin- let the wrestler go.

Page said that Cody’s ability to write challenging storylines made him stand out. “He (Cody Rhodes) would write the TVs like it’s challenging to write TVs and storylines and all of that. And Tony was right there. Tony Khan, but Tony didn’t know how to do that. He learned that from Cody.”

Read More: Despite Getting a Main Event Push, Cody Rhodes Is Not ‘Satisfied’ With His Blockbuster WWE Comeback

It’s hard to find fault in that claim, especially with the numbers backing WWE’s dominance so far this year. Needless to say, Cody Rhodes has done what John Cena managed a few months ago for Vince McMahon’s company.

John Cena Helped WWE in Creating a Record That Put Them Over AEW

WWE superstar-turned-Hollywood actor John Cena proved his star power with his appearance on the last SmackDown episode of 2022. The viewership rose to over 2.8 million during the quarter hour that played his segment.

That was the highest quarter-hour for any pro wrestling show, including the rival All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in 2022.

Watch This Story: WWE Superstars With the Highest Number of WrestleMania Matches

Like Rhodes, Cena is also set to take part in this year’s WrestleMania, where the latter will face current WWE United States Champion Austin Theory.

With both The American Nightmare and the 16x world champion proving to be needle movers, WWE can certainly bank on them to take their numbers to unprecedented highs at the upcoming mega event.