In 2019, Cody Rhodes joined Kenny Omega, Adam Page, and The Young Bucks to help build WWE’s biggest rival since WCW days. Naturally, as one of the founding fathers of AEW, Cody Rhodes became a top star in the company. Aside from his on-screen role, Rhodes also served as one of the Executive Vice Presidents. However, he shocked the wrestling world in 2022 by making his return to Vince McMahon’s company.
To this day, Cody Rhodes has not disclosed the real reason behind his departure from Tony Khan’s company, though he has expressed his gratitude for AEW. During a recent interview, Rhodes reacted to being always asked why he jumped ships.
Cody Rhodes reacts to always being asked why he left AEW
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A highly discussed subject concerning Cody Rhodes revolves around his departure from AEW in 2019 to rejoin WWE. Rhodes made his groundbreaking return at WrestleMania 38 and instantly became a top star in the Stamford-based company. Despite moving on from his time at AEW, he consistently faces inquiries about his decision to depart from the Jacksonville-based promotion.
In the lead-up to SummerSlam, during a conversation with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Rhodes discussed his approach to respond the next time he’s queried by the media about the matter. He said, “I think I’m going to politely tell folks that these questions get me, like, more slack than they do help, and because I like to answer but then if you see like okay no heat with wrestle purists but they just run these quotes, picture you, here’s the quote, and the truth is yeah you said it, well, you said it in the context of a larger story.”
Furthermore, Rhodes added that he plans to say that he has given his answer about his departure from AEW and that his time there was “wonderful”. He continued, “I think I might just say, hey you know what, like, I have given my answer about that time and it was a really wonderful season of my life ask another question”
Rhodes has been vocal about his wholesome time in AEW. During his stint in the company, Rhodes became the TNT Champion. Aside from wrestling, The American Nightmare also mentored younger talents in the locker room.
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Nonetheless, it must be exhausting for Rhodes to always evade the question. Rhodes, however, did reveal that his reason for leaving AEW was “personal”.
Rhodes reveals the real reason why he said goodbye to AEW
In his American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes documentary, the 2023 Royal Rumble winner broke his silence about why he returned to WWE. In doing so, he also revealed that he left AEW due to personal reasons.
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It’s important to highlight that Rhodes emphasized he did not exit AEW due to financial reasons. And not even due to having any conflicts with fellow performers. Based on his statements, the actual cause for his separation from the company remains enigmatic.
He said, “I didn’t leave AEW because of money and I didn’t leave AEW because of other talents. I left AEW because of a personal issue.”
We may not know the true cause leading Rhodes to walk out on AEW but Rhodes’ sole purpose to return to WWE is to win the WWE Championship. Winning the World Title in WWE is what his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, never accomplished. Rhodes is simply back to finish his story.
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What are your thoughts on Cody Rhodes’ cryptic response about his AEW departure? Comment below!