10 WWE Pushes That Were Blatant Apologies

After pleading to return as his Cody Rhodes self towards the backend of his initial run in the Sports Entertainment sphere, and ultimately being forced to continue on in the suit and face paint, The American Nightmare eventually opted to bet on himself and give the independent scene a try.

He didn't do too badly in the years that followed, lighting up various promotions all over the world en-route to helping bring the All Elite competition into being.

So, when the seemingly unthinkable became a reality in January 2022, that being Rhodes kissing goodbye to his AEW baby, the concept of bringing in the former EVP was simply too tantalising to resist for Vince McMahon and the gang.

Simply offering Cody a lucrative WWE deal likely wasn't enough to guarantee the in-demand star's signature, though.

And the former TNT Champion's request to ignore everything to do with his former alter-ego seemingly being accepted, along with being presented as the bona fide main eventer Cody knew he always had the potential to be, both tell a story of a promotion clearly attempting to make up for that ill-advised and hugely impactful pitch denial all those years ago.