Why Cody Rhodes Leaving Is Best For AEW
7. No Need To Deal With The World Title Situation
Kudos has to be given to AEW and Cody Rhodes for adhering to the stipulation put in pace as a result of Cody's Full Gear 2019 loss to Chris Jericho.
There, as part of a pre-agreed condition, Rhodes would never be able to challenge for the AEW World Championship again, period, should he lose to Le Champion. After being screwed by MJF, the American Nightmare came up short against Jericho, and the subsequent 27 months of Cody's AEW career never saw him get so much as a sniff at AEW's grandest prize.
Still, this stipulation was at some point going to present AEW with a headache.
At 34 years of age at the time of Full Gear 2019, and clearly one of AEW's biggest names, it seemed unfathomable that Cody wouldn't get an AEW World Title run at some point. But to get to that point, how would AEW go back on a cemented stipulation without losing face? After all, WWE has long been lambasted for how flimsy they are with their own rules and for treating their audience like idiots. AEW was meant to be different to WWE in that regard, and AEW has been different to WWE.
If Cody were to have turned heel in AEW, then this stipulation could've brilliantly played into this as the power-crazed EVP who bends rules to his will in order to give himself a World Title shot, but alas, that never came to pass.
Now, this is a matter AEW no longer needs to concern themselves with.