10 Exact Moments When Ex-WWE Wrestlers Knew They'd Made The Right Decision
4. Cody Rhodes
Why He Left WWE: It's almost tragic to think that WWE's ceiling for Cody Rhodes was the outlandish Stardust character. Playing that drove Cody daft, so much so that he volunteered to tear up his contract in 2016 when there wasn't even a viable, full-time competitor to work for.
That's how unhappy Rhodes was under those face paints, but leaving was a huge risk.
The Moment: Backing himself proved wise. Cody cut a much cheerier figure when working for everyone from EVOLVE and WCPW to PWG and ROH. Still, there always seemed to be a glint in Rhodes' eye - he wanted to bite back at his old employer and create a fresh landscape.
Enter AEW. Or, first, enter All In. Rhodes, The Young Bucks and pals shifted over 11,000 tickets for that first attempt, and that opened everyone's eyes to what was achievable without McMahon. Standing opposite Nick Aldis, Cody looked every bit the star he was arguably never going to be in WWE.
Confidence was written all over his face.