WWE Hall of Famer explains how to survive in the pro wrestling business, wishes his best to Cody Rhodes (Exclusive)

Cody Rhodes is one of the biggest stars in the pro wrestling industry today. The current Undisputed WWE Champion has wrestled all around the world and has been a part of various promotions. In addition to his two spells with WWE, he has also wrestled for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and was also a founding member of All Elite Wrestling.

Rhodes left AEW in 2022 after he felt disrespected in the Jacksonville-based promotion. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long, speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine, offered some advice for surviving in the pro wrestling business.

He was addressing Cody Rhodes' departure from AEW when he said that wrestling is a hardcore business, and to survive, everyone has to move on in the hopes of a better day. He even wished The American Nightmare his best for the future.

"This was a hardcore business here, so you just move on and hope for a better day. But I'm glad he's in a position to step out and go to another company, sign a new deal, and keep on making money. So congratulations to him, and good luck," Teddy Long said.

In his three years with AEW, Cody Rhodes won the TNT Championship three times. He was the inaugural champion and dropped the belt to Sammy Guevara in his last match for the company. Shortly after leaving AEW in February 2022, Cody returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38.

Cody Rhodes has had some famous rivalries with some of the biggest stars in the promotion ever since his return. His biggest rivalry was with the former Undisputed WWE Champion, Roman Reigns, whom he defeated in the main event of WrestleMania XL, ending his iconic 1316-day run with the belt.

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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