Why Cody Rhodes Leaving Is Best For AEW

1. How It Could Play Into AEW's Storylines

Tony Khan Cody Rhodes
AEW

While it's easy to hone in on the fact that Cody Rhodes has departed AEW and is potentially arriving back in WWE in time for WrestleMania 38, one other side of the coin that is maybe being overlooked is the opportunity AEW has to use Cody's exit for its own on-screen benefit.

Unlike WWE, AEW has so far shown it's not afraid to address stars who don't work for the promotion - most recently Brandi name-dropping former IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander on AEW Dynamite - and it remains to be seen whether Tony Khan's company will have that same approach to referencing talents who have left AEW for pastures new.

If Khan is willing to not hide from the Cody Rhodes-shaped hole his product now has, that can be spun in countless different ways. As a quick example, imagine the reaction it would generate should Downstait's Kingdom hit on an episode of Dynamite... only for MJF to walk out to the ring rather than the American Nightmare.

Not just Cody, mind, but the exit of Brandi Rhodes surely offers up plenty of fodder for Dan Lambert to use in his promos from here on out. Not to mention, Lambert could reference Cody's recent match with Ethan Page - Rhodes' second-to-last AEW bout - as a reason for him leaving the company.

Some in AEW may be reeling at the departure of Cody and Brandi, but there are still numerous ways to use their names and reputations to serve AEW moving forward.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.