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Former AEW EVP Cody Rhodes shocked the wrestling world this past weekend when he appeared on WrestleMania Saturday as Seth Rollins' mystery opponent, officially returning to WWE after six years away.
Rhodes would go on to defeat The Visionary in a show-stealing bout. He went on to open the next night's RAW, and judging by his promo, The American Nightmare has his sights set on winning a world title in WWE.
In a backstage promo immediately after his return match, WWE cameras caught up with the second-generation wrestler and he had this to say:
"For the entire career of 16 years, I've run away from the spectre of Dusty Rhodes, the shadow of him is so big and so great. I finally felt like I don't have to do it anymore. Maybe I can do it for me, and that will be doing it for him. I got a chance to go out there and do it in Texas. The last WrestleMania here, I was Stardust, and to come back and be me, the ultimate vindication and I'm very happy. They say, "Welcome home!" I say, "I'm ready to play the game!"
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When news broke in early February that Cody Rhodes would not be re-signing with AEW, it came as a surprise to many given his status as one of the founders of the company.
While he achieved a number of accomplishments during his time with Tony Khan's promotion, such as becoming a three-time TNT Champion, there were a number of accolades he had yet to attain before his departure.
In this list, we'll explore five things Cody Rhodes never accomplished in AEW:
#5. Cody Rhodes never partnered with wife Brandi in a mixed tag match in AEW
It's somewhat surprising to hear, but Cody Rhodes has never teamed up with his wife Brandi for an official match at All Elite Wrestling. The former Chief Brand Officer usually accompanied her husband to the ring as a valet but rarely wrestled for the company despite being a frequent on-screen character.
The closest the couple ever came to teaming up was during a rivalry with Jade Cargill and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal back in early 2021. The two teams were set for a mixed tag match on Dynamite, but Brandi would later announce that she was pregnant.
With Brandi Rhodes pregnant, Red Velvet replaced her in the match, which was won by Shaq and Cargill.
#4. Cody Rhodes never had an on-screen rivalry with his fellow EVPs
It's been well-documented that the EVPs of All Elite Wrestling appear to have had a falling out. Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson apparently had a different vision of what they wanted the company to be compared to Rhodes, and this might have contributed to his eventual departure.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on BT Sport, Rhodes expressed his admiration for Omega and The Young Bucks, stating:
"I had a wonderful experience there but I feel the experience had maxed out. You never want to get into a situation where the love goes away. I know Matt, Nick, and Kenny, I don't know if they sit in circles and hate on me or talk poorly about me, I hope they wouldn't. But if they don't know, I try to tell them on a regular basis, absolutely love those guys." (02:20)
It certainly would have made for compelling television if the EVPs had parlayed their supposed rift into an actual storyline on television. This blurring of reality would be captivating for fans who take an interest in the behind-the-scenes drama of wrestling.
While The Elite have teamed up together before, they have never had a chance to feud on-screen with each other in All Elite Wrestling.
#3. Cody Rhodes never won the AEW Tag Team Championship
Cody Rhodes was a multiple-time tag team champion during his previous run in WWE, winning titles with a number of different partners such as Hardcore Holly, Ted DiBiase Jr. to Drew McIntyre. But The American Nightmare viewed himself as more of a singles star in All Elite Wrestling.
He was the inaugural TNT champion and even contended for the AEW Championship but never went after the tag titles. Cody could have had his pick of potential partners if he had chased after that accolade.
A natural choice (no pun intended) would have been his real-life brother Dustin Rhodes. Many forgot that he was MJF's mentor when the promotion first started, so that would have been a natural pairing too.
A tag team between Cody and QT Marshall might not have set the world alight, but it would make sense given how close they are as friends. But as it stands, this accomplishment has eluded Cody.
#2. Cody Rhodes never won the AEW World Championship
Cody Rhodes challenged Chris Jericho for the AEW Championship early on in the company's existence back in 2019. He set a stipulation for himself whereby if he lost, Cody would never again challenge for the promotion's top prize. With The American Nightmare's departure, he has stuck to that promise.
Dave Meltzer revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter shortly after Full Gear 2019 that Cody was adamant about seeing this stipulation through:
"As far as the stips go, Cody had said that if he didn’t win the title, he would never challenge for it again. Those in the company are insistent that is exactly what will happen, and that this is step one in trying to teach people stipulations matter," said Meltzer.
It seems like this is something Cody hopes to rectify in WWE, setting his sights on becoming a world champion in Vince McMahon's promotion instead.
#1. Cody Rhodes never turned heel in AEW
Towards the end of Cody Rhodes' run at All Elite Wrestling, fans started turning their backs on the EVP. Cody had been a super babyface throughout his AEW career and seemed intent on remaining so for the rest of his career.
Speaking on Bleacher Report AMA, Cody explained that he doesn't want to make decisions that could have a negative impact on AEW's younger fanbase:
“I’m of the belief that if you pay your money you can cheer, boo, etc. To go from a warm reception to an adversarial reception… I’ll retire before I become a heel. I’m not going to make decisions that are bad for our youth to see. That’s the challenge, how do I maintain where I’m at when the crowd wants to get a different flavour,” said Cody Rhodes.
Despite many fans wanting to see him embrace his dark side, the former TNT Champion made it clear he wasn't keen to explore it. Judging by his WrestleMania reception and promo on Raw, Cody will remain a babyface for his current run in WWE as well.
