Why Tony Khan's AEW Nightmare Could Come True In January

4. The Other Side Of The Coin

Triple H Kazuchika Okada Tony Khan
WWE.com

While certain talents turned down WWE in favour of AEW, one person to buck that trend by eventually going the other way, was Cody Rhodes.

A founding father of All Elite Wrestling, this one-time EVP and mainstay of AEW decided to take the opportunity to jump to WWE once his initial All Elite deal was up. And man, what a wise move that has proven to be.

Since returning to WWE, Cody Rhodes has been positioned as the top babyface in the entire promotion, has won the Royal Rumble, has headlined WrestleMania, has feuded with Brock Lesnar, has been endorsed by John Cena, and has been involved in countless other 'big time' moments and matches. Added to that, it's expected that he'll headline yet another WrestleMania when 'Mania XL rolls around; a WrestleMania where many believe Rhodes will finish his story, put an end to Roman Reigns' tyrannical grasp on SmackDown's top prize, and become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. And to think, Cody also faced a near-nine-month spell on the shelf as part of this second stint with the company.

Now, not everybody is a Cody Rhodes, but the American Nightmare has indicated that WWE is still an attractive proposition and is somewhere where a talent - even one associated with AEW - can thrive. We've seen countless examples over the years of WWE being hesitant to get behind a talent that's come from another promotion, and if ever the scummy temptation was there to purposely dump on anyone in that regard, surely it'd would be the person who previously slated your creative process, decided to start a rival company, and took plenty of shots at WWE once that company had launched.

But no, Cody is being valued for what he brings to the table, as reflected in the opportunities that have come his way and the way he's been positioned. If you're an AEW talent who's maybe not exactly ecstatic with how you're being used or with the direction the promotion is going, Rhodes has shown that WWE maybe isn't the petulant, grudge-holding behemoth it for so long was.

That's all without making mention of how big a deal Jade Cargill has been presented as in her fleeting appearances so far, how better a job has already been done with Brian Pillman Jr./Lexis King in NXT than was ever done in AEW, and obviously how the door is even open for a CM Punk who took WWE to court and spent a decade lambasting the company and many of those in it.

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 dayjob, 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.