"Did he lose his bargaining power?" - Wrestling legend comments on Cody Rhodes' rumored WWE move

AEW co-founder and former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes departed the promotion he helped build in February, shortly after his TNT title loss to Sammy Guevara.

Since then, multiple reports have emerged that the grandson of a plumber could be in for a shock return to Vince McMahon's company. However, with no official announcement either way, the rumor mill continues to churn regarding his future.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Cornette discussed the uncertainty on the latest episode of his Drive-Thru podcast. The former manager suggested the possibility that Cody and Vince McMahon are working an angle to drum up additional interest.

"If this is all some type of vast work, maybe Cody went to Vince and said, 'Hey Vince, everybody knows I'm coming there but we can really f--- with their minds and I can still make a dramatic entrance of some kind if you spread the word'. 'Hey I don't know about this Cody, he wants everything'. Maybe that will get intrigue since my teasers of dashingness and everything on your program got popcorn farts from the crowd." (1:42-2:23)

Cornette also floated the idea that Cody's AEW departure came before he had anything concrete in place for the Stamford-based promotion, therefore losing "bargaining power":

"I can see Vince possibly wanting to go along with something like that if you caught him on the right day. Or is it a question of did he jump out of his boat before the other boat pulled along, and now he's just floating in the water, did he lose his bargaining power?" (2:24-2:44)

Cody Rhodes never found his value in WWE

The story of Cody's time in WWE has been well-documented. The son of Dusty Rhodes never felt like he had the chance to shift into second gear, despite showing early promise as part of Randy Orton's Legacy stable.

Instead, his tenure yielded only IC and tag titles before his Stardust makeover relegated the American Nightmare to the lower end of the card. He has since found his value wrestling outside the promotion; alongside the Elite sub-group of Bullet Club, he garnered significant interest in the independent wrestling scene.

That interest subsequently birthed All In, the first wrestling show outside of WWE or WCW to generate a crowd of 10,000 in North America since 1993. All In served as the spiritual prelude to AEW, where Cody served as both an EVP behind the scenes and an on-screen talent.

Cody Rhodes would eventually prove his "top-guy" status in Jacksonville as the inaugural and record three-time TNT champion.