Cody Rhodes Weighs In on Unheard Details From His Infamous AEW Departure in 2022

In a recent podcast with Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes revisited his inability to reveal the whole truth about his departure from AEW three years ago.

Cody Rhodes Weighs In on Unheard Details From His Infamous AEW Departure in 2022

Cody Rhodes as TNT Champion in AEW alongside Arn Anderson (via WrestleZone and AEW)

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Cody Rhodes is undoubtedly the biggest babyface in WWE today. Often called the “quarterback” of the company, he has carried that role ever since his 2022 return at WrestleMania 38, where he battled Seth Rollins in an instant classic. Since then, ‘The American Nightmare’ has stood across the ring from the biggest names in the industry, including Roman Reigns and CM Punk, while also being a central figure in John Cena’s farewell tour. 

But his path to superstardom didn’t begin in WWE’s main event scene. Just a few years earlier, Rhodes was helping to reshape the wrestling landscape as one of the driving forces behind AEW’s creation. Alongside The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Rhodes helped launch the company in 2019 as a true alternative to WWE’s decades of dominance. 

With ‘The American Nightmare’ serving as an Executive Vice President and his wife Brandi as Chief Brand Officer, the couple played pivotal roles in building AEW from the ground up. Despite being such an integral part of the promotion, Rhodes eventually made the surprising decision to leave in 2022. For years, he has remained tight-lipped about the finer details, but on his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast with Becky Lynch, he finally formulated a way he could reveal what happened three years ago.

I, uh, would love to… I’d love to write a book, but an entire huge chapter is locked behind a wall, and everything I say these days when it comes to that is somehow, I’m rewriting history, I’m remembering it wrong, even though the receipts are literally on social media.

Cody Rhodes via What Do You Want To Talk About podcast

Rhodes then weighed upon the frustration of not being able to tell this story from his end, owing to a potential non-disclosure agreement between the two parties. However, he hoped for his role to be illuminated in AEW’s upcoming book titled This Book Is All Elite: The Inside Story of All Elite Wrestling, which is set to come out later this year in November.

Stop! But every time I say anything, it’s the wrong thing to say. And it hurts, it like hurts my heart, because I’d love to tell the story, I just have to wait for somebody else to tell the story, and hopefully they include me in it. But, you know, it’s a very odd situation. But I would love to write a book.

Cody Rhodes via What Do You Want To Talk About podcast

That wasn’t the first time Rhodes had addressed the subject. In a previous discussion with Bill Simmons, he admitted that his departure largely came down to frustration. Despite all the energy and passion he had invested into AEW, he felt that his contributions weren’t being valued the way they should have been.

Through it all, Brandi was the one who gave him the confidence to walk away. While Rhodes struggled with the weight of leaving behind something he had poured so much of himself into, Brandi encouraged him to trust his instincts and believe that moving on was the right choice. That leap of faith brought Rhodes back to WWE, and it changed the course of his career forever. 

From finally conquering Reigns’ legendary 1,316-day reign at WrestleMania 40 to raising the WWE Championship and later taking the torch from Cena at SummerSlam, Rhodes has become the very figure WWE has built its present and future around.

Cody Rhodes set for a huge WWE title defence at Wrestlepalooza 

Cody Rhodes may be stepping into Hollywood, but his story is far from slowing down. The reigning WWE Champion is currently filming for his role as Guile in the live-action reboot of the Street Fighter franchise. His temporary absence from the ring was written into SmackDown, where Drew McIntyre brutally ambushed him with a Claymore through the commentary table, giving Rhodes a storyline reason to take time off for shooting. 

Soon after, a first-look image of Rhodes sporting Guile’s trademark hairstyle went viral across social media, creating a buzz beyond wrestling circles. While Rhodes is busy on set, WWE already has major plans for him when he returns. It is now official that the company will go head-to-head with AEW this September by stacking its next big Premium Live Event with marquee matches.

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre (via WWE)

With AEW All Out set for September 20 in Toronto, WWE is set to counter-program on the same date with a show out of Indianapolis, branded WrestlePalooza. The name pays homage to the old ECW pay-per-view, and it would also mark the first WWE PLE airing under the company’s $1.6 billion streaming deal with ESPN. 

Backstage reports from PWInsider suggest that Rhodes will defend his WWE Championship against McIntyre at WrestlePalooza, a match that could be one of his toughest challenges since winning the title at SummerSlam. But the card doesn’t stop there. WrestleVotes has also reported that the company is working on a blockbuster clash between Brock Lesnar and John Cena for the event, with plans for it to headline the show.

If finalized, it would be a historic showdown and one of the final marquee matches of Cena’s career as he continues his retirement tour. The timing is no accident. WWE intends to pull attention away from AEW by stacking WrestlePalooza with star power and dream matches. The event will also mark a transition period for WWE’s PLE schedule, as Clash in Paris later this year is set to be the final Premium Live Event aired on Peacock before the ESPN partnership takes over.

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