Photo credit: WWE
Cody Rhodes Returning to WWE for the first time in six years, and much has changed since leaving the company in 2016.
Rhodes became an international superstar, and he helped launch All Elite Wrestling, a company that quickly became WWE’s top alternative. Rhodes has been prominent at AEW throughout his time and has won the TNT Championship three times. But when he left the promotion in February 2021, it seemed inevitable that he would return to the WWE. At WrestleMania 38, he did, as Seth Rollins’ mystery revealed to his opponents. The Rhdes emerged victorious to start this run with a big win.
In an interview with Dr. Diversity Before the show, “The American Nightmare” explained his decision to return to WWE. He made it clear that he was excited, but called it a “heavy feeling” because he could see the goals he started with when he was coming into the WWE development system. Rhodes then called the return “the final outcome of his career” and noted that it was true that he was able to return as the star he had become.
“People who know me have asked me how I feel if I’m really excited,” Rhodes said. “It simply came to our notice then. When I first entered wrestling, I was only in the WWE system and my dream was to go to the top. Then the dreams are like a river, as Garth Brooks sings, and it changes and it changes. Then we were able to do what we were able to do with AEW and this is something that I am very proud of, but I will be able to revisit the thing I set out to do in the first place when I didn’t think the opportunity would just get heavier.
“It simply came to our notice then. So yes, all the feelings – happy, excited, stressed, responsible, everything. But I don’t know how I will feel until I get there. It seems like the ultimate in my whole career, but I don’t want to overdo it. I don’t want to put any hyperballs there, but it’s the biggest crowd in wrestling. It’s coming back to something I made and no one else made. And that is the proof. “
Rhodes went on to explain that he had told top WWE officials, including Vince McMahon himself, that he really believed he was the best wrestler in the world, and that he wanted to prove that he was back in the WWE.
“I told Vince McMahon, Bruce Pritchard and Nick Khan – this very small circle of people – I told them I really believe and that I am the best wrestler in the world,” Khan said. “And to go further with it, I don’t really think there’s a close second. But with that being said, the opportunity to prove it now exists, and that’s what I’m most excited about. “
When asked about leaving the company, he assisted in the construction. The former AEW EVP continues to say that he will remain silent about it. He dismissed the theories propagated since his departure and made it clear that it was time to move on. Rhodes added that this was a “personal matter” that both sides could not overcome. He praised Tony Khan, Kenny Omega and Young Box before emphasizing his position that he could not miss the opportunity to pursue his dream.
“I have chosen to remain silent about my departure from AEW and I am going to keep my word,” Rhodes said. “There are no shooting interviews. There is no such thing as a heinous story. These were all different theories and none of them is correct. I mean, there was something about money and creative control. These were printed as truth and it was very difficult for two months to see, when the reality was then. This is a personal matter and we cannot go beyond it.
“It simply came to our notice then [Jackson]Nick [Jackson] And Kenny [Omega]. I’m rooting for Tony Khan. His name will go down in history as someone who helped bankroll and supported this whole alternative and revolution that became AEW but for me, it was just time to move on. I get a chance in my dream, I get another chance in it. And you really can’t leave a stone unturned. “
Only time will tell what Rhodes’ future will be with WWE.
Related: WWE WrestleMania 38 Night 1 Results (4/2/22)
