When Cody Rhodes parted ways with WWE in 2016 he went on to blaze his own trail in the world of wrestling, and he became one of the key figures who helped to launch All Elite Wrestling in 2019. Many fans were shocked when Cody left AEW last year and he hasn’t said much about his reasons for leaving. The American Nightmare briefly addressed his AEW departure in his new documentary when he said the following:
“I left AEW because of a personal issue–that’s it, but the byproduct of leaving AEW is the opportunity to go for the biggest dream I ever had, and the first dream I had in my life.”
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter there were no real details revealed about why Cody left AEW because Cody made an agreement with Tony Khan when he left the company.
It was also noted that both Cody Rhodes and Brandi Rhodes signed three year deals with a two year option and Tony Khan didn’t pick up the option. Cody Rhodes was still negotiating with Tony Khan until Vince McMahon flew out to meet with Cody. It seemed that Cody intended to stay with All Elite Wrestling, but things changed after his meeting with Vince.
