What If... Cody Rhodes Never Left WWE In 2016

CM Punk never returns to professional wrestling... maybe.

The Punker himself has recently confessed that he came very close to returning to WWE before eventually agreeing to become All Elite in 2021. But that obviously didn't work out in the end, and instead it was Tony Khan's promotion who welcomed 'The Best in the World' back to this barmy industry.

Whatever way you look at it, without Cody leaving and being a vital part of AEW becoming a thing in the first place, Punk simply doesn't have that other intriguing option when his potential WWE return doesn't materialise.

And he isn't the only one whose career would have looked somewhat different in an All-Elite-less version of this Cody-verse.

For the longest time, if you wanted to really make a name for yourself on American television, WWE was the only major player in town. But thanks to The Elite, TK, Chris Jericho, Brandi Rhodes and more, everyone from world class free agents, former WWE names, to those independent talents who would have likely never made it onto an episode of Monday Night Raw were given that alternative platform.

Orange Cassidy lazily punching his way to glory on Wednesday nights? There's a good chance that never happens if Cody squeezes his way back into the leather in 2016.

Does MJF grow into one of the industry's hottest performers without an All Elite Wrestling product willing to let him be the boundary-pushing 'Scumbag' we know and love? And never forget that it was Rhodes who took a chance on 'The Salt of the Earth' and threw him onto the All In 2018 card, something that again wouldn't have happened if Cody was still sticking in contact lenses.

Wrestling is just better with AEW in it.

With no All Elite competition, are WWE forced to finally pull their finger out and produce a few storylines that don't make you want to go full Rey Mysterio at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules?

In all likelihood, they would have simply just kept lazily churning out the same old nonsense that had broken the spirits of many since the death of the Attitude Era. But AEW's refreshing long-term storylines, outstanding in-ring showcases, and three-dimensional characters quickly resulted in the newbies becoming the hottest promotion in the industry - and WWE took that personally.

Seeing how well a certain Elite Saga was being received on the other side, it wasn't too long before Roman Reigns and his Bloodline began telling their own epic, multi-year-long tale.

Then there was that other story that just had to be finished when 'The American Nightmare' made his WWE return at WrestleMania 38, with WWE once again feeling brave and patient enough to play out a fascinating two-year arc before Rhodes closed that specific book.

It was those storylines in particular that helped drive WWE to arguably its most successful period of all time. But at the very least, one of those two all-timer tales definitely doesn't play out the way it memorably did if Rhodes remains as The Prince of Dark Matter in 2016.

Oh, and that sensational WWE comeback in 2022?...