"Never gonna have the impact of a CM Punk" - Wrestling veteran explains why Cody Rhodes chose to leave AEW
Jim Cornette feels that the arrival of former WWE Champions CM Punk and Bryan Danielson could have played a role in Cody Rhodes' AEW departure.
It's no secret that the former TNT Champion saw himself fall down the pecking order in All Elite Wrestling due to the influx of several star signings. From being one of the biggest babyfaces in the promotion in 2019-2020, Rhodes gradually transitioned into an upper mid-card role.
Cody Rhodes appreciation tweet.
He brought us on a hell of a ride, opened the TNT Championship to bring Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks, etc. Had an AMAZING feud with Brodie, built Darby, Sammy, etc, with his first & last Dynamite matches being with Sammy, started AEW Community. 1 https://t.co/jBUsCX25A3
Speaking on the latest episode of the Jim Cornette Experience, the professional wrestling legend stated that the influx of stars such as CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and others affected Cody's standing in the company. He also pointed out that the second-generation star wasn't going to match the sheer impact of Punk's arrival, nor was he the same level of performer as The American Dragon.
"Cody was one of the guys that started there, he was never gonna have the impact of a CM Punk, a level of a guy like that coming back to the business after seven years and Bryan Danielson, who has been at that level and has that goodwill because of the greatness that he has been involved before he comes in," said Jim Cornette. (From 20:05 - 20:24)
Cody Rhodes didn't wrestle CM Punk and Bryan Danielson in AEW
Although Cody Rhodes' overall AEW career was pretty impressive, there were plenty of dream matches for him that never came to fruition. While he did put over stars like Malakai Black and Sammy Guevara in the final few months of his run, potential bouts with Punk and Danielson never materialized.
“Cody (Rhodes) is going to WWE and he's going to get a big push.
Vince McMahon is going to treat this as a big deal. Everybody I talked to thinks Vince loves the idea of acquiring a co-founder and EVP and, you know, main event wrestler.”
- Wade Keller
(via PWTorch) https://t.co/c2nttK93Yn
However, with The American Nightmare now seemingly WWE-bound, it's safe to assume he's on course to have plenty of dream matches in the coming months.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette's assessment of why Cody Rhodes left AEW? Do you see him joining WWE imminently? Sound off in the comments section below?