10 Wrestlers Who Found That AEW Wasn't The Promised Land
1. Cody Rhodes
Few men are as important to the story of All Elite Wrestling than Cody Rhodes.
It was he who answered Dave Meltzer's original tweet that led to All In, he who put on the company's first five star match against his brother Dustin, he who won the company's first midcard title, and he who many people latched onto as the face of the brand.
Which is why it is insane that, on 15 February 2022, it was reported that Cody and Brandi Rhodes had left AEW. Two months later, Cody re-debuted for WWE at WrestleMania 38.
Rhodes said on Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions that he left the company because he felt like he was becoming a "gatekeeper". Other reasons have been floated around including Cody falling out with The Young Bucks, feeling like a second fiddle to CM Punk, and WWE promising Cody great treatment if he signed with them.
However, the main thing to take away from all this is that, despite all the promise AEW first showed, it has not been the perfect place for everyone who walked through its doors, including someone who helped build those doors in the first place.