'He wasn't being credited' - Wrestling veteran explains why Cody Rhodes felt disrespected in AEW (Exclusive)

AEW came into existence back in 2019 when Tony Khan joined forces with four wrestlers. Khan, along with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes, all became the founding members of AEW. Following his departure from WWE, Cody Rhodes had become a huge star on the independent circuit, and All Elite Wrestling proved to be his last stop before returning to the Stamford-based promotion.

Rhodes left AEW in February 2022 and recently revealed one of the reasons behind his exit. He stated in a recent interview that he felt disrespected in the promotion. Wrestling veteran Bill Apter has now shed some light on why Cody felt so during his time with All Elite Wrestling.

Speaking on an episode of The Wrestling Time Machine on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Apter said that Cody felt like he wasn't being credited with what was happening in the show. He even claims that The American Nightmare always wanted to show Vince McMahon how good he can be.

"He was one of the people that started that company, and little by little, according to him, he felt like he wasn't being credited with what was going on. I don't think they put him in programmes that he may have wanted to be in. And I think his heart always was to show Vince McMahon when he left, when Cody left, that I can be better than what you're doing with me." Apter said.

Cody Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38, where he was revealed as Seth Rollins' surprise opponent. Since then, he has gone on to become an even bigger star in the company. He won back-to-back Royal Rumbles in 2023 and 2024, has main-evented three WrestleManias in succession, and is already a two-time Undisputed WWE Champion.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Faiz Ahmed