AEW has made a habit of taking shots at WWE over the course of its existence, and Jim Cornette recently pointed out that the promotion has referenced and name-dropped Cody Rhodes on multiple occasions.
Rhodes shockingly parted ways with AEW in early 2022 after weeks of speculation on whether he'd renew his contract or not. Since then, the second-generation star has headlined WWE WrestleMania and seems to be the promotion's biggest babyface.
During a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the veteran reviewed Arn Anderson's recent reference to the star and speculated they could be trying to entice him back through this.
“Well, maybe they’re trying to entice him back. Who else shows up also I think was a friend to Cody’s or was in Cody’s group – we don’t want to spoil the surprise,” Cornette speculated. [01:48 onward]
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It's highly unlikely that Cody Rhodes will be returning to AEW anytime soon, especially since he hasn't captured the world championship in WWE yet. The star seems to be very involved in the promotion and recently spoke about his contributions to WWE's recent Dusty Rhodes documentary.
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Jim Cornette was even less impressed with AEW's prior Cody Rhodes name-drop
A few weeks ago, Sting interrupted MJF during one of his promos after the world champion took another shot at Darby Allin. As the men shared a war of words, The Icon made a reference to Friedman's history with Cody Rhodes.
During an episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the veteran praised the segment but complained that it lost the plot after involving The American Nightmare.
"It didn't need to go that direction... completely lost the plot, lost the moment of MJF and Darby, and it's become Sting bringing up that Cody's gone as a way to make a mockery of MJF and take the heat off of him, he just built," Cornette said. [7:23 - 7:44]
Some fans have speculated that the interaction between MJF and Sting could ultimately lead to The Salt of the Earth retiring The Icon at All In or another event later this year. Only time will tell, but the encounter didn't come across as meaningless.
If you use the quotes from this article, please credit The Jim Cornette Experience and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.