AEW Star "Taken Aback" By Cody Rhodes' Exit
"I've known Cody for three years and I’ve never once had a negative experience with him."
All Elite Wrestling rising star Wardlow has chimed in on Cody Rhodes' departure from the promotion, admitting he was "taken aback" by the former TNT Champion and Executive Vice President's split from the company he helped found.
Speaking with NBC Sports Boston, Wardlow said that he wasn't privy to the intricacies of the situation. It felt sudden to him, with Cody and wife Brandi seemingly going strong in AEW one moment, then gone the next (h/t POST Wrestling):-
“I was very surprised. I was very taken back by it and I’m still slightly taken back by it. I don’t really know any of the details on anything, what really led to it, how this even came about. It really just seemed like one day, everything was great and the next day, they [Cody and Brandi Rhodes] were gone."
Rhodes had been working without an AEW contract following the expiration of his original deal in December 2021. This continued through January and part of February, with Rhodes staying long enough to drop the TNT Championship to Sammy Guevara, before he and Brandi were out of the promotion amidst heavy WWE interest.
Now, Cody's WWE comeback is seemingly imminent. The former Stardust is expected to face Stamford stalwart Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38 this weekend. In addition, it is now believed that WWE will attempt to keep Rhodes' AEW aesthetic intact, doing so to enhance the image of him jumping from Tony Khan's ship to Vince McMahon's.
Wardlow elaborated on his relationship with Rhodes, citing him as a big reason for his own continued AEW success:-
“The only thing I can say about the situation is I’ve known Cody for three years and I’ve never once had a negative experience with him and I’ve never once seen somebody have a negative experience with him. Cody is a big reason, a big reason I’m sitting here talking to you today and I have nothing but love and respect for Cody and if his decision to leave AEW was the best decision for him and his family, I 100 percent support it.”
Wardlow wrestled Rhodes in his first ever AEW match, falling in a well-received steel cage match on Dynamite's 19 February 2020 episode.