"I’m not burying where I formerly was" - WWE's Cody Rhodes concedes wrestlers have a bad habit

Cody Rhodes is approaching his ninth month as Undisputed WWE Champion and is riding high as one of the top babyfaces in the company. The son of Dusty Rhodes is quite familiar with the industry, having grown up in it. He has held many hats on-screen and behind the scenes. Cody recently opened up on bad wrestling habits and noted that he is not burying AEW.

The American Nightmare made his WWE debut in 2007 RAW and went on to have a decent run with the company before requesting his release in May 2016 amid creative frustration. Following his release, Rhodes made his name around the world in ROH, TNA Wrestling, and NJPW, among others. Tony Khan came calling in 2018, which led to Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega launching AEW in 2019. The former Intercontinental Champion shockingly left in February 2022 and returned to the World Wrestling Entertainment at WrestleMania 38.

Cody caused a stir when he made remarks about crossing over, gatekeeping, and the pro wrestling bubble while speaking to Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer on their 2 Bears,1 Cave podcast. The former AEW TNT Champion made it clear he was not burying his former employer.

"Wrestling has a bad habit, and this is in all companies everywhere, of not understanding [that] we’re in a bubble. There’s a whole outside world, there’s multiple mediums of entertainment... don’t be in a bubble. Don’t be afraid to do a little crossover thing. Yeah, pure hardcore wrestling fans, they may not love it, but there’s something on the show that’s for them already," Cody Rhodes said. [From 32:23 to 32:44]

The Undisputed WWE Champion continued:

"I'm not burying where I formerly was [AEW] but not understanding the power, the magnitude, again, of new eyeballs, and crossing over. But I also hate gatekeeping when it comes to what we do. That's one of the things I do really like about pro wrestling fans and sports entertainment, and I wish the locker rooms would feel this more. We welcome [new fans], so please, if you've never been before, [come to a show]." [From 32:45 to 33:11]

Rhodes is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a Ladder Match on February 1 at the Royal Rumble. Cody previously retained over KO at Bash In Berlin and Saturday Night's Main Event.

Cody Rhodes opens up on end of his AEW run

Cody Rhodes shocked the wrestling world when he left AEW in early 2022 to return to WWE. The former AEW EVP helped launch the company in 2019.

Rhodes recently dished on the end of his AEW run during an interview on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. He was asked about taking the "high road" by never disparaging Tony Khan's company.

"I don’t know if I consider it the high road. Maybe it is. How could I not, right? How [my run in] AEW ended was terrible, really. People are gonna write books later on, and these stories are gonna get out there, and then it’s gonna be a whole new ballgame. But the actual experience and everything we did… I could never," Cody Rhodes said.

Cody Rhodes continued with a very interesting comparison to The Dark Knight. The son of Dusty Rhodes left AEW as a three-time and inaugural TNT Champion.