What If... Cody Rhodes Never Left WWE In 2016
While Cody Rhodes obviously wasn't the first person to ever request their release from WWE, or even the first to really make an impact on the independent scene in the wake of leaving the world of sports entertainment - Drew McIntyre brilliantly reinvented himself during his 2014-17 stint away from WWE - his exit was arguably the most influential.
A number of performers watched how Cody went about his business after that 2016 departure, admired the deserved success that eventually came, and were inspired to do something similar.
Without Rhodes leaving WWE and writing his famous list of performers he wanted to lock up with in the coming years, Mustafa Ali isn't inspired to produce his fantastic campaign video recently, one which saw him call out Will Ospreay, Matt Cardona, and more following his own WWE exit.
And speaking of 'The Deathmatch King', Cardona also openly admitted to Cultaholic that his pal Cody proved what was possible outside of WWE, with the former Zack Ryder using "his blueprint" while still doing it his own way after watching Rhodes change the business all those years ago.
Those are just a few of the many performers whose lives were eventually affected for the better by a Rhodes 2016-2019 run that proved just how much money, freedom, and joy could be found outside of the WWE system if you were willing to put in the effort.
Do performers like Ali, Cardona, other former WWE stars who exited the company post-2016 have the confidence to float around the independent scene and build their own brands there without Cody turning his own 'American Nightmare' dream into a reality? Maybe not.
It was during this glorious time that Rhodes ended up being introduced to a pair of Young Bucks and a 'Best Bout Machine', too, with that friendship forged in the wake of his 2016 exit changing the business forever.
On the back of Kevin Owens introducing Cody to Matt & Nick Jackson, that trio, alongside the likes of Kenny Omega and Adam Page would eventually spin-off from the super popular Bullet Club stable in New Japan, with The Elite becoming arguably the most crucial wrestling faction of the last two decades.
Remarkably selling out an arena in 30 minutes for the first-ever All In PPV in 2018, the creation of a brand new WWE competitor known as All Elite Wrestling soon followed as Cody, the Bucks, and Omega took on the roles of Executive Vice Presidents in this Tony Khan-funded alternative.
Cody's wife Brandi would also join the All Elite team as Chief Brand Officer, kicking off a bold new era in pro-wrestling.
Cody Rhodes talks about his time with AEW, disagreeing with CM Punk's "assessment."
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The formation of AEW certainly wasn't a one-person job. But as Cody himself put it in a recent chat with Ariel Helwani, without all of the names above and a few others, "the company would not have happened."
Put simply, a world where Cody remains a WWE Superstar in 2016 is one that would never be All Elite. Which means...