"WWE actually outbid Tony this time"- Wrestling legend weighs in on Cody Rhodes' AEW exit

Konnan recently shared his thoughts on Cody Rhodes and Brandi Rhodes' sudden departure from AEW this past week.

In a surprising turn of events, The American Nightmare and AEW President Tony Khan failed to reach an agreement, which led to the former parting ways with the promotion he helped build.

Before his exit, the 36-year-old star and his wife were featured heavily in the flagship programming. Cody was performing entirely on a handshake deal, with his last match coming off against Sammy Guevara for the Undisputed TNT title. Meanwhile, Brandi developed issues with Dan Lambert and Paige VanZant.

While speaking on the Keepin It 100 podcast, Konnan talked about the potential match the company could have set up between Brandi and Paige VanZant based on their storyline. The WCW veteran believes it would have been terrible to watch since both women are inexperienced in the ring.

Konnan further said he initially thought Cody Rhodes' AEW exit was nothing but a "work," which would have culminated with the star returning with a heel persona.

The veteran added that Cody could have negotiated over a pay raise with Mr. Khan, which WWE saw as an opportunity to outbid AEW and bring in their former employee:

"Obviously, it looked like it was gonna end up being her and Paige [VanZant] right? That would have been a terrible match. You've got two super green girls in there," Konnan said. "But here's what I think. I thought wow! if this is work, this is a great work. You know this is a great way to come back as a heel, I don't know. But maybe he [Cody Rhodes] wanted a set amount of money from Tony, and WWE actually outbid Tony this time" (0:44)

Cody and Brandi's shocking departure gave rise to multiple rumors, with some suggesting a fallout happened between Mr. Khan and the former EVP.

Interestingly enough, Wrestling Observer reported that The American Nightmare was unhappy over losing considerable booking power.

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Cody Rhodes could soon make his return to WWE

While Cody Rhodes' departure from AEW has become a thing of the past, rumors of him potentially returning to WWE have been making the rounds on social media lately.

As per the reports, Vince McMahon is interested in giving a big push to The American Nightmare, leading up to a marquee match at WrestleMania 38 this year. However, Brandi Rhodes isn't expected to follow in the footsteps of his husband to WWE. Either way, the couple's next move in the wrestling business has become the most-talked-about topic today.

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