Cody Rhodes reportedly working for AEW without a contract
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CategoriesAEW News NEWS TICKER
By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Cody Rhodes is reportedly a free agent. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com reports that Rhodes is working without an AEW contract after his deal expired at the end of 2021. Rhodes holds the TNT Championship and is scheduled to appear at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
Powell’s POV: This is an odd story. AEW had a clause in the contracts of fellow executive vice presidents Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson that gave the company the right extend their deals by two years, which the company ended up doing. So did Rhodes have a different arrangement? If not, did Tony Khan opt against exercising the same renewal clause for some reason? Either way, it’s hard to imagine Rhodes actually leaving the company given his EVP title, his wife’s role in the company, and because they co-star in a WarnerMedia reality show. I wonder if this will somehow become storyline fodder.
Cody Rhodes To Return On Dynamite
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It has been announced that Cody Rhodes will make his return to AEW Dynamite on January 19th.
On a special Christmas Night edition of AEW Rampage, Cody Rhodes overcame Sammy Guevara to become a three-time TNT Champion.
Unsurprisingly, a rematch was quickly scheduled for the Battle of the Belts special on January 8th, but just 24-hours before showtime, Rhodes was pulled from the match. No specific reason for the move was given, merely that Rhodes wasn’t medically cleared to compete.
Rhodes himself, later explained that he had to miss the show as he and his wife Brandi were isolating with a family member who had tested positive for COVID-19. However, it has been confirmed that Rhodes’ absence will not be a long one, as he returns to Dynamite on January 19th.
With Rhodes out of the match at Battle of the Belts, Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara met for the Interim TNT Championship, a title which Guevara won. The Spanish God went on to defend the belt on the January 12th edition of Dynamite against Daniel Garcia.
The most recent episode of Dynamite also saw the debut of former Ring of Honor star Brody King. With Malakai Black getting a beatdown at the hands of the Varsity Blondes and Penta, the lights went out, coming back on to reveal King stood front and centre. The Kings of the Black Throne then proceeded to lay waste to everyone in their path.
Elsewhere, Lance Archer returned to Dynamite for the first time since October, attacking AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page. AEW’s resident cowboy had been in a war of words with Dan Lambert when Archer made his presence felt, laying out the champion with the Blackout through a chair.
You can find the full card for the January 19th episode of Dynamite below.
DDP Believes Cody Rhodes Would Be “Monster Money” In WWE
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WWE Hall Of Famer DDP thinks three-time TNT Champion Cody Rhodes could make a fortune for himself and WWE if he ever returned to the company.
Cody Rhodes turned heads when he walked away from WWE in May 2016 with the wrestling landscape very different from how it looks today. Rhodes then spent time in IMPACT Wrestling before capturing the ROH World Championship and joining the NJPW group Bullet Club.
It was as part of Bullet Club that Rhodes formed the foundation of what was to become AEW with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Adam Page. The Bucks and Rhodes put their money where their mouth was in 2018 when they put on the All In show where they showcased the best of several company’s talents along with the best indy stars.
In 2019 AEW was born and since then Cody Rhodes has been a figurehead of the company behind the scenes and on-screen, with fans starting to resent him for the latter. However, despite his less than positive reactions in recent months, former WCW Champion DDP thinks the star could do major business for WWE if he ever returned.
Speaking on The Bro Show, Diamond Dallas Page named two pillars of AEW that he thinks could be a great success in WWE and would be his top picks to join the sports entertainment behemoth, as well as Rhodes, if he was a talent scout for the company:
“My top pick, no matter what, is MJF, because he’s been my boy all the way through, I just watched that promo again with him and [CM] Punk, the 19-minute promo, on both sides – Punk and him, it was money. MJF is one of the only true heels in the business.” “My number two pick would be Britt Baker because that girl is over. And she works her ass off, and when she did the whole bloodbath deal, she took it to a different level. The [third] guy I bring in is Cody Rhodes, who can talk as good or better than anybody in the business and I think he would be monster money there now. He proved what he had to prove. He did it in a big way, and it would be brilliant of them to sign MJF, Britt [Baker], and him.”
MJF has frequently commented on a potential bidding war come 2024 when his AEW contract expires. The three-time Dynamite Diamond ring winner has made no secret of his desire to sign with whoever wants to make him the biggest offer whether that means staying with AEW or defecting to WWE.
h/t Sportskeeda
Wardlow Wonders If “Jealousy” Is Responsible For Cody Rhodes’ Heat
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Rising AEW star Wardlow recently sat down with PWInsider to talk about his growth in AEW. Wardlow credits his stablemates Shawn Spears and FTR, as well as some of the producers backstage, as people that have guided him on his journey with All Elite Wrestling. Wardlow also had praise for Cody Rhodes and the advice he provides when more personal, real-life situations occur.
“Shawn Spears, Cash and Dax, FTR, those guys have given me an incredible amount of advice and pointers and what to dos and don’t dos,” Wardlow explained. “So I’m very appreciative of those guys in the Pinnacle. As far as the true vets, I’ve had some good conversations with Arn Anderson, Jerry Lynn — very helpful. Jerry Lynn helps so many people backstage. He’s an absolute angel. And I think my biggest go-to is Billy Gun. He has really taken me under his giant wing and given me a lot of direction.
“Every week, he has something for me to work on, and I’m very, very thankful for Billy Gun. And then when it comes to like real, real stuff, my go-to person is always Cody. I read somewhere that he was unapproachable and that is so far from the truth. He is the most approachable person there is backstage. And I can go to him for anything, any advice, any questions, concerns.”
Furthering his statement, Wardlow added that during his time knowing Cody, he’s only been gracious and helpful. He’s confused why part of the wrestling community dislikes Cody Rhodes, and questions if it’s jealousy-based.
“Yeah, it’s wild, man. I’ve been affiliated for two and a half years, almost three years now. And I have never had anything but a pleasurable experience with Cody,” Wardlow said. “I mean, he’s literally the biggest reason I am talking to you today and that I’m in AEW. I have him to thank, extremely. But yeah, man, I don’t know where all that talk comes from. I don’t know if it’s jealousy, people just hating on him, but I’ve never seen him treat anybody badly and I’ve never had a bad experience with him.”
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Cody Rhodes Returns, Britt Baker and Adam Cole Mixed Tag and More Announced For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite
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AEW has announced several matchups for next week’s edition of Dynamite on TBS, which includes the return of TNT champion Cody Rhodes and a mixed tag team match featuring Adam Cole and AEW women’s champion Britt Baker. Check it out below.
-CM Punk versus Shawn Spears
-Adam Cole/Britt Baker versus Orange Cassidy/Kris Statlander
-Serena Deeb versus Skye Blue
-Sting/Darby Allin versus The Acclaimed
-FTR versus Lee Johnson/Brock Anderson
-Cody Rhodes returns