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AEW has had major success with multiple wrestlers who made their names in WWE, such as inaugural World Champion and reigning ROH World Champion Chris Jericho and current undefeated TBS Champion Mercedes Moné. However, Jim Cornette is now accusing Tony Khan of miscasting one of the biggest names in the industry.
Cody Rhodes left WWE out of frustration in mid-2016, then set out to make his own name around the world. Khan recruited Cody and The Elite to serve as his EVPs for the launch of All Elite Wrestling in 2019. Rhodes then shocked the world when he left AEW in 2022 and then returned to World Wrestling Entertainment at WrestleMania 38. The current Undisputed Champion has been pushed to the top ever since.
Cornette believes Tony Khan suffered a big loss when Cody left his company. On the latest episode of Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru, the NWA Hall of Famer was asked if Rhodes' re-signing with AEW would have made a major difference in where All Elite business is today. The veteran accused Khan and his team of miscasting the son of Dusty Rhodes.
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"Would they still be kind of doing what they're doing instead of down to where they are now, basically? That... [sigh] it's hard to say because Cody, as we've come to realize in retrospect, we believe, was miscast. It was not a good fit. He was in the wrestling business when everybody else was in the friend business, if you want to put it that way. You can tell by what we've heard. Everybody has said, 'Oh, Cody was the one checking production, Cody was the one talking to the TV truck, [checking] camera angles, [discussing] if we walk through this entrance...,'" Jim Cornette said. [From 00:53 to 1:30]
Jim Cornette continued:
"Cody had been to the big show and we're not talking about Paul Wight there. He knew how things were done on a major league level. Like Dusty, he had that creative bug, he had that bug for wanting to do more than just be one of the boys, whether it be the World Champion or behind-the-scenes producer, or whatever. He didn't fit on air because it was... you know, for all the reasons we've talked about. So, he wasn't drawing them a ton of money, but I think you can say his influence behind the scenes would've been more important." [From 01:31 to 02:14]
Cody's last AEW match came at the Beach Break Dynamite on January 26, 2022. He dropped the TNT Championship to interim champion Sammy Guevara in a unification Ladder Match, ending his third reign at 32 days.
Six big title matches set for AEW Dynasty
All Elite Wrestling will return to Liacouras Center in Philadelphia next Sunday for its second annual Dynasty pay-per-view. Below is the updated lineup:
- Title vs. Mask: ROH World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Bandido
- Women's World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Megan Bayne
- World Trios Championship: The Death Riders (c) vs. Rated FTR
- TNT Championship: Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Adam Cole (No time limit, no outside interference allowed)
- International Championship Triple Threat: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Mike Bailey vs. Ricochet
- World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
Dynasty 2025 will be AEW's first pay-per-view in Pennsylvania. The inaugural Dynasty event in 2024 was All Elite Wrestling's first PPV in Missouri, headlined by Swerve Strickland dethroning then-champion Samoa Joe.
