He's going nowhere. It's fodder for his reality show.
Television Tho Prop Grops Throps
- Thread starter Big-Red
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His contract was up end of Dec, but he has signed new deals for his TV show and other work, so unless VINCE offers him a big cheque and title run, I doubt he will return, but never say never.
Rumble would have been logical return choice.
He's a vice president and co-founder of AEW, arguably the mastermind that got the wheels going, all the way back with All In.What?
As for whether its actually happening I'd be very surprised. I cannot see Cody maintaining a presence in the main event and 2nd belt in WWE so it would obviously be a step down into the shuffle. Then theres history which is overwhelmingly positive for him in AEW and negative for his family in WWE.
I don't think AEW needs him but neither does WWE
The Elite + Cody and arguably Hangman are the only ones you'd think would never leave AEW, since ya know, they made it.
Danielson leaving is a huge deal but not exactly shocking, he's always been open about wanting to wrestle everywhere. Punks come back wasn't exactly shocking either.
Cody of all people being the first big star to jump ship in the other direction, is a bigger deal and a but more shocking imo.
Don't think it's happening anyway. If it were, I don't think we'll have witnessed a burying quite like it before .
Looks like he’s gone. Rumours of discontent since Tony neutered the EVP role have been around for a while.
Looks like we can have WWE on TNT with their reality tv show and I’m not sure TNT would be unhappy with that
Looks like we can have WWE on TNT with their reality tv show and I’m not sure TNT would be unhappy with that
It's big, and will be good for WWE to get one over on AEW, but come on it's nowhere near the level of the 2 you mentioned - Bryan is a much bigger star than Cody, and Punk added a huge amount of legitimacy that very few others could.
I actually quite liked Cody, so it's disappointing he's leaving, and good luck to him if he's managed to milk WWE for a huge contract. Still, I have to question his thought process if he goes back there, given how he was treated and how unhappy he was there only a few years ago.
Of course. Cody created AEW with All in. He risked it all and Tony is taking all the credit.
Stardust returns baby.
It will be a big deal, more for WWE to pinch a big name from AEW rather than a loss for AEW, but will WWE make the most of it? There’s a good chance he will be in a midcard title match with Damian Priest that ends in a DQ after 3 mins within a few months of redebuting.
The Cody of 2017-early 2020 was one of the most over wrestlers in the entire world. He’s not been at level for a little while. He’s a far smaller loss for AEW now than he would have been a few years ago.
AEW should have pushed Cody to the moon from the start. He was the Cena of AEW.
He certainly was.
I‘d watch Cody vs. HHH. And I am not joking.
Is HHH even able to compete considering?
Anyone considered he's found another billionaires son and he's building that third company?
Back to NWA to complete the Aldis trilogy.
How much would people care? Who’s seeking out another alternate now?
I’ve been as puzzled by the use of Cody as much as the next person, but he was responsible for his stip for never challenging for the title again, the stupid neck tattoo, and all of his outside interests.
He’s taken himself from being at worst the 4th most important act in AEW at its launch (w/ Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Chris Jericho), and arguably being the most important for many, to being a guy who could arguably not even be one of the 10 most important for AEW over the next few three or so years. Punk, Danielson and Moxley are all bigger ex-WWE guys, Omega and the Young Bucks have been the far better, more reliable members of the Elite in AEW, and guys like Hangman, MJF and even Darby Allin are all going beyond him already. I’d advocate that others like Britt Baker and Jungle Boy would be bigger priorities to keep too.
Cody’s somehow become weirdly expendable and sat on the periphery of the company for a while. Weirdly he will leave never having main evented a single one of their bonafide PPVs. His ego deciding to leave AEW and possibly return to WWE would actually make complete sense of almost everything that has happened in the last few years.
No chance. HHH is still only doing minimal work in an office only.
He will never wrestle again, nor should he given his condition.
Source? That seems a stretch to me.
Cody, the Bucks and Ring of Honor. They used ROH's team for everything since they had nothing to work with at that point. Cody and the Bucks sold the tickets, but production side with ROH
The thing is, since Cody's tattoo and the pro-America promo vs. Ogogo the fans have pretty much forgot or dont care about what Cody (and the rest) did to create the company. If AEW's fans no longer care, nobody does certainly not the WWE ones.
I can’t see Cody returning to WWE
Mad to go back to WWE after helping to build AEW
Business wise, there’s not the demand to generate the starting momentum, organic genesis that AEW had. However, there is a big gap in the market IMHO but it’d take too long to even start reaching enough people to make it viable.
For me personally, and probably many lapsed fans who’ve long since checked out, the missing product style is an Attitude Era, gritty style with more of a focus on characters, storylines than in ring action. Certain products come close (Impact, NWA, MLW) but are missing the production values or some key elements that the casual fan misses.
Also, there’s lots of great free agents that don’t fit AEW and have left WWE - Kross, Strowman, EC3, Enzo, Scarlett etc.
It would have to really be a passion project rather than something aiming to make a profit in the short to medium term.
ESPN's Mike Coppinger reported that Rhodes informed Khan this morning he was leaving AEW, but Rhodes was not at the Atlantic City taping this past Wednesday and one source noted that his road case, containing his gear and other belongings for the road, had been cleaned out, which some saw as a sign that he was "as good as gone." Until that point, all expectations had been that Cody and Brandi would be remaining with the company and there had been plans for them to each be at upcoming Dynamite tapings, at least until this week.
There are some who believe this must mean Rhodes will be signing with WWE. WWE sources confirmed they have had "contact" with Rhodes dating back to his AEW deal expiring at the end of 2021. There is no official word that he has signed with the company but all signs are that its close. Should he choose to do so, he would be free and clear to appear on WWE TV immediately. Rhodes has a long relationship with John Laurinaitis, who first signed him to a WWE developmental deal back in 2006.
We are told that there was an excitement among some who work in WWE about the potential of Rhodes coming in as a talent while others noted that from a strategic standpoint, Rhodes would be the first AEW to WWE jump who would also have intimate knowledge of how the company ran and operated given his position as an EVP, which Rhodes took extremely seriously the last several years.
As of this afternoon, Rhodes was not on the company's internal talent roster but the signing from their perspective, makes sense and is unless there's another major shift in the trajectory of things, is expected to happen by several we spoke to today. One source even believed Rhodes could at the WWE Performance Center as early as this weekend in preparation for a return.
There are some who believe this must mean Rhodes will be signing with WWE. WWE sources confirmed they have had "contact" with Rhodes dating back to his AEW deal expiring at the end of 2021. There is no official word that he has signed with the company but all signs are that its close. Should he choose to do so, he would be free and clear to appear on WWE TV immediately. Rhodes has a long relationship with John Laurinaitis, who first signed him to a WWE developmental deal back in 2006.
We are told that there was an excitement among some who work in WWE about the potential of Rhodes coming in as a talent while others noted that from a strategic standpoint, Rhodes would be the first AEW to WWE jump who would also have intimate knowledge of how the company ran and operated given his position as an EVP, which Rhodes took extremely seriously the last several years.
As of this afternoon, Rhodes was not on the company's internal talent roster but the signing from their perspective, makes sense and is unless there's another major shift in the trajectory of things, is expected to happen by several we spoke to today. One source even believed Rhodes could at the WWE Performance Center as early as this weekend in preparation for a return.
But that holds more weight than Punk coming back after 8 years and two embarrassing UFC fights later?
People were loving Cody, begging him to go heel. His ladder match alone stole the show. Homelander and all that.
In a world where we pretend Keith Lee, Christian etc are major moves then Cody to WWE is huge.
People trying to make Tony front and centre of AEW and forgetting it’s roots isn’t on Cody
Have to wonder who Cody could work with in WWE that would be interesting to watch.
Feuds with Lashley, Edge, Rollins even Reigns could all be good don't you think?
Admittedly I have been tuning in and out the last 12-months so you may quite rightly think different.
Cody has become underrated, some of the hate over the last year or so has been bizarre really.
If he goes back to the WWE it’ll be a great opening moment and then he will quickly get lost in the shuffle just like 99% of the talent on that roster do IMO. One of the better overall workers around who actually has the full package.
If he goes back to the WWE it’ll be a great opening moment and then he will quickly get lost in the shuffle just like 99% of the talent on that roster do IMO. One of the better overall workers around who actually has the full package.
Come on mate you're being a bit silly. Nobody would argue that Cody to WWE isn't bigger than the likes of Christian or Keith Lee, but it isn't on the level of Punk or Danielson, who are two of the biggest and best around.
It's gonna be interesting to see how he does there though, and if he gets the top position he seems to want. Hopefully it works out and he doesn't end up in the same situation that caused him to leave and help start AEW.
Cody is an EVP, was more or less the promoter of All In that started it all. That ppv convinced Khan that another promotion was possible. That is huge compared to someone like Punk who disappeared for 8 years and , judging by his ratings, isn’t bringing in many new eyes anyway.
People are underwriting Cody here and it’s strange. Cody to WWE is a huge shift and could signal discontent behind the scenes. We have Jericho teasing a WWE return today and stars like Moxley have 3 months left in their contract themselves with no updates of an extension.
Knowing Vince, Edge, Orton will deffiently be on the cards, because he can't create anything new or interesting.
If Cody comes back and isn't given a title run, you have to wonder what is the point.
Reigns is locked as champion for at least another 15 months until he beats the Rock, so that limits the opportunities.
I can't see Cody beating Lashley.
Maybe Cody v Rollins would be interesting Title Feud and it's fresh.
Jericho had his contract option extended by Khan.
However, a number of top AEW wrestlers contracts expire in 2022.
Tony Khan does have an option of 1 year extensions on some of them.
Interestingly, it's believed Khan had a 2 year option on Cody and chose not to take it up.
Nobody denies the impact Cody had in starting AEW, but that was 3 years ago, and his star isn't currently shining as brightly as it was back then. In comparison Bryan was in the main event at Wrestlemania months before he moved to AEW, so it's a real stretch to claim Cody is the bigger move.
As for the impact, I think you're exaggerating heavily, but time will tell.
Jericho I can see going back for the payday, Moxley is a lot more difficult to envisage as he left WWE for a reason, but it's possible he could do what it seems Cody has and go for the big money.
I think you are giving Cody a tad too much credit. All In and AEW was really a response to the impact that Bullet Club had in stimulating wrestling interest outside of WWE again. Cody was an important part of that, but the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega were arguably even more important.
Cody’s a great worker and I was a massive fan of his when AEW started, but he’s culpable as much as anyone for why I am greeting his departure from AEW with both intrigue at what’s next, yet a mere shrug for what it means for AEW. Two years of half-baked programmes, reality show tie-ins, celeb angles and an awful tattoo has taken its toll.
I’m sure Cody can go to WWE and be a world champion there if that is what motivating him, but frankly who cares? You can be a midcard guy and wear the world titles in WWE. Punk had a record breaking run in the midcard whilst Cena hogged the spotlight in crap feuds, and AJ Styles did more recently when even Dolph Ziggler was main eventing over him with the IC title. I don’t see Cody being a bonafide main eventer there on Reigns’ or Lesnar’s level.
Jericho is another guy who largely served his purpose and no longer makes sense to have as potentially the highest paid guy in the company. I could well see him leaving if WWE is willing to pay him silly money to get another one over on AEW.
You're concentrating on the here and now too much. No ones arguing Danielson/punk aren't bigger stars than Cody, but that's completely irrelevant.
Any one of the EVPs jumping ship at this stage is a huge deal. Doesn't matter who, arguably the fact that it's Cody is irrelevant. This isn't Cody's company like wcw was to Bischoff for example. No, it's much more, Cody literally created the company that's been a success, that's been winning the last year or so, and is about to leave for the competition. It's certainly bigger than Danielson going to AEW or punk returning to wrestling, and they were both huge deals in their own right.
If you were to say literally only 24 hours ago, who you think will be the first AEW top star to jump ship, the EVPs would be at the very bottom of the list, despite the contract situation. They're the ones you'd think theoretically are locked in and that's it.[/QUOTE]
The bucks and Omega were more important perhaps in marketing all in and AEW. But it's no secret he was the brains behind it all, that one got the wheels going. He deserves that credit.
As a matter of fact I don't even think Omega had too much to do with All In behind the scenes if memory serves. It was Cody and the Bucks.
For All In? Sure. For AEW? Not a chance. It’s Tony Khan’s company and investment, and he’s taken ever greater control since the early days. I saw someone asking earlier about who was buying Cody’s share of AEW. What share? He’s an employee of AEW who made zero investment in the company.
You are correct about Omega and All In. Omega was contracted to NJPW and was their champion at the time.
I'd say the here and now matters far more than what's in the past - very few wrestlers can continue to dine out on past glories (Goldberg aside).
It's surprising, even more so given that Cody left to help set up AEW because he felt misused for years by WWE, but it makes sense - by the sounds of things he wanted to be paid as the top guy, when he isn't the top guy, whereas WWE will happily throw money at him to put a stop to the "all the talent is going from WWE to AEW" narrative.
Anyway we'll have to disagree about the scale of this, for me it's big, but Cody jumping over for a payday isn't on the level of Bryan (who left a cushy top spot in WWE that Cody is going there to get) or Punk who came out of retirement to join AEW.
Wrestlemania 2 years time ... Ambrose v Reigns
See now this could actually happen, and could be huge, but knowing WWE there's an equal chance they stick him in a random gas mask again instead.