5 reasons why Cody Rhodes may eventually return to AEW

#4. Cody Rhodes is not the type of wrestler WWE features on the frontline

Amidst swirling rumors of Cody Rhodes' imminent return to WWE, it's easy to get lost in speculation and overlook important things. Things like the WWE Chairman's own preferences when signing and pushing talent.

Vince McMahon has made it abundantly clear what kind of wrestler he wants to represent his company. In pro wrestling, as in pop culture, everything old is often new again. AEW fans want to see traditional, sensible booking. Cody Rhodes revels in the nostalgia of the territory days. And Vince McMahon gives priority to tall, muscular men with old-school charisma.

This is made even more apparent by the fact that most of the frontline performers fall into this archetype, such as Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and Drew McIntyre.

On the flipside, AEW seems intent on pushing variety as its primary focus. Dynamite's main events feature high fliers like Dante Martin, technical grapplers like Bryan Danielson, scruffy brawlers like Jon Moxley, and powerhouses like Wardlow.

Cody thrived with this open-ended style in AEW. In fact, his first two TNT title reigns ended at the hands of the 275-pound monster Brodie Lee and the 180-pound lunatic Darby Allin. In the end, that variety may be good enough to attract the American Nightmare back to the All Elite scene.

#3. AEW has been Cody Rhode's most succesful venture yet

In a career that has spanned more than a decade, Cody Rhodes has undoubtedly had the most success in AEW. His work during the initial months of AEW's inception firmly established him as one of the hottest babyfaces in the industry.

Additionally, his position as Executive Vice President led to him having a hand in the bookings, which went well for the most part. However, this becomes a point of contention as recent reports indicate that a gradual loss in that booking power contributed to his departure.

It was unfortunate that Cody could not seem to evolve as the company did. His babyface role, while hotter than fire in 2019, gradually grew stale. Instead of reinvigorating himself, Cody seemed to double down, consistently coming back for the TNT title and playing the part of the territory-era babyface even when it wasn't needed.

Most fans point to a heel turn as a necessary evolution of his character, but Cody was either unable to make the transition or simply refused to. In trying to make sense of his character, fans picked it apart, but this only further soured the crowds when none of their expectations paid off.

Nevertheless, the success Cody Rhodes found in AEW outshines all his accomplishments in the past. If the rumored WWE comeback does not work out, this might eventually make the American Nightmare turn back to AEW again.