Cody Rhodes is enjoying his term as the reigning WWE Undisputed Universal Champion. Not only is he showing up on the blue brand, but is also keeping fans entertained over at NXT. On 06/11, The American Nightmare showed up in the developmental brand to announce something important to the audience. This is when some interesting wordplay also happened.

Although the announcement of the upcoming battle royal was pretty straightforward, a backstage segment included some hilarious play of words if you are aware of the brief history that Rhodes shared with some of the NXT wrestlers. This invited some more shots to be taken at AEW.

Cody Rhodes’s reference to his former workplace invites Bully Ray’s comment on AEW

The American Nightmare showed up in the black and gold brand to announce the battle royal match that will take place next week to decide the worthy opponent who will then face Trick Williams for his championship. After promoting the 25-man championship, Cody Rhodes ran into three more ex-AEW stars, including Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, and Lexis King. The WWE Universal champion then took a shot at Tony Khan by saying, “Seems like you guys are in a good place.” Reposting the video on his X timeline, Bully Ray added, “This segment was dynamite.”

While Cody Rhodes’ dialogue was more subtle, Bully Ray adding his humor just makes the segment even more hilarious. This is not the first time that there has been cross-firing between WWE and AEW. However, the reigning champion doesn’t hold a grudge against his former workplace.

This is evident in how he talks about his role as an ex-EVP there. Even after walking away, Rhodes doesn’t have a lot of negatives to talk about whenever discussing AEW.

The American Nightmare reiterated his importance as AEW’s EVP

There were talks about the top star when he left his previous workplace that he did not do enough for the promotion. While talking on the Cheap Heat Podcast, Cody Rhodes discussed the same. However, he did not reveal the names of the personalities who talked behind his back, as they would already know who all of them were.

This is when he confessed that his work friends who have seen him in AEW, will agree that the company couldn’t have worked just as well without him. This is why, despite not being a part of it anymore, Rhodes claims that he would never think ill of the wrestling promotion.

So, even though he took a subtle shot at AEW during the NXT show, it is likely that the wrestler meant it just for fun and nothing more than that. This is the same figure who took an explicit show at his current boss Triple H during his time in AEW and is now on good terms with HHH. Pro wrestling is filled with instances of references and shots hurled at each other and one can arguably say it makes for a more livelier product and landscape. What did you make of The American Nightmare’s comment during his appearance at NXT? Let us know in the comments section below.