Yesterday, Cody Rhodes had announced that he and his wife, Brandi Rhodes have officially decided to part ways with AEW. The former three-time TNT Champion has reportedly been working as a free agent since last year’s fall. The two parties have talked about a deal renewal but they have not been able to come to terms on a new contract.
Due to this, Cody Rhodes’ time with AEW has come to an end. As one of the founding members of the company found his way to the exit, rumors subsequently went rife about a potential WWE return.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the young Rhodes was part of a lot of chatters, backstage at Monday Night Raw in regards to a return to WWE. Although, he is a founding member of AEW, and served as an Executive Vice President of the company when he was under contract, WWE is keen on taking him back under their banner.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer’s “We’re Live, Pal”, Andrew Zarian also talked about the Cody Rhodes’ situation as he mentioned that many in WWE are waving their flag in victory,
“There’s no contract signed, I know that. There’s nothing signed as of 3pm ET on Tuesday. But it looks like he may be heading over there, because the WWE guys were… they were waving their WWE flag in victory with this. I was very shocked at the reaction this was getting from that side.”
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Reason behind Cody Rhodes making AEW exit
Cody Rhodes wanted a big-money deal, but several within the company didn’t think that a new deal was possible, according to Fightful Select. It was noted that both he and Brandi have not been quite as connected to the AEW locker room in recent times in comparison to the time when AEW was first launched. Cody may have also distanced himself from other Executive Vice Presidents, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.
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Ariel Helwani has also reported that Cody Rhodes and WWE are in talks about a return. WWE officials were aware of the situation beforehand it was officially announced by both parties, according to the Fightful report. It was noted that how WWE at least had discussions with the potential returnee considering that the AEW departure was evident.
Wade Keller of PWTorch added that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is planning to give Cody Rhodes “a major match at WrestleMania” if he returns. However, nothing exact was revealed about this match.