5 AEW Stars who don't own their WWE name and 2 who do

#1 Cody Rhodes (Doesn't Own)

The making of a legend (Pic Source: AEW)

Cody, Cody, Cody. It's a name that many fans years ago didn't think they would be chanting. Many in the WWE Universe knew that Cody Rhodes was the son of a pro wrestling legend and the brother of Goldust.

It's not that he didn't make his mark in WWE as he won multiple WWE titles. In WWE, Cody was a 6-time WWE World Tag Team Champion and a 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion. But it seemed that he never could break that ceiling on entering the main event picture or even a shot at a WWE Championship. It always seemed a little too far for him.

Eventually, Cody left WWE and embarked on this trip through independent wrestling, which he had never really been exposed to. His travels took him through TNA/Impact Wrestling, ROH, and NJPW. It was here that he befriended The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and SCU.

In 2018, he and The Young Bucks created the All In Pay-Per-View, which sold out in an hour when tickets were released. It was unheard of any promotion outside of WWE doing that kind of business, but it was true. It also hinted that fans were looking for something other than WWE, which led Tony Khan to recruit Cody and The Young Bucks to form AEW.

The promotion has been built via social media and the goodwill of fans who were looking for something more. Since then, Cody has been catapulted to the limelight as this unsung hero who was following his father's path and trying to blaze his own way in the world of professional wrestling.

Now, with regards to the Rhodes name, that has been a conundrum in itself. It should be noted that Cody has never used 'Cody Rhodes' in AEW. This is because WWE owns the trademark.

Back in April, it was understood that the trademark had expired, and Cody filed for it right away. Unfortunately, WWE re-filed for the trademark in May, thus not giving him the right to use the name in AEW. Cody's reaction on Twitter to the news tells a story.

It’s not as sultry/scandalous as reported. It’s just business. They’ve seen the same data we have, and they know they can make big money off the brand(even though it’s not in their house). Trying to license me is flattering, but it doesn’t stop this train from moving. No grudge. https://t.co/7pkPtU1Cry

— Cody (@CodyRhodes) July 4, 2020

Cody is the current AEW TNT Champion, and he's making the most of it. Cody has trademarked the American Nightmare Logo, and the fact that the logo is tattooed on his neck, fans are more likely to see more of that in the years to come.