"He never even existed"- Former WWE Champion gives his honest opinion on Cody Rhodes leaving AEW
Cody Rhodes leaving AEW for WWE was a hard pill to swallow for some fans and many of his former co-workers.
One of them was Chris Jericho, who recently gave his bittersweet reaction to The American Nightmare's decision to leave the promotion, which he helped build from scratch.
On Night 1 of WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes defeated Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a grueling singles match. This marked the first time the 36-year-old wrestled under Vince McMahon's umbrella since leaving the promotion in 2016.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Jericho revealed that he initially felt disappointed when he learned about Rhodes' departure.
Le Champion, however, asserted that the former EVP's decision was understandable because he left WWE in 2017 for the same reason he thinks Cody exited AEW.
Here's what Chris Jericho had to say about Cody Rhodes switching wrestling companies:
"I was honestly disappointed that he [Cody Rhodes] left. But I get it. I've done it many times myself. You know this, we can discuss the reinvention of Jericho many times. I mean, I left WWE in 2017 for basically the same reason why Cody left AEW," Jericho said. "From what I understand, he just didn't think he was getting I don't know if it's the spotlight or respect or whatever the word being. But you can kind of see the writing on the wall. So obviously, Cody now is bigger than he's ever been, just by changing companies, and obviously, they did a great job in putting him over at WrestleMania and bringing him in at the highest of levels."
The Demo God stated that while the AEW locker room initially missed their former employee, it felt like Cody didn't even exist almost a week later:
"We're gonna miss him in AEW. But quite frankly, it was a shock when he left, and a week later, you know, it's almost like he never even existed. That's just the way wrestling goes."
How does @TalkIsJericho feel about @CodyRhodes leaving #AEW? 🤔
He discusses with @davidlagreca1 & @bullyray5150 ... ⬇️
Entire interview available on today's @BustedOpenRadio podcast:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bus… https://t.co/UkBEdtQ8a5
The American Nightmare had asserted that his WWE return was an easy decision since he had some unfinished business to do.
On RAW after WrestleMania, Cody clarified that he came back with a quest to become the world champion so that he could pay homage to his late father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes will collide with The Miz on WWE RAW this week
We running it back🔥
Cody Rhodes vs the Miz on RAW. #WWERAW https://t.co/nwlJwyaz5f
In the upcoming episode of WWE RAW, Cody Rhodes will compete in his first match on the flagship program in over six years.
He will face The Miz tonight in Detroit. The last time the two men competed against one another in singles competition was back in 2013.
With momentum on his side, it will be interesting to see how Rhodes steadily claws his way into title contention.
(If you use any quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit the Busted Open Radio podcast)