Bryan Danielson Credits AEW For Cody Rhodes’ WWE Success

Cody Rhodes’ wrestling journey is marked by evolution, ambition, and legacy.

He began his career in WWE in 2007, wrestling for almost a decade while winning several tag team and mid-card championships. Seeking creative freedom and more control over his career, he left WWE in 2016. He spent the next few years reinvigorating his persona on the independent scene and in other major promotions like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

His success culminated in helping to found All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019, where he served as executive vice president and became a top star, helping AEW to become a strong competitor to WWE. However, he was not totally satisfied there, because he wanted to accomplish a dream.

Therefore, in 2022, Cody Rhodes made a surprise return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 with a desire to reclaim his family’s legacy and compete on WWE’s biggest stage once again. Since then, he’s won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, solidifying his place as a main-event superstar in the Triple H-led promotion.

AEW Played a Major Role in Making Cody Rhodes a Huge Star, Says Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson recently reflected on AEW’s influence in wrestling during an interview with the Kairouz Bros. He emphasized that AEW’s existence significantly shaped the careers of stars like Cody Rhodes, crediting AEW for turning him into a megastar. He explained that AEW’s success benefits wrestlers on both sides by giving them more opportunities and better pay, thus enriching the entire industry.

“If AEW wouldn’t have started, would Cody Rhodes be where he is right now? No, they have a megastar because AEW exists.”

Danielson also noted the company’s role in bringing CM Punk back to wrestling.

“Would CM Punk ever have come back? Probably not. … It’s good for the wrestlers, both in AEW and in WWE. It’s good for them.”

In the same interview, Danielson also spoke about seeing AEW’s growth not as a threat but as a positive development for wrestling’s future.

So, for example, in most major sports in the United States, the players get anywhere between 40 to 50% of the revenue. WWE was paying their wrestlers nowhere close to that. Now, keep in mind, they’re still not paying anywhere close to that, but they do have to pay more, because if they don’t, the talent is going to leave and go to AEW.

AEW does pay that 40 to 50% of their revenue to their wrestlers. You know, despite making much less money. I mean, our TV rights deal was incredible, but we’re still the challenger brand catching up on however many years WWE has.