Cody Rhodes‘ rise to a WrestleMania main eventer in WWE is a journey worth looking back. Despite losing his chance to win the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship belt at WrestleMania 39, The American Nightmare is clearly one of the top guys in the Stamford-based company right now. While he failed short to fulfill his ultimate purpose for coming back to WWE in the first shot, he’s still in the race, desperately moving forward in that direction.

Despite his defeat to Roman Reigns, Cody’s WWE return paid him handsomely in terms of rising to the pinnacle of fame in the last few months. Former WWE star Bully Ray completely agreed with the stance that WWE offered him enough exposure to be a mainstay from a mere mid-card wrestler in the rival promotion.

Bully Rey referred to Cody Rhodes’ soaring fame to point out WWE’s greater popularity than AEW

Tony Khan’s promotion has frequently taken shots at WWE and hence falls victim to criticism from most of the WWE insiders.  While Khan did a great job in terms of stockpiling big talents for his promotion, he failed to offer them their deserved place to some extent.

Also, AEW doesn’t come close to WWE’s global popularity at the moment. So, superstars deserving more fame and stardom are bound to give a second thought about their AEW contract.

Read more: “You Know How That Sh*t Goes” – WWE Hall of Famer Calls AEW “Stupid” for Not Willing to Break the Rules With Cody Rhodes

Former WWE tag team champion Bully Ray recently appeared on the Busted Open Radio alongside Dave LaGreca to discuss Rhodes’ remarkable rise since leaving AEW. While LaGreca mentioned how the American Nightmare used to be a solid asset for the Jacknosville-based promotion, Ray noted how things change for good for him after his WWE arrival during WrestleMania 38.

He explained, “Make no mistake, Dave, the day Cody made his entrance and his return at WrestleMania, Cody became a much bigger star than he ever was in AEW. He became bigger than AEW, he became bigger than any talents in AEW because it’s a different stage.”

Ray believes that Rhodes wouldn’t leave AEW if he would get his deserved spot in the promotion. Well, he’s not alone in his belief.

Eric Bischoff believes Cody Rhodes wasn’t creatively satisfied in AEW

Another former WWE personality, Eric Bischoff, also thinks that Cody Rhodes jumped ship to his old wrestling home, not for financial reasons. There was a reason deeper underneath the surface.

Rhodes’ AEW departure was a highly debated topic in the wrestling world. Ever since the American Nightmare left AEW, it took a toll on the promotions’ popularity and growth. The questions regarding the exact motive behind such a decision emerged widely.

While many speculated in their own way, Bischoff firmly believed he took that drastic step out of creative frustration. The Hall of Famer noted in his previous interview, ”went to AEW so he could be in charge of his own destiny… But something happened there, and I would imagine it was just creative frustration.”

However, speaking of Rhodes’ current run in WWE, it seems like WWE has something bigger for him on the plate as looks to tame ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions. We just need to see how it unfolds for him in the near future.

Are you happy about Cody Rhodes’ WWE return? Do you think WWE contributed to Rhodes’ skyrocketing fame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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