When Cody Rhodes left WWE in anguish in 2015, nobody could even dream of what he would achieve outside of WWE. He made a name for himself in the independent circuit using his The American Nightmare moniker and then joined ROH. There he found more friends who helped Rhodes dream bigger, a dream that led to the formation of WWE’s biggest rival in recent times, AEW.

Now, a video has surfaced online that celebrates another anniversary of the formation of AEW. But it also reveals the exact moment the promotion was born.

A promotional clip featuring Cody Rhodes reveals the foundation of AEW

Fightful Wrestling posted a clip on X on December 31st featuring AEW Superstars Hangman Adam Page, The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes. The video was originally posted by a wrestling fan with the handle name DrainBamager. The video was shared along with a tweet, “4 years ago… All Elite Wrestling was officially announced outside of the Tokyo Dome. A very important day in the history of professional wrestling.” The tweet has a long history and easter eggs hidden in it.

The video in reference was a clip from The Young Bucks’ Youtube channel ‘Being The Elite’ episode 132 to be precise. The episode ended with the reveal of one of wrestling’s newest promotions, AEW, and its first PPV, Double or Nothing. The clip features the Young Bucks discussing a new message on their phones while Cody Rhodes shares the same message, ‘Double or Nothing’. However, Adam Page received a different message, revealing the name of AEW (All Elite Wrestling).

The four superstars were core members who helped Tony Khan set up AEW, WWE’s biggest rival promotion in recent times. Due to the contribution of the Young Bucks and Rhodes, Tony Khan granted them Co-Executive Vice President positions in the company, along with Kenny Omega.

Read more: “I Am Really and Truly Proud”: Cody Rhodes Reacts to Securing Top Spot on Sports Illustrated’s Best Wrestlers of 2023 List

The beginning of 2024 marks the completion of 5 years since the official announcement of AEW by Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes. Shockingly, Rhodes left AEW amid an unknown dispute and joined WWE in 2021, but it has not deterred Tony Khan’s hopes, despite their recent struggles.

What were the events that led to the formation of AEW

Tony Khan has been outspoken about the circumstances that led to him deciding to start a wrestling company to offer an alternative to WWE. For starters, the blockbuster matchup between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at WrestleKingdom 12 generated tremendous buzz among wrestling fans showcasing a strong appetite for non-WWE wrestling. Off the back of that Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks took things one step further.

Famed wrestling journalist, Dave Meltzer, was asked in 2017 if a Ring of Honor show could sell out 10,000 tickets. He replied, “not any time soon”. Rhodes took this as a challenge stating with The Elite consisting of Rhodes, The Bucks and Omega could with a few months of promotion. Not only did the show sell out within 30 minutes, it was also considered a resounding success. So much so that the Khan Family and Tony Khan in particular saw this as a sign that the market was ready for an alternative wrestling promotion, led by The Elite.

Few shorts months later, and they launched the company along with it’s second flagship show, ‘Double or Nothing’. Moxley would debut on that show and face off against Omega, DDT-ing on the top of the stage and the rest was history. Did you think AEW would become as successful as it has in such a short span of time? Let us know in the comments.

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