What A New Cody Rhodes List Would Look Like For 2022
Cody's indie wrestling wish list is the sort of thing since dulled by numerous converging factors in the last decade's changing wrestling landscape.
Triple H mined the scene in the late-2010s, as if he'd had some boxes of his own to tick that he simply wasn't permitted to tweet. His NXT provided some piping hot combos across multiple TakeOvers, seemingly keener to compete with New Japan Pro Wrestling's critical acclaim than provide Vince McMahon-branded talents for WWE's main roster. Meanwhile, the magic and timely set of circumstances that birthed ALL IN, the years of the epic GCW/GCW-adjacent WrestleMania weekend cards and Ring Of Honor's second boom were folded into the very creation of AEW.
Things are different now. AEW 2.0 is a roster rich with talent Cody hasn't even gotten near yet, discounting revived dream matches with its new biggest stars. WWE's mass releases can't all end up there, but could go to other shows where EVP Cody will likely also be permitted to show up. Some within McMahon's system are still looking to get out, with the likes of Mustafa Ali old enough to go 20 awesome minutes with the TNT Champion but young enough to have never really crossed his path. Bron Breakker rules and some of other jacked up dudebros between the new NXT and WWE's Next In Line system eventually might do too. Danhausen is Very Nice. Very Evil.
If this latest intriguing contractual drama drags Cody away from his recent self-made storyline quagmire and into yet another era of innovation, drama and suspense, the original face, mind and gusto of AEW may yet again have spotted the path the rest of us are just waiting to follow him down.
The new world is still taking shape, but it shouldn't be any less appealing to what remains of Cody's maverick spirit. In the middle of a pandemic, Rhodes wrestled Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks in open challenges that saw them both hired. Warhorse was less successful, but all three were reflective of buzz equalling opportunity.
Cody, again, has generated plenty of the former around himself. Fingers crossed that he takes full advantage of the latter.