Cody Rhodes is a big star in WWE, although he gained the greatest fame by competing in AEW. MJF talked about Rhodes leaving AEW and the comments that followed. “The American Roller Coaster did what he had to do. He’s a businessperson, just like MJF… I cannot speak on Cody Rhodes’ behalf, but I will say this.
A lot of people are very into tribalism these days in the world of professional wrestling. And it’s cute. I dig it. It’s the same as having a favorite MMA star or a favorite football team, or a favorite baseball team.
“But if you look historically at our industry — I’ll give you a prime example. Terry Funk. Massive, major star in professional wrestling. Did Terry Funk only wrestle for one company in the entirety of his career? No.
He was travelling. He travelled. He would go to a territory, he would pop the territory huge. And when he felt it was time to hang his hat there, he would go onto the next one. And he did that multiple times in his career. And he wrestled for pretty much every premiere wrestling promotion in the world.
Because Terry Funk, like me, was a massive draw. So I do not blame Cody Rhodes for his decision. Cody Rhodes did what was best for Cody Rhodes. And MJF always does what’s best for MJF. So kudos to him”. - he said in a conversation with The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, as quoted by pwmania.com
Cody Rhodes
It also meant a place for someone else.
This is how the place for new talents opens up. “I think, honestly favorably — not favorably in the sense that ‘Yay, Cody’s gone.’ But favorably in the sense that we’re all profesional wrestlers.
And what happens when somebody leaves is, it opens room for opportunity for another person to step up to the plate. And you know, that’s wrestling. Wrestling is cyclical, it’s like a wheel. And as somebody who has the highest wrestling IQ in the history of the business, I can tell you when big names leave, big names step up.
That’s just how this business works, and that’s a fact. “So I again, I think people who were friends with Cody were sad to see him go on a personal level, but this is a very competitive sport. People want that spotlight. And people stepped up to the plate”.