What if AEW tanks?

#4 Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks in limbo

Not all of AEW's big signings would have a home in WWE if AEW fails.

Whereas an established WWE main event level talent like Chris Jericho can rest assured that he’ll have a spot in WWE, the same cannot be said for other top names associated with AEW. Kenny Omega is a top talent but doesn’t necessarily fit the WWE mold, and choosing AEW over WWE may not help his cause. A similar logic applies to The Young Bucks. Of course, no one may have more to lose if AEW fails—at least in terms of his WWE prospects—than Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes’s family lineage and talent meant that, had he never left the company, he probably could have remained on the roster for most of his career. His stock quite arguably rose based on his success wrestling for smaller promotions and the threat of his business acumen after All In. But in choosing to refuse a new deal from WWE, and instead start a promotion that looks a lot like competition, Rhodes may well have burned a bridge. The fact that WWE brought back Jeff Jarrett after the way he left WWE and after launching Impact Wrestling says that no one is necessarily blacklisted forever. Rhodes may, however, lose out on getting to work in WWE for the rest of his prime if AEW fails.