After a successful run on the indy scene, Cody Rhodes collaborated with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to organize the highly acclaimed All In show in 2018, which paved the way for the establishment of All Elite Wrestling, financially backed by Tony Khan. Despite this success, Rhodes expressed his frustration with The Young Bucks’ portrayal of his arrival in AEW.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rhodes discussed his involvement in AEW’s creation and how fans perceived him. He acknowledged that some fans might have a skewed narrative about his time with the promotion but still reflected positively on his experience.
Rhodes compared his situation to the ending of ‘The Dark Knight,’ stating that some fans needed a villain in their story, and he accepted that role out of respect for AEW’s journey. He reminisced about the challenges of organizing All In and the excitement of hosting Double or Nothing. Rhodes appreciated Tony Khan’s investment in their vision and recognized the contributions of Matt and Nick Jackson during the BTE era, as well as his financially successful rivalry with Kenny Omega in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“Have you ever seen the end of The Dark Knight? Again, it’s super convoluted and I’m not comparing myself to Batman. But there’s a piece of it that’s really important. To certain fans from the AEW fandom, they need the story to be they didn’t want me, they pushed me [out], he was bad… They need that story, they need me to be the villain. I was always fine with accepting that because of the respect I have for it in the first place.
How difficult it was to do the original All In, how unbelievable the feeling was to do Double or Nothing. How fortunate we were that Tony wanted to invest in this vision and he had a vision as well. How special Matt and Nick in the BTE era and Kenny and my rivalry in New Japan, especially from a dollars and cents point. That made New Japan more money than anything they ever did and it made Ring of Honor go through the roof at the time.
So regardless of any petty squabbles, I will always have a love for it. I got to wrestle Brodie Lee’s final match. I got to lead people, young people, behind the scenes. I’ll always have a love for it.
I’m sure there’s some negative stuff, but I just remember it lovingly and I also knew I was leaving. I knew it was a season, I knew this isn’t gonna last and there’s something greater for me out there. I know that might sound negative to people, but it’s not. [The WWE Championship is] the biggest prize in the wrestling game, if you put on boots, that’s the one. I just wanted to go get it and I had nothing but respect for my time there.
I got to sharpen my skills, like Hulkamania in the AWA, right before it came to WWE. It’s the same, the energy was there, the Renaissance was happening, it wasn’t just company based. It was all there and I just have a love for it because I got to sharpen my skills.
By the time I got to WrestleMania and WWE I felt like okay, I’ve come back a complete package. I’m in command of this is how the music goes. I’m in command of who The American Nightmare is and I can know that and understand it better than a writer or producer and thankfully we have all those things but yeah, nothing but love. I’m trying to get something bad to say.”
Rhodes criticized The Young Bucks’ account of AEW’s creation in their book, which, while technically accurate, could be misinterpreted to diminish his role. He was particularly annoyed by the claim that he was the last to sign, a detail some use to downplay his involvement. Rhodes clarified that he was the first to meet with Tony Khan during the vetting process.
While admitting he was physically the last to sign, Rhodes emphasized his equal involvement in AEW’s creation. He plans to address this detail in his own book to provide his perspective on the story.
“I hated that in The Young Bucks’ book they said I was last to the signing. Because that’s a big thing. Some of the AEW defenders who don’t realize they’re turning people off to their product more than they’re turning people on, that’s one of the things that people always cite ‘Oh, he was last, he wasn’t that big a deal to the origin.’ No, this guy here who’s off camera was the first person to ever meet Tony and he met him in a vetting process for all of us.
So yes, I guess I was the last and yes, I had different thoughts and it’s not incorrect at all what they said [that I was physically the last person to sign]. Yeah, it’s not incorrect but I was just in on it as well as anybody else. That’s a little thing that when I write my book I get to tell.”
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