AEW stars react to Cody Rhodes WWE return

Cody Rhodes returned to WWE after almost six years at WrestleMania Night 1 to face Seth "Freakin" Rollins. As soon as Kingdom by Downstait was played at the AT&T stadium, the crowd went up on their feet.

For weeks, it was speculated that Rhodes would sign with WWE after his departure from AEW. With the appearance at WrestleMania, the rumors have been confirmed.

During and after Rhdoes' match with Rollins, several AEW stars shared their thoughts on Cody's return to the sports entertainment giant.

Check out some of their reactions below:

Cody Rhodes left AEW a few months ago

Cody Rhodes was one of the founding members of All Elite Wrestling. He also served as one of the Executive Vice Presidents along with The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Kenny Omega.

The American Nightmare is a former three-time TNT Champion. Throughout his tenure, Rhodes was involved in spectacular matches against Sammy Guevara and the late Brodie Lee.

However, after new contract negotiations with AEW President Tony Khan fell through, Cody and his wife Brandi Rhodes decided to leave the promotion. The couple officially exited the promotion on February 15, 2022.

Several wrestling personalities had their different opinions on Rhodes' departure. The one that stood out was the honest thoughts from Paul Heyman, who said that he wasn't surprised by Cody's departure.

"He’s one of the founders of the company, a lot of it is his concept, a lot of the initial phase was on him, and Cody always had a vision to fill the boots of his father, not just in the ring but behind the scenes. And the fact that he didn’t have the level of participation in decision making that he initially probably thought — this is speculation on my end, I never heard this from Cody, but just seeing the manner in which the creative end of that company grew — it doesn’t surprise me that at some point he was going to say, ‘Not what I originally envisioned and I want to see what life is like elsewhere," Heyman said.

With his return to WWE, all eyes will be on the company to see how The American Nightmare is booked. At the same time, Rhodes has left a lasting impression on All Elite Wrestling by playing an integral part in its foundation.

What was your reaction upon seeing Cody return to WWE? Sound off in the comments below.