WrestleMania 38 featured many jaw-dropping moments, from Stone Cold’s impromptu match to Logan Paul shocking the world with legitimate pro wrestling skills. But even with those two moments, folks are still talking about Cody Rhodes' return to the WWE. Despite rampant speculation regarding whether or not Rhodes would appear, it felt like something impossible to believe until his “American Nightmare” theme rang out through AT&T Stadium. And now that Rhodes is officially back with the company, he’s addressing the rumors regarding the reason he left AEW.
Cody Rhodes discussed a lot about his return in an interview with Variety and addressed some of the reports surrounding his relationship with Tony Khan and AEW. In short, Rhodes went to great lengths to clarify that a lot of what’s been said about the situation isn’t true. He also explained why he won’t be getting into specifics, too:
I chose to remain silent about my departure from AEW and I’m going to keep my word on that. There’s no shoot interview. There’s no nefarious tale that’s going to be told. There were all these different theories and none of them are correct. I mean, there were things about money and creative control. They were printed as fact and it’s been a very difficult two months to see that, when the reality is it was just time. It was a personal matter and we couldn’t move past it. I have nothing but respect for Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson] and Kenny [Omega]. I’m rooting for Tony Khan. His name is going to be in the history books as someone who helped to bankroll and support this entire alternative and revolution that AEW became but for me, it was just time to move on. I get an opportunity at my dream, I get another chance at it. And you really can’t leave any stone unturned with that.
The media personality's dream is ultimately to accomplish what his father, legendary wrestler Dusty Rhodes, never did. The older Rhodes came close to securing the then-named WWWF title back in 1977, but never managed to get the honor. In a similar matter, Cody never held the WWE Championship Title during his first run in the WWE and, in this new interview, it's stated that Rhodes wouldn’t mention that goal aloud during the chat, as not to jinx it.
We may never know the full story behind Cody Rhodes’ All Elite Wrestling departure but, based on what he has revealed, it seems like he’s very much on his own journey. Rhodes left the WWE after years as a mid-card performer and ultimately proved himself as a main event star in indie wrestling organizations and AEW. If his goal is to prove he can be a WWE Champion and create more major moments that his father couldn't, it tracks the only way to achieve that was with his return. We'll have to wait and see if he can pull it off but, with that killer match with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38, he's off to a good start.
Cody Rhodes had his WrestleMania moment, and now we’ll likely see what’s next for him on Monday Night Raw, which airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Check out the match, and some of Rhodes' previous work, with a Peacock premium subscription, and get ready for the next chapter of “The American Nightmare.”
