WWE Just Changed The Wrestling World Forever

Cody Rhodes Blood
AEW

The optics of Cody leaving what he himself named "Ellis Island" are a sobering reminder of what pro wrestling actually is. That line has taken on a sad note in retrospect. As a wrestling fan, you want to get worked, but you don't want to feel like a mark. More defections in the future threaten to undermine AEW's romantic status as the promotion that restored wrestling's soul, the destination for anybody who actually gives a sh*t. Of course, it's more important that the promotion is good, effective and rewarding, but the vibe of AEW is so crucial to its base.

It's not nothing without that, but it's something less.

In another thread in this fascinating spiderweb, Vince McMahon historically tends not to flatter main event acts that he recruited from the competition: Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Sting...

He might be so petty that this fortuitous development blows up in his spiteful awld face, but that just adds to the intrigue - a level of intrigue that he is hopelessly incapable of orchestrating himself.

If the latest round of reports is to be believed, Cody and Tony Khan were simply too far apart on the valuation of his talent contract. Cody felt that he deserved the Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson money. Khan disagreed.

How much was Cody truly worth?

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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Contributor
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!