Why did Cody Rhodes leave AEW?

When Cody Rhodes left WWE in 2016, The American Nightmare embarked on the most remarkable redemption story possible. Indeed, he went from "undesirable to undeniable." Rhodes made a name for himself over the next three years in ROH and NJPW, becoming one of the hottest acts in the wrestling world.

On January 1, 2019, Rhodes and The Young Bucks announced the birth of a new wrestling promotion - All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In addition to Kenny Omega, the three close friends also served as co-executive vice presidents. Dusty Rhodes' son was a massive star in AEW.

From a five-star classic with Dustin Rhodes to becoming the inaugural AEW TNT Champion, The American Nightmare became a poster boy and draw for Tony Khan's promotion. However, in February 2022, a few days removed from a critically acclaimed ladder match against Sammy Guevara, Rhodes and his wife, Brandi, left the same company he helped build from the ground up.

At WrestleMania 38: Night One, The Prodigal Son returned as Seth "Freakin" Rollins' mystery opponent. This was the beginning of a fairytale run where Rhodes is inches away from fulfilling his life-long destiny. Dusty Rhodes will undoubtedly be proud of his son for returning home to realize his dream and accomplish the unthinkable.

But what prompted Cody Rhodes to leave AEW? This was basically his baby boy, a brainchild of sorts, that put him on the map as one of the most undeniable acts in the wrestling world. Rhodes' destination was WWE, the same promotion he left with on negative terms following alleged creative frustrations and lackluster booking.

Cody Rhodes left AEW for a bigger role in WWE

When rumors began circulating of The American Nightmare leaving AEW for WWE, many explanations and theories came to the fore. Dave Meltzer revealed that Cody Rhodes left Khan's promotion due to "money issues" and "fan reactions."

The former Intercontinental Champion himself delved deep into his motivations to leave AEW on a special episode of Broken Skull Sessions with Stone Cold Steve Austin. He revealed that he didn't want to be placed in a gatekeeper role, a position he was repeatedly being placed in during the final months of his tenure with his previous wrestling promotion. Cody Rhodes also suggested that the company didn't need him anymore.

"The bottom line is that, it was my baby, it's growing up and people are having fun and it doesn't need me. Why I thought, it didn't need me (...) I'm not being totally honest, maybe it did need me, but here's what I needed; I did not want to be a gatekeeper wrestler. I did not want to be, 'This is Cody's thing, AEW.' Some people look at it that way, not everybody does. 'First program, they wrestle Cody, then they do Chris [Jericho's] podcast.' There's a whole meme about it. I didn't want to be a gatekeeper."

A Dolph Ziggler-type role in AEW that primarily involved putting over younger talent and bringing the best out of them in front of fans seemed like a dull option for Cody Rhodes. Hence, he opted to return home to WWE, where he had plenty of unfinished business.

Amidst a memorable trilogy with Seth Rollins, Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral muscle. He returned back in time for WWE Royal Rumble 2023, where he achieved the biggest victory of his career when he outlasted 28, excluding an injured Rey Mysterio, to book his ticket to WrestleMania 39.

Cody Rhodes faces Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Come WrestleMania, he may finally complete his redemption story by ending the historic title reign of The Tribal Chief.