When All Elite Wrestling was first announced in 2019 it was clear from the start that Cody Rhodes was a big part of the company. Rhodes was announced as one of the Executive Vice Presidents of AEW in addition to being one of the top stars on television.
For a few years Cody Rhodes was a mainstay on AEW programming, but in early 2021 it was announced that his contract with the company had expired and he wouldn’t be signing a new deal. Talk of Cody Rhodes returning to WWE immediately started making the rounds and he shocked the world when he showed up at WrestleMania 38.
MJF recently spoke to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour about the backstage reactions to Cody’s AEW departure, and he noted that people were sad to see him go.
“Not favorably in the sense that, ‘Yay, Cody’s gone,’ but favorably in the sense that we’re all professional wrestlers and what happens when somebody leaves is, it opens room for opportunities for another person to step up to the plate. When big names leave, big names step up. That’s just how this business works … I think people who were friends with Cody were sad to see him go on a personal level, but this is a very competitive sport.”
What was your reaction when Cody Rhodes parted ways with AEW? Sound off in the comments below.
H/T Wrestling Inc.
