Brandi Rhodes finally opens up on the impact of AEW delaying Cody Rhodes' contract renewal
AEW's hesitance to renew Cody Rhodes' contract was not a smart move, said The American Nightmare's wife, Brandi Rhodes. She recently disclosed the profound impact this situation really had.
In the American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes documentary, Brandi spoke about the latter days of her husband's time in the Jacksonville-based promotion when he was working without a contract:
“You know, people were asking online: ‘Is Cody’s contract up?’ Yeah, it is. It was. That’s all stuff that is public information, that’s being shared. So if the contracts are not being renewed on time, we’re rocking foundation.”
Brandi asserts that AEW was running a very high risk by not having more urgency when attempting to renew Cody's contract. This, along with many other factors, ultimately led to him leaving the promotion.
“It’s just odd to me to play with that kind of fire in an industry that’s competitive. I mean, you could attract people who don’t know that and things can happen,” Brandi continued. (0:17 onward)
Check out a clip from the documentary here.
Cody Rhodes has since gone on to be one of the most popular superstars in WWE, although he is yet to hold championship gold during his second spell in the promotion.
Cody Rhodes reveals why he left AEW
Although AEW's hesitation to renew Cody Rhodes' contract certainly did not help matters, it might not be the predominant reason he decided to join WWE.
In the documentary, he reveals the real reason he decided to leave the company he helped start, and it has nothing to do with money or other stars. He stated that he left due to a personal reason that he could not discuss.
Additionally, leaving Tony Khan's promotion allowed him to pursue his lifelong goal of winning the WWE Championship. While this has not happened just yet, The American Nightmare seems well on his way to making his dream a reality.
Do you think it was a bad decision on AEW's part to allow Cody to work without a contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
When using quotes from this article, please give a h/t to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.