Cody Rhodes Clears The Air On AEW Departure, CM Punk/Elite Rumours
Cody Rhodes on his AEW departure - and if CM Punk/The Elite drove him back to WWE.
Cody Rhodes' departure from All Elite Wrestling had nothing to do with CM Punk, Kenny Omega, or The Young Bucks, says the WWE star.
The 37-year-old hit Twitter to clear this up over the weekend. Responding to a since-hidden tweet following an image of Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and Omega gazing across an arena, Cody claimed that he was "forever bonded" to The Elite, with whom he helped create AEW. Additionally, he said that he had no issues with the soon-to-depart Punk, saying they "got along."
Rhodes left AEW because of "a personal issue and my wanting to go for the big one." He tweeted:-
I didn’t leave because of the Bucks/Kenny. I’m forever bonded to those men over what we created and I remain very proud of it, and I didn’t leave because of/or have issues with Punk. We got along. Not money, not booking, just a personal issue and my wanting to go for the big one.
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) October 29, 2022
One of the biggest wrestling stories of the year materialised in February, when Rhodes left AEW after he and founder Tony Khan couldn't come to terms on a new contract, thus ending Cody's formative run as an Executive Vice President and on-air performer. Two months later, Cody was back in WWE for the first time since 2016 after returning at WrestleMania 38.
Currently out of action with a torn pectoral since June, Rhodes is not expected to return to the ring until 2023. Punk, meanwhile, is on the verge of leaving AEW following the company's post-All Out 2022 brawl, with The Elite seemingly set to be restored to television.