The wrestling world was shocked on Tuesday morning when AEW announced that both Cody and Brandi Rhodes, who worked as EVP as well as talents, were departing the company. It’s been known for some weeks that Cody had been working for Tony Khan’s promotion without a contract, and while the specific reasons why hasn’t previously been revealed, TMZ has now reported that there was a fallout between the pair. Additional, according to Fightful Select, WWE was aware the announcement was coming, and Cody has already held discussions with the company.
While there had been speculation of Cody’s departure ever since his deal expired, few thought he would actually leave the company due to his corporate role. He was heavily featured on both the Go Big SHow and Rhodes To The Top, which are owned by WarnerMedia. Whether he will be in a position to continue on either of these shows post-AEW remains to be seen, however as Rhodes To The Top was a reality show covering AEW life, it seems unlikely.
Cody, along with Chris Jericho were the two wrestlers most influential on putting AEW on the map, and while Rhodes was one of the most popular wrestlers on the AEW roster, he has routinely been booed when appearing, despite being a babyface. Exactly why fans turned on him wasn’t totally clear, although taking absences to work on the aforementioned other projects was likely an issue. Of course, the logical solution would have been for him to turn heel and embrace the adverse reaction. Yet, Cody repeatedly stated he has no intention of ever doing that.
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