On Tuesday it was announced that Cody & Brandi Rhodes would be leaving AEW. Both joined the company when it formed in 2019 with Cody serving as one of four Executive Vice Presidents alongside Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson).
Cody's contract had expired at the end of 2021 and though he appeared on AEW television in 2022, he was working on a handshake deal as he negotiated a new contract with the company. The two sides were unable to reach a new deal, leading to Cody leaving.
Appearing on Wrestling Observer Radio, Kenny Omega weighed in on Cody's decision.
"Everyone was shocked. We all know when our deals our up, especially the EVPs, we know when our deals up. In the case of the Bucks, when their options kick in. For myself, I don't have a deal like that. I'm up next year, just straight up, done. I would have to re-sign a new [contract], there is no option," he said, providing an update on his own contract.
Omega continued, discussing Cody's decision and detailing why he believes Cody decided to leave.
"We knew Cody's, much like the Bucks, it was that time. We would hear that there was possibly some difficulty with the negotiation or whatever, but you never think it's going in that direction where the talent is going to opt for leaving, especially, when this thing first started, the most passionate person of our revolution, the most passionate person of creating the 'us vs. them' mentality was Cody. It was strange for him to just choose to up and walk away," he said. "However, that being said, feelings change, the environment around you is ever-changing and constantly changing. Maybe the mission statement, the goal, the revolution, whatever it is you're searching for and trying to create, maybe that isn't what it is anymore to you. Maybe it isn't your inspiration and what gets you out of bed every day. I would always encourage everyone, in wrestling and life, if your work isn't fulfilling and making you happy, you really should look for opportunities elsewhere, in a place where you can feel creatively free and a place where you feel your work is being appreciated and fulfilled. I'm guessing that, knowing Cody as well as I know him, I don't think it was an issue of money. I don't think it was Tony not shelling out enough cash to keep him invested with the company."
According to reports, Cody asked for more money than Tony Khan was willing to spend.
After saying he didn't believe money was an issue between Cody and AEW, he detailed why he felt Cody may have walked away as his vision was different from what Omega and the Jacksons had envisioned.
"Cody, he really believed in the original vision he brought to the table for AEW and the original vision that the team brought to the table when AEW was first becoming a promotion, we didn't know where this would go. We had been optimistic about it and thought he would be where we are today where we would be considered a major promotion and we would have our fanbase and have a lot of satisfied customers. I guess we never really sat down and talked to each other like, 'Okay, we have this opportunity to now change wrestling. How do you see it? How do we make this work?' Maybe, in the end, we had the Bucks and their vision, my vision, and Cody's vision. All of our visions are different. I would say mine was more similar to what the Bucks had envisioned and Cody's was much different. You're going to get that when finally, you've committed your life to an industry and a business and finally, someone goes, 'you've done this job, all your life, you've been raised in this business with these shackles on you, to a degree, by someone or something, now those are off. You have carte blanche. What do you want to do?' I understand there might be some heartbreak if you are promised that, or told that, and it doesn't come to fruition. Though my professional relationship with Cody was great, he's not a guy that I go and get a Diet Pepsi with on my off time. I don't know how he personally feels about anything. I can only guess as to why he would leave and I think that he saw it with his deal up, as an opportunity to investigate something within wrestling or life in general that would bring him more happiness," he said.
While Omega and the Young Bucks were aligned on television, Cody had been involved in his separate stories with many fans noting that the Codyverse had become it's own thing on TV. Omega acknowledged the Codyverse as he continued his answer.
"I don't want anyone doing what we do in wrestling being unhappy or miserable. That destroys you. It's a huge mental, emotional, and physical commitment that if you're miserable while doing it, it can only lead to bad things. We've seen it in wrestling where that can lead to terrible things, whether it be alcohol, pills, drugs. That run rampant in wrestling. I would hate for that to happen when we set out to do was something extremely positive for professional wrestling, or that was the goal anyway. That's sort of where the Bucks and I differed. We never want to go to war with Vince and WWE. We just wanted to give people an option and get us a platform for our brand of storytelling and our style of wrestling. When Cody had his way of going about things, I wasn't sure how to follow up with that, nor was I interested. There was Kenny doing his thing, the Bucks doing their thing, and the Codyverse over there, doing whatever it is that he does and then there's the stuff that Tony does. Eventually, as a lot of fans now know, essentially, it's Tony's show. Of course, he's always going to listen to our advice and take our suggestions to heart, but AEW is very much Tony's thing and baby. We're there to support it in any way that we can. It's very possible that this current version of AEW wasn't a good fit for Cody and to Cody," he said.
Tony Khan took more control over the booking at the end of 2019 and has the final word on stories.
"To me, he is one of the original four and there is always going to be a place for him. You saw it in his ladder match with Sammy. He's got incredible utility and he's able to help our younger talent. It's nothing from an in-ring perspective. There are no issues there. If I had a clear cut answer for you guys, I would love to tell you, but I don't know it and all I can say is, whatever he decides to do, I heard he's on a flight to Saudi Arabia, if that makes him happy, that makes him happy. Again, the Bucks and I, we weren't in this for the war. All the guys and gals in WWE doing their thing, always wishing for the best for those guys," said Omega.
It has not been confirmed that Rhodes will be part of WWE Elimination Chamber.
Tony Khan recently commented on Cody's departure, saying it wasn't something anyone wanted to happen. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
Elsewhere during the interview, Omega provided an update on his injuries. You can read his full comments by clicking here.
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