Cody Rhodes Reveals If He Spoke To WWE While Under AEW Contract
Creative frustration resulted in Cody Rhodes departure from WWE in 2016.
The decision came as a shock to the higher-ups, especially to Paul “Triple H” Levesque, considering Rhodes’ family history being tied with the growth of the company.
However, Cody did move out and wrestled the indies and in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling until 2019.
On January 1, 2019, All Elite Wrestling emerged as a promotion in Florida, with Cody Rhodes as one of the top stars of the business.
Since then, AEW built itself from ground up on the back of talents like Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks.
The brand took on WWE, challenging its weekly viewership, although could never surpass the main roster shows’ ratings.
Rhodes, along with AEW President Tony Khan, brought in new talents, some from WWE, including Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Dustin Rhodes, and Toni Storm.
AEW continued to achieve success and grow, but behind closed doors, Cody Rhodes’ relationship with the company was deteriorating.
It was reported in February 2022 that he and his wife, Brandi, had left the promotion.
Cody Rhodes Spoke To WWE After AEW Contract Ended
During the recent episode of his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, Cody Rhodes recalled being in a meeting with Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon after his AEW contract ran out.
He detailed how he expected the meeting to go, but was happy by the way it went because it signaled his return to the promotion after six years.
Bruce Prichard, who was the guest on the podcast, thanked Rhodes for sharing his viewpoint about that particular meeting, and went on to say that WWE went into the meeting hoping to “bring Cody back home.”
And that’s what happened, as The American Nightmare re-signed and made his first appearance during WrestleMania 38 to face Seth Rollins.
Since then, Cody Rhodes has been the company’s two-time Undisputed World Champion, and is currently in his second run.
Also read: Former AEW star Jake Hager reveals how everything changed when Rhodes left the Florida promotion.