When Cody Rhodes walked away from WWE in 2016, he didn’t simply depart a assured paycheck behind—he shattered the normal playbook for wrestling careers. The present Undisputed WWE Champion not too long ago opened up about his unprecedented departure and eventual triumphant return, revealing insights that showcase simply how unconventional his wrestling journey really grew to become.
Breaking the WWE Security Internet: A Legacy Star’s Daring Gamble
Throughout his look on ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” Rhodes painted an image of simply how uncommon his WWE exit was throughout the wrestling business’s ecosystem. Most wrestlers don’t voluntarily stroll away from the safety that comes with a WWE contract—particularly second-generation stars.
“On the time that I left, it was actually unprecedented. Sometimes, WWE would lower ties with you, and I used to be a legacy rent, so I used to be gonna be there without end, just a bit nepo child.”
The son of WWE Corridor of Famer Dusty Rhodes had each purpose to remain put. His wrestling pedigree and confirmed monitor report made him a helpful asset that WWE hardly ever lets slip away voluntarily.
From Younger Prospect to Seasoned Veteran
Rhodes emphasised his in depth expertise inside WWE’s system, highlighting matches with legendary performers throughout their ultimate lively years. His resume included high-profile encounters that many wrestlers by no means get the chance to expertise.
“I’d additionally finished actually good work, I used to be one of many final guys who wrestled Triple H when he was nonetheless going, Undertaker when he was nonetheless going. I used to be 20 years previous once I first acquired beneath contract and I used to be 21 once I debuted on the present.”
These career-defining moments with wrestling icons demonstrated Rhodes’ worth inside WWE’s hierarchy. But regardless of this privileged place, he felt the necessity to show his independence and maturity.
The Maturity Issue
Rhodes revealed that his departure wasn’t nearly inventive frustration—it was about establishing his identification as a fully-formed skilled somewhat than the younger expertise who’d grown up inside WWE’s partitions.
“I feel it was essential for them to know that I wasn’t a child anymore.”
Creating Competitors: The Final Profession Threat
What made Rhodes’ WWE departure much more extraordinary was his position in establishing All Elite Wrestling as a reputable competitor. Few wrestlers in fashionable historical past have left WWE solely to assist create a rival promotion that may finally problem their former employer’s dominance.
“It was much more unprecedented to depart and have the ability to create one thing and create a bit of little bit of an underground scene, a special taste.”
This transfer remodeled Rhodes from a disgruntled former worker right into a reputable menace to WWE’s enterprise mannequin. AEW’s success proved that options to WWE might thrive with the correct mixture of expertise, imaginative and prescient, and monetary backing.
The Studying Expertise That Modified Every thing
Rhodes credit his time away from WWE as important for his private {and professional} improvement. The expertise of constructing one thing from scratch supplied invaluable classes that formed him into the performer who finally returned as a principal occasion star.
“I had that have once I went away and I used to be capable of come again much more full.”
The Lengthy Sport: Rhodes’ Present WWE Dedication
Now firmly established as certainly one of wrestling’s largest stars, Rhodes has made it clear that his present WWE run represents a long-term dedication somewhat than one other momentary cease. His journey from annoyed mid-carder to world champion validates the chance he took years earlier.
Rhodes even addressed hypothesis about his future position inside WWE’s company construction, discussing the potential of following in Triple H’s footsteps as an govt chief throughout the firm over the following decade.
The Blueprint for Wrestling Independence
Rhodes’ story has grow to be a template for a way wrestlers can leverage their departure from WWE into career-defining alternatives. His success each outdoors and upon returning to WWE demonstrates that the normal mannequin of wrestling careers continues to evolve.
The American Nightmare’s journey from “nepo child” to world champion proves that typically the largest dangers result in the best rewards. However with Rhodes now firmly planted as WWE’s prime star, one has to marvel: will we ever see one other wrestler efficiently replicate his unprecedented path to the highest?
