Cody Rhodes co-founded AEW in 2019 and served as the Executive Vice President for the wrestling promotion. During his time in the Jacksonville-based promotion, he also worked as an in-ring performer. In February 2022, he cut ties with them and made his return to WWE after six years.

Recently during an interview, ‘The American Nightmare’ opened up about what made him jump ship from AEW to WWE. Let’s dive deep and find out why he left the Jacksonville-based promotion for WWE despite being a main attraction there.

Cody Rhodes felt he met his obligations in AEW

Rhodes was the recent special guest on The Rich Eisen Show. This is the third time he went as a guest for the show. The first two times he was on the show, it was there to promote AEW. So this time when he visited, the show host asked him what led him to leave Tony Khan’s promotion.

The 37-year-old star mentioned the moment he found out that he was to appear in The Rich Eisen Show for the third time, he knew this topic would pop up in the interview. He said, “I knew this morning, I saw I was coming, I was like oh, I’m going to have some explaining to do about all this.”

Rhodes continued that he felt like he had accomplished everything in AEW in terms of making the promotion successful. He mentioned that his work there was done as he did everything to make the Jacksonville-based promotion one of the top pro wrestling promotions.

The former AEW TNT Champion also mentioned that he is proud of what he has built. He also takes pride in the job he has done in helping other superstars build their pro wrestling careers. In addition, he also stated that he is happy that AEW is thriving as a promotion.

Moreover, he clarified that he left the Jacksonville-based promotion on “great terms” and also that there are “no hard feelings” whatsoever between him and his AEW friends. Despite doing well in the promotion, he still had something left to accomplish. And that could have only been possible in WWE.

Rhodes clarifies his goal of returning to the WWE

In the interview, Rhodes once again highlighted his reason for coming back to the Stamford-based promotion. He mentioned that his ultimate goal was to accomplish his father’s dream by bringing home the most prestigious title in WWE.

Read More – Cody Rhodes Explains How He Will Provide a Different Challenge to Roman Reigns as Compared to Brock Lesnar

Though his father, Dusty Rhodes, was one of the legendary wrestlers of his era, he fell short when it came to holding the then-WWF Championship. The 6’2 star wants to honor his late father by becoming the first one to hold the WWE Championship in his family.

The 2023 Royal Rumble winner is just one step away from accomplishing his dream. To achieve that he will have to go through the reigning Champion, Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood. this Sunday at SoFi stadium, in Los Angeles.

Watch this story – Most Memorable Moments for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania

Tell us in the comments what is your take on The American Nightmare’s statement.