10 Times AEW Were Moments From Disaster
8. Cody Rhodes Signs With WWE*
*TBC, based not just on All Elite Wrestling's recovery powers, but also how vindictive Triple H chooses to be when 'The American Nightmare' returns from injury.
These are the primary factors surrounding the still-fresh move from AEW to WWE by former Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes. Rhodes roared back into (what was then) the McMahon machine with an exceptional trilogy of matches against Seth Rollins, suffering an injury at arguably the best time on the company calendar that doubled the coolest possible write-out after Hell In A Cell.
Since then, Vince McMahon has resigned in disgrace, 'The Game' has been put in charge, and Cody's found himself heavy favourite to win the Royal Rumble and/or dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania if The Rock can't quite make the show. AEW, meanwhile, moved quickly on from the chaotic ills of the Codyverse, and almost nothing was impacted on screen.
Recent locker room drama has painted Rhodes as a prescient and shrewd operator, and as the figurehead that may have been holding more together than was apparent. How accurate that is remains up for speculation, but AEW not melting into a ball of wax in his absence offered some proof of concept that it could and can be fine without other former top-liners should they move on too.