Cody Rhodes Admits AEW EVP Job “Burned Me Out”
Cody Rhodes has admitted that trying to be an Executive Vince President in AEW was a lot of work and a “taxing” experience for the American Nightmare.
When All Elite Wrestling launched in January 2019, AEW’s Owner Tony Khan introduced Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) as Executive Vice Presidents in the company. A few months later, former IWGP World Champion Kenny Omega was announced as an AEW EVP as well.
While Tony Khan would take on the role as the Head of Creative in the company, the foursome of Cody, Kenny and The Young Bucks all had different roles behind the scenes. They did their part to help build the roster, contribute ideas for storylines, and try to do a lot of different jobs behind the scenes as well.
After three years with AEW, Cody Rhodes was a free agent that chose to return to WWE, which is the company where he worked from 2006 to 2016.
Cody Rhodes left WWE due to being frustrated as the Stardust character, then he thrived in companies like Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and AEW along the indies all over the world. All of that paved the way for his triumphant WWE return at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Cody Rhodes admitted that he felt burned out as an EVP in AEW while focusing on just being a wrestler in WWE.
“One thing that’s been really very real and in front of your face, and accurate is that the long road sometimes can be very special, but you have to see it. You have to really, if you say it out loud, no, that’s not gonna work, no way. But if you see it, then you start to feel it. And it’s even sweeter if that moment comes, if that day comes, but there was, I’m sure, a myriad of plans.”
“I’m so plugged out of a creative aspect because I mean, from the time I was PayPaling you, my days as a creative person are I’m not interested in them.”
“Even if I had the best idea ever, I would be afraid to pitch it to anybody, just because it just, it just burned me out doing it. And I was too young to be doing it. I should have just been throwing my tights on, boots, on being a wrestler, superstar, however you want to put it. But that was the job. And that’s what the audience wanted and just was a lot of taxing, great lessons though.”
In his AEW career as a wrestler, Cody Rhodes was the first TNT Champion and he held that title three times, but he was not an AEW World Champion.
Cody Rhodes Will Try To End Brock Lesnar Rivalry At SummerSlam
Up next for Cody Rhodes in WWE is a third Premium Live Event with the legendary Brock Lesnar. Cody got the win at Backlash in May, Lesnar got the win back at Night of Champions three weeks later and now they might finally settle the score at SummerSlam next Saturday in Detroit.
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