AEW was formed in January 2019 after Tony Khan linked up with his initial group of Executive Vice Presidents: Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks. After a historic launch, Khan and the EVPs created a massive new chapter in the pro wrestling history books. Cody and his wife, Brandi Rhodes, shockingly left AEW in 2022, and now they're going viral for a new revelation.
All In 2018 took place near Chicago during Labor Day weekend and was the catalyst for AEW launching as a WWE alternative. Billed as The Biggest Independent Wrestling Show Ever, All In drew over 11,000 fans and more than 50,000 buys. Cody and The Bucks promoted the event in association with ROH. Several top talents were featured, including stars from NJPW, TNA, AAA, NWA, and MLW. The sixth outing of the 11-match card saw Cody dethrone Nick Aldis as NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. The 22-minute showdown made Cody and Dusty Rhodes the first father-son duo to win the title.
Rhodes, for the most part, has taken the high road when it comes to discussing AEW since his February 2022 departure. Cody and his wife dished on various topics during the premiere of his new podcast, What Do You Wanna Talk About? While recalling the All In match against the current SmackDown General Manager, Brandi mentioned how Aldis hit her with "the cleanest elbow" in history. Cody then praised Nick as a pro but dropped an All Elite story out of nowhere. He shockingly revealed that he and Brandi were being ''rewritten!''
"Pro's pro, and we’re not gonna get too far into it, but when we, uh, you know... left the alternative promotion, we were also slightly rewritten... how our, [we] were portrayed [was] very Dark Knight-esque," Cody Rhodes said. [From 29:33 to 29:40]
Brandi quickly chimed in after Cody's revelation, indicating that she was open to the creative change or perhaps sarcastically referencing fallout from her time with AEW. Brandi did get a good laugh from the story and likened her image to a popular trope in fairy tales.
"No, believe it all for me. Let the darkness in... it just enhances my beauty, I think. [laughs] I’m like the wicked stepmother or something," Brandi Rhodes said. [From 29:41 to 29:51]
Cody and Brandi did not elaborate on the brief exchange. The 39-year-old transitioned right into remembering how the electric crowd made his All In 2018 match against Aldis a fun affair, adding that he did not think it was the match that was supposed to get the crowd that amped up.
Cody Rhodes' interesting situation with an AEW executive
Cody Rhodes and Q.T. Marshall co-founded The Nightmare Factory near Atlanta, GA, in 2020. The wrestling school recently became an affiliate of the WWE ID program, and Marshall revealed in an interaction with The Takedown on SI that Cody called him the day the partnership was announced.
AEW's current Vice President of Show & Creative Coordination also recalled telling Tony Khan that he knew nothing about the WWE ID matter ahead of time and then dropped interesting hints at a possible business resolution with Cody. The Nightmare Factory once trained talents for AEW and even held tapings during the pandemic.
The American Nightmare has been sharing notices for the July 2025 training camp. However, Marshall hasn't been doing the same. The school's website also only lists Cody as a coach right now.