Cody Rhodes says Brandi Rhodes was treated unfairly after they left AEW

WWE's Cody Rhodes is seen as a founding father of AEW alongside Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Tony Khan. Unfortunately, his wife Brandi Rhodes often gets left out of the conversation, even though she was there from the start and was heavily involved in the company's creation.

Brandi Rhodes was AEW's Chief Branding Officer and an in-ring talent. Her creative endeavors as a solo talent, alongside the ill-fated Nightmare Collective, didn't go so well. Still, she was often seen supporting Cody Rhodes and even got involved in several of his matches and storylines.

Due to her poorly received TV segments, many AEW fans didn't treat her kindly. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Cody Rhodes expressed his resentment over Brandi being "scapegoated." The American Nightmare pointed out how much Brandi had given to AEW and the wrestling industry:

"That woman [Brandi Rhodes] got hugely scapegoated and hugely, just misinformation, and everyone knows who they are that was involved, and if ever there was a moment for her to feel like a princess and feel like somebody who did a lot more for wrestling, there's so many people working for AEW, she was the one who said their name and wanted to keep them in the fold when something went wrong."

Cody further expressed his anger over how she was treated following her departure from All Elite Wrestling alongside her husband:

"How she was treated after the departure, and this was not by any company, just in general, it p***es me off to this day, and she had a great experience last WrestleMania, and I look forward to that because I couldn't do this without her." [H/T:WrestleTalk]

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Cody Rhodes does not share CM Punk's assessment of Tony Khan and AEW

Earlier this week, CM Punk sat down with Ariel Helwani and dished out some harsh criticism of AEW, its style, and its business structure. The Second City Saint claimed he had been unhappy long before he was released from promotion in September last year.

When Cody Rhodes occupied the same seat on The MMA Hour today, he was asked about Punk's comments. Cody made it clear that he did not share Punk's assessment and reiterated that without Tony Khan, Brandi, Kenny, and The Young Bucks, All Elite Wrestling would not have existed.

The American Nightmare further cemented that he was proud of what he and the other AEW founders had done in the wrestling industry:

"I am so proud of what was created. I am so proud of what it does to the industry overall. I have an unbelievable love in that locker room."

Cody Rhodes departed AEW alongside Brandi Rhodes in February 2022 and returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38. He'll step onto The Grandest Stage of Them All once again this Saturday and Sunday to battle The Bloodline.