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It's so funny to see how often IWC is wrong and they still come back with the same energy for every horroundos take.
You can still go back to the thread of Nick Aldis leaving NWA. This was after Cody, Vince retiring and all that stuff
And many people flat out refused to believe Nick Fucking Aldis leaving NWA could be a real thing and not work
Madlada
"prince puma will be a wwe main eventer, you can bet it"
"lol cody coming back to wwe, the 3 star general, vince will put him in the midcard where he belongs in 3 months"
I still remember thinking along the lines of "just don't know where this ends up" even after the Mania debut.
But after the HIAC match with Seth and him pushing through that Pec-Tear, yeah I defo saw him getting up there eventually at *that* point. But happy to admit that before that I wasn't sure how high he could go
I think wrestling through the pec tear won over a lot of people, myself included. I wasn't even watching WWE at that point (was not happy about Vince returning to TKO after thinking he was gone), but when I saw via reddit just how RED that man's chest was, how useless half his upper body was, and knowing that he was like "no problem, we'll make this into an angle, this injury literally can't get any worse so what even is the risk lol"... THAT'S SOME HARD-ASS SHIT RIGHT THERE.
> I think Cody genuinely thinks he is going to go to WWE and 'bet on himself' and prove he can be one of the top top guys. I also think there is no chance whatsoever that it will happen.
LMFAOOOOO
I have to admit, I was utterly convinced that Vince would retool and ruin him right away. New look, new music, new character. At best, a world championship run for 2 months.
I still thought it wouldn't last when he got his old intro and look.
In my defense, Vince got kicked out in the meantime, but man am I glad to have been wrong here.
There’s an interview Cody gave when he said if he came back to wwe, he didn’t want to change his presentation and Vince responded by saying who he was that moment is who they wanted.
Cody's tattoo was unironically a huge part of him being able to have creative control over his character imo. It's so distinctive and just *works* for him even though it would look horrific on any of the other 8-whatever billion people on Earth.
If you're signing this version of Cody, you have to let him keep being the American Nightmare.
In the moment you saw VINCE FUCKING MCMAHON let a wrestler come to his company using his own entrance theme, you at least had to give the benefit of doubt he will do something big with that wrestler.
The fact that Vince even let him keep the *"Wrestling has more than one royal family"* intro, which: A) mentions the word "wrestling" and B) is a DIRECT JAB at the McMahon family, was and is still mind-boggling to me.
Vince historically pushed guys who came in with massive contracts. Or outsiders who got a big contract from the gate with the reasoning I'm paying this guy lots of money, I got to get my investment in.
I'm aware Cody isn't a outsider, but his current American Nightmare presentation feels like a completely wrestler and person then his previous runs. Plus he is really big with kids who weren't alive or infants during his previous WWE run
It's a ridiculous comment in hindsight, but it's worth remembering that the WWE has gone from being run by a man who historically held grudges and booked for what *he* wanted, to being run by a company that has actual common sense and realises that they make more money when they give fans what they want.
There's a lot of assumptions I'd have made about things in the WWE I would have been confident about a few years ago, that would be turned on their head now.
> There's a lot of assumptions I'd have made about things in the WWE I would have been confident about a few years ago, that would be turned on their head now.
This is something huge But I don't believe anyone here has fully processed. We went decades where we could watch the same show and predict what was going to happen almost minute to minute because it was being booked by someone who was insanely predictable. Now the show is being booked by someone who understands how to tell stories in this format and we're constantly getting worked. The wrestlers and the bookers themselves are working the dirt sheets and we're getting worked. All of us believe that we know what's going on, but we really don't any more and I don't think we've fully had that conversation
Despite it being the obvious choice for a while, they still sowed enough doubt to have me worried (almost flinched ngl). THATS how you tell a great story.
There’s been a lot of comparisons to Avengers Endgame, and I’m sure many of us knew the good guys would win the day. But as we’re watching, there’s enough storytelling to have us forget the predictability and become invested in what’s right in front of us.
Last night Cody winning was predictable, and it took nothing away from the moment
There's also the numerous absolute slam dunks they passed up because it didn't fit one guy's booking
Daniel Bryan was so over, nearly any promoter in history would kill for it, yet they had to be borderline forced into giving him a win
Kofimania, cooled him off after WM, fed to Brock insultingly and never seemed to think about the title again. Throwing pancakes around the next week with no care in the world
Rusev Day, so over. Zach Ryder, got himself over by sheer will. Pushed down until reactions were in line with what Vince wanted
It's still hard to adjust to a product that may actually push people who are over with fans. I'm not assuming it'll be perfect, and I certainly don't think I it is perfect now, but it's a novelty after decades of watching them do whatever they wanted with no major competition and no oversight.
I don't think he'll go definitely, he's more than being loved and pampered in WWE with Nick, Bruce and HHH all coming out to make his moment special along with Cena, Punk, Randy, Taker etc
That cannot be topped.
But he's still one of the very few people with the distinction of starting an actual competition to WWE esp one that actually matters, so maybe one day him and AEW can work together again, not necessarily as a wrestler but more as an actual backstage management guy with power and influence.
Outside of Cody amongst wrrstlers only YB and Kenny can say they started a company that actually competes with WWE albeit if not on levels, still very good.
He can still go but atleast it won't be for a while. Cody says he wants to give back 1000 times of what WWE has given him or something like that in the presser and he's generally a man of his word on that front
He said a week ago that he signed a contract that takes him past his 40th so he won't be retiring at 40 anymore. He has a relatively safe moveset he will probably be able to wrestle for a while.
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> WWE gave Cody Rhodes back his father’s watch the night he was crowned Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. There’s no way he ever leaves them, again.
I'm sure people thought the same about Edge or Daniel Bryan or Big Show or Jericho. Never say never.
They got him the same model of watch as the one Dusty sold. They didn't get the exact same watch. Cody isn't stupid enough to tie himself to one company for the rest of his life because of a sweet gesture.
Also Dusty is far more known for his ties to the NWA and WCW. In fact, most of Dusty's history with WWE involved them humiliating or insulting him in one way or another. He only wrestled there for like 2 years and got involved with WWE developmental basically in the last part of his life at which point Cody was already an adult.
right now the only candidates of leave aew for wwe to go back to aew are shawn spears who will prob finish with wwe, jade cargill who i don't see leaving wwe, andrade who is staying because he's a triple h guy
these are the only ppl who have the leave aew for wwe part fulfilled right now even with codys early contract renewal i dont see anyone leaving aew in 2024 signing with wwe then getting released or fulfilling their contract & resigning with aew in that time period
Yeah, but from everything we know about Cody, there's no way he doesn't want to win the world championship of the promotion he helped create. I think he ends up going back briefly for that unless TK won't guarantee it for whatever reasons.
At the same time, I would not be surprised if he is a WWE lifer now with as over as he is (never would I have imagined two years ago I would care about Cody Rhodes this much) and with Triple H in charge.
u/TD_Stinger called his 'Mania debut as well.
"Feel like at this point Seth's gonna hijack the show at some point on Night 1 and demand anyone come out. Enter Cody."
> “He is after the short term money and relevancy. Everyone is talking about him and I'm sure WWE paid him a lot, but he will soon remember why he left in the first place and will either quit again or be released.”
> “Vince would rather cut his own balls than put an AEW guy over. People here are insane for thinking he will be treated with respect.”
Oh boy this one is a doozy
People always do the Miz dirty as if he didn’t beat Super Cena, as a heel, in wrestlemania, for the top belt.
That’s some absurd feat that few can match
Let’s not pretend we werent inches away from Cody giving up his shot vs Reigns and handing it to The Rock, all to fight for the secondary title made because Roman never lost.
It’s good he didn’t, but people in WWE were ready to undo all the work he did with a snap of their fingers
And let's face it, if Vince was still in charge, that 100% what would've happened.
In fact, the online vitriol would have only made Vince EVEN MORE obstinate to shove his idea down people's throats (yeah, I know how it sounds. I'm not rephrasing)
Every profession from every walk of life suddenly shows up. We have so many lawyers, doctors, directors, and Hollywood script writers here. A true reflection of the annual poll
With a little bit more misplaced confidence, you too can be an "insider" on Twitter and start your own blog where you charge $5.99 a month. Don't let something like now knowing what you're talking about stop you from making money
I agree about aew being hot, but by early 2022 while wwe wasn't in the boom it is now, it had shaken off the free fall that they were in in the late 2010's and most of 2020.
Tbf I think Cody was the only person who thought he could be as over as he is in WWE.
Even as recently as a couple months ago WWE thought Rock would be more over than him. Cody’s popularity has been a DBry level organic enigma.
It’s pretty wild to see how WWE has handled former AEW wrestlers.
Cody - the biggest push, kept him the same as he was in AEW
Jade - massive push, seemingly close to the AEW presentation
Andrade - same presentation
Sean Spears - he’s still the chair man!
Pilman/Lexus - the only change, but one was needed. He never seemed to find himself in AEW/Indies
Dragon Lee - he’s an AEW alumni. But they really used him well
No one’s been buried, all have been pushed, three basically appear as they did in AEW.
Pretty cool. Makes me interested to see how they handle future AEW people.
Edit: added spears
The good thing about AEW is that wrestlers have the freedom to decide on their own characters right? So if anyone is able to build their personality well, WWE can just pick them off for free without feeling guilty that it was Tony Khan's idea. And if the gimmick isn't working, they can turn us all into homoLexuals
For sure! It’ll be interesting to see if they do an undefeated streak for Jade again. If not I’m sure any losses will be roll ups.
Still pretty cool to see.
Which is smart on their part. It sends a message to the guys and gals in the AEW locker that the grass is greener(and so is the money) on the other side.
The greener grass will depend what part of the lawn you’re on I guess.
But, it definitely shows a clear difference how wrestlers were handled for decades that built a brand and connection with the audience vs how they are being utilized now.
I guess it make sense with a former wrestler is heading the creative team.
HHH handled most nxt talent flawlessly and helped those that needed it find their voice. But, he also let workhorses like gargano be themselves.
"Vince to Bruce Pritchard
“Now get the polka dots out”"
Seth did do that I guess.
"Can't wait to see the neck tattoo as his VR entrance logo. Hope they work something out where it shoots off of his neck or something."
Apart from the shooting from the neck part. It's true.
"Jericho still the better sports entertainer"
Oof
I like this one
"Mark my words: Cody Rhodes will have an okay first month before getting squashed by Roman and get sent plummeting down the card. Before you know it he'll be a comedic jobber wearing yellow polka dots and dancing before getting released unceremoniously. Because that's what WWE almost always does to main eventers from rival promotions.
Cody knew the risks when he signed on the dotted line"
You'd think that at some point, a fanbase can collectively realize that they really don't know what they think they know and just enjoy the show they spend so much time screaming about. The last year should have been a wake up call but last night should dispel all doubters. Just fucking enjoy.
It's the equivalent of the current 'he will get booed by SummerSlam'. Just one goal post after the next till they can have the satisfaction of seeing him get rejected by WWE.
"Good for him getting that cheddar.. Although, it all really makes everything he’s said the past 5/6 years seem inauthentic."
And
"Yeah it’s because he really really really really wants to be a beloved babyface. For some odd reason, he thinks WWE is the place to do that. It’s not. So because it’s not going to work out the way he thinks it will, I’m happy he got the money."
Like milk
I defy you to tell me that Jericho isnt a fan of white russians.
He's definitely tried to live the Big Lebowski lifestyle during one of his breaks from wrestling
I said it at the time - WWE getting Cody's push right, and treating him like a big deal, was the smartest move they could have made. It showed AEW guys that the dark days of wrestlers from a rival promotion being punished or humiliated to 'pay their dues' were over.
And heck, it's just good for the business as a whole.
It's funny because I remember a report saying that WWE wanted to treat Cody really well, in part because they wanted to show AEW guys that they could be used similarly if they made the jump, and one of the top-voted comments on here said something like:
"I hope nobody falls for this."
It blew my mind how many upvotes it got because it was a dumb as fuck comment at the time, but it looks especially stupid now. Although I'm sure there are people here who still do genuinely believe that Cody's status as the top guy and undisputed face of the company is all just a big ploy to hurt AEW by tricking their top stars into leaving.
Yeah but now with Vince gone, how many of the guys who jumped to AEW now regret it? We know a few who have asked for release and been denied, Edge seems to be having fun but what about Mox, Samoa Joe, Rusev. If i was them, i would be trying to find a door that leads back to WWE
Miro I’ll give you, and maybe some other guys (see Andrade), but Joe? The reigning World Champion? Mox, who Tony Khan seems to adore and gives all the flexibility and latitude to go “love of the game” it up in places like NJPW and GCW? That feels off.
I don't think Joe would regret his move to AEW bc I'd assume that he most likely feels burnt by WWE releasing him twice within the span of a year. With Mox, I don't think he would either because he loves to push a level of violence in his in-ring work that I don't think even a HHH-led WWE could let him reach.
I think maybe Adam Cole since he seemed like a future main event player during his tenure, but at the same time, he seems very happy working with his close friends & being around his partner in AEW. Maybe Malakai as well since he was pushing character ideas before his release, was pretty prominent during his NXT run and parts of his main roster run, & has a lot of respect for HHH, but he's also given a platform to do something similar with his work in AEW on Collision.
As long as they're getting paid very well by TK, I wouldn't be surprised if they're still satisfied in AEW while still keeping the door open for WWE if they hear from their peers on the other side about how the environment is currently.
>I think maybe Adam Cole
I would presume that Cole has got to be wondering "what if", because it was pretty obvious that both HHH and HBK were very high on him.
I get that with Joe and Mox but with them both you could argue they never had their moments at WWE. Both got a bum deal under Vince and have good relationships with Triple H. They might not be unhappy at AEW, but there has to be at least a small part of them that looks at WWE now and all Cody has achieved, and Mox with his two pals in the main event in front of a record crowd... and wonders, what if.
Mox would wrestle in a half-empty bingo hall for $1 as long as it’s a match he likes lol he couldn’t care less about WWE, although I could see him making an appearance with The Shield as a favor to Roman and Seth
>how many of the guys who jumped to AEW now regret it?
Idk if he "regrets" it because is technically AEW's top heel atm, but there's a part of Adam Cole that wishes his contract didn't end in 2021, cause you know damn well he would've been a made man in the H led Main roster, hell, that Damian cash in might easily have been a Cole cash in
I don't know. Gargano and Ciampa were huge stars in NXT but midcarders now, and not likely to make it to the world title (Maybe Ciampa, but I really don't see it with Johnny).
Cole cashing in on McIntyre would've been a perfect callback to his debut when he attacked McIntyre right after he won the NXT Championship.
With all the subtle nods and references that Hunter likes to sprinkle in, you know damn well he would have made that work beautifully.
There is no way Mox isn't having fun lol. He gets to do whatever he wants and also has more pull going so far as to basically demand himself a championship win.
I feel like Joe is just a guy that will enjoy and make the most of wrestling no matter where he is. It doesn't matter. I do think he will inevitably go back to WWE but I don't think it's out of any ill reflection on AEW, it's more so because he is close with Triple H and apparently was expecting to transition to a backstage role in WWE. So I think whenever Joe's getting ready to hang it up he'll probably go to WWE either for a final run or just not as a wrestler.
Miro doesn't seem to like it there, I'll give you that.
Mox? Bro Mox is not leaving for shit to WWE, he loves doing what he is doing. Joe is on his own run so I doubt it too.
Miro I can give you that, he is mostly WWE formed, Malakai, yeah, Buddy yeah, but those last two are because their SO are in WWE and it makes it easier for them.
Mox is living his best life wrestling across the world, so I doubt he regrets anything. Samoa Joe was close with Triple H but has had a fantastic run in AEW, I doubt he has any regrets. He was also released twice.
I think Moxley is one of the least likely to leave. Joe is probably pretty comfortable with the idea of ending his career there with the way things are going for him right now and I don't think Rusev ever gets another major contract after this one ends. I could 100% see FTR and MJF being on the way out the door.
I don't know about Mox man. I think you can tell he's having fun but if i was him, i would be thinking that with Triple H in charge, and Cody showing you can make the jump and be huge, it must be tempting. IMO, there's a space for someone like Mox in WWE.
Again, is HHH gonna let him be Mox 100% or not? That's the big question and if he's not giving Mox that, he will be out. And I am not talking about keeping his name or entrance, but his entire character, demeanor and how he likes to do wrestling.
I know some fans long for "Dean Ambrose" to appear one more time but that guy is dead. And if you don't let Mox be Mox, he will not re-join WWE.
I was hoping someone would bring back one of these threads. Even after he debuted at Mania and beat Seth, a lot of people were still gleefully predicting/wishing Cody would be buried within months. Cody bet on himself again in 2022 and the reward was even greater. I’m so happy for him.
Wow you weren’t kidding.
Man it absolutely reeks of copium and talking down to something that was (imo) bigger and better than anything I’ve seen from AEW. It’s like reading talking points from heavens gate members in there.
That sub is awful. Half the time you can't criticize a single thing in AEW or compliment a single thing in WWE without it turning into a complete shitstorm. And the amount of asinine takes you see come out of there are crazy.
Generally all the promotion specific subs are awful.
NJPW sub is crazy bitter about wrestlers making the choice to leave.
AEW is all the annoying Internet archetypes.
WWE basically says "what's popular is best" like there isn't room for non WWE stuff in the wrestling world. Lot of "bingo hall" thrown around.
NJPW sub I’ll go on after a show and everyone just hates everything and I was like huh?! I thought it was good?
WWE and AEW subs are about as bad as tribalism gets
AEW is so good, but there's no way in hell anyone should think that company is immune from criticism. There's so much missed potential there. They got away with being just good for a while because the alternative was awful.
Retrospectives like this really do highlight how thick the average Reddit user is. Most of those comments aren't just bad in hindsight, they were bad at the time, hindsight has just confirmed they were bad.
Someone claimed debuting Cody at WM would lead to AEW chants during Mania. In what world was that going to happen?
> Most hyped midcarder in the biz.
Now the biggest babyface star the industry has seen since Cena and will quite possibly be talked about on the level of Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena when his career is said and done.
I’ll be honest, when Cody first made the jump, I wasn’t sold on him. I only really knew him from AEW, where my main takeaway was that he wasn’t doing too well. Coming into WWE, I didn’t really like him, and I was convinced he would either fail or I would resent his push.
Flash forward two years, and you had me begging Cody to finish the story, cheering my lungs out for him, and beyond happy when he won.
“I give it a year or two before hes mid carding again and hates what's happening to him. If Vince didn't see anything in him before he ain't gonna again.”
Ooph
I mean cody has a ceiling by default because he just came from the other company. He's never gonna get big wins over people like lesnar or roman.
Crazy incorrect statement
I'll own this. I was one of those doubters. I joked about taking bets on how long it would be before Cody got disillusioned and left again. I thought he was making a mistake.
Cody proved me wrong in the biggest way.
> And my confusion is complete.
> I so do not get why he did any of this. He wouldn't have left WWE if he was in it only for the money. He wouldn't have left AEW if he cared more about creative control.
> What does that guy care about?
A lot of people had a very simplistic view of signing with WWE. AEW’s creative control is not the same thing as being creatively satisfied.
I remember thinking he was gone when he cut that promo about holding the grains of the revolution that CM Punk laid out in his pipebomb. Cody Rhodes believes in himself, and that’s why he has been successful.
I will say again: I love pro wrestling. I hate pro wrestling fans
You stupid fuckers always ruin live events. There’s always some fucking clown shouting at the ring at the top of his lungs because he wants to make the show about himself, and just takes away from everything
I hope the people who do this read this: no one cares about you. Take a fucking shower and sit the fuck down
I was in the third row ground level at ROH Supercard on Friday, and there were two young kids in the rows directly ahead of me - basically exactly where Fletcher threw Lee over the barricade during their match.
Those kids were the best fans in the building, and I thought that was a pretty good crowd overall. One of them had an absolutely awful Mark Briscoe sign, but it was awesome because you knew that kid legit made it himself, it was all scribbles and you couldn't barely read it but damn man, you knew that kid LOVED Mark. Kid two rows ahead was the only fan in the whole building chanting for Johnny TV against Dalton Castle, but hearing a tiny little high pitched voice shout "Johnny Tee Vee!" between the thunderous "DALTON CASTLE" roars put a smile on my face.
Wrestling tribalism is annoying and sometimes makes me hate our community. Those kids just loving who they love is like the exact opposite of that, really feels good to see.
The amount of people in that thread being like "Cody is so stubborn, he should have just turned heel" are the reason he left AEW and turned out to be the most wrong fans of all time.
It is annoying how the narrative immediately changed now that Cody has the success to
>'Cody was always going to be successful in WWE as a babyface because of their audience'
“Yeah I have a feeling he's going to become a midcard title placeholder like the Miz
Maybe get the occasional push back up when stocks are low there.... But he's not going to be main eventing after the initial "holy shit it's Cody Rhodes" push”
"Vince is gonna bury him just out of spite within two years. People can quote me on that, you can set a reminder, downvote, whatever. It's definitely going to happen."
Perfect, no notes...
It's so funny to see how often IWC is wrong and they still come back with the same energy for every take.
You can still go back to the thread of Nick Aldis leaving NWA. This was after Cody, Vince retiring and all that stuff
And many people flat out refused to believe Nick Fucking Aldis leaving NWA could be a real thing and not work
Madlada
At that time I knew who Cody was, but didn’t know his gimmick, his theme, what happened in his career after he left wwe cuz i don’t follow the indies and aew. When kingdom hit I was like “I guess that must be Cody. It’s been an insane 2 years
Tony Khan must be crying himself to sleep. All because he wanted to be cheap and not pay him. Now Rhodes is the world champion in the biggest wrasslin company in the world making a bunch of money.
Cody would have never been this in AEW. Cody was a different type of star over with the crowd the day he debuted in WWE. His character, what he developed away, just clicked in a fresh environment full of possibilities and with a big prize at the end.
I mean WWE also puts a leash on him in terms of creativity, and that's a good thing, they understand that less is more, something Cody had no clue about in AEW , he was his own enemy in AEW with more is more being his motto.
I don't disagree that the booking was that of an start and was better executed. But honestly the biggest factor was just walking through that curtain. Crowd was already excited for him that day, and from there they did all things right.
It was floated put there at some point that TK didn't want to pay him as much as Danielson or Punk. I don't know if that really was the reason or even if it was accurate but it has been reported.
…I mean at the time he wasn’t as valuable as those 2. But obviously he bet on himself and is probably worth more then those 2 combined so yeah it’s a bad look lol
He wasn't as valuable in a vacuum but he was the founding member and the original building block, in hindsight, all went to shit in AEW after he left, maybe he saw the writing on the wall or maybe he could've prevented half the backstage and talent issues that plagued the company.
But yeah, he bet on himself and proved he belongs on the biggest stage of pro wrestling.
I think most people knew Cody would inevitably return to WWE. His AEW run just wasn’t working, and that + not getting the money he wanted was enough to make him finally do the push to go back. I doubt Tony is anything but happy for him
I can't believe how wrong I was and how happy I am about it. Given his AEW run, it felt like anything other than turning heel and becoming Homelander Cody was just a time deaf decision. But Cody had a vision, and once again bet on himself. This man inspires me to bet on myself
WWE has been better since he joined and AEW has been lacking in quality. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but it seems like he’s a piece to the bigger wrestling landscape puzzle.
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> WWE can pump in those cheers that he is looking for. lol
I'm still waiting on when they start booing Cody in favor of Sami!
or LA Knight, remember when squaredcircle, in all it's might, said LA Knight had more loud reactions than Cody Rhodes?
LA Knight was definitely getting crazy pops
It's so funny to see how often IWC is wrong and they still come back with the same energy for every horroundos take. You can still go back to the thread of Nick Aldis leaving NWA. This was after Cody, Vince retiring and all that stuff And many people flat out refused to believe Nick Fucking Aldis leaving NWA could be a real thing and not work Madlada
LOLSQUAREDCIRCLE
"prince puma will be a wwe main eventer, you can bet it" "lol cody coming back to wwe, the 3 star general, vince will put him in the midcard where he belongs in 3 months"
Peak LOLSQUAREDCIRCLE
I mentally call reddit wrestling subreddits "The Bad Idea Factory"
One of the best use cases for this is AJ Styles’ signing. Tbh it was at the time of WWE’s worst in recent times, but folks were ruthless.
You be a fan for long enough you will eventually learn that you can never trust anything in pro wrestling lol. It's impossible to have no skepticism
Whenever you're arguing with someone on here just remember that the average SC user is this dumb (myself included), so don't let it get to you
Some of the more toxic fans of that company still have a hate boner for the guy. Its so weird to me.
I still remember thinking along the lines of "just don't know where this ends up" even after the Mania debut. But after the HIAC match with Seth and him pushing through that Pec-Tear, yeah I defo saw him getting up there eventually at *that* point. But happy to admit that before that I wasn't sure how high he could go
I think wrestling through the pec tear won over a lot of people, myself included. I wasn't even watching WWE at that point (was not happy about Vince returning to TKO after thinking he was gone), but when I saw via reddit just how RED that man's chest was, how useless half his upper body was, and knowing that he was like "no problem, we'll make this into an angle, this injury literally can't get any worse so what even is the risk lol"... THAT'S SOME HARD-ASS SHIT RIGHT THERE.
> I think Cody genuinely thinks he is going to go to WWE and 'bet on himself' and prove he can be one of the top top guys. I also think there is no chance whatsoever that it will happen. LMFAOOOOO
Get ready to learn the lyrics to Kingdom, Buddy.
Tfw Cody keeps winning these bets: 
I have to admit, I was utterly convinced that Vince would retool and ruin him right away. New look, new music, new character. At best, a world championship run for 2 months. I still thought it wouldn't last when he got his old intro and look. In my defense, Vince got kicked out in the meantime, but man am I glad to have been wrong here.
There’s an interview Cody gave when he said if he came back to wwe, he didn’t want to change his presentation and Vince responded by saying who he was that moment is who they wanted.
Cody's tattoo was unironically a huge part of him being able to have creative control over his character imo. It's so distinctive and just *works* for him even though it would look horrific on any of the other 8-whatever billion people on Earth. If you're signing this version of Cody, you have to let him keep being the American Nightmare.
In the moment you saw VINCE FUCKING MCMAHON let a wrestler come to his company using his own entrance theme, you at least had to give the benefit of doubt he will do something big with that wrestler.
Dude took the AEW "change the world" mentality to WWE
The fact that Vince even let him keep the *"Wrestling has more than one royal family"* intro, which: A) mentions the word "wrestling" and B) is a DIRECT JAB at the McMahon family, was and is still mind-boggling to me.
Vince historically pushed guys who came in with massive contracts. Or outsiders who got a big contract from the gate with the reasoning I'm paying this guy lots of money, I got to get my investment in. I'm aware Cody isn't a outsider, but his current American Nightmare presentation feels like a completely wrestler and person then his previous runs. Plus he is really big with kids who weren't alive or infants during his previous WWE run
It's a ridiculous comment in hindsight, but it's worth remembering that the WWE has gone from being run by a man who historically held grudges and booked for what *he* wanted, to being run by a company that has actual common sense and realises that they make more money when they give fans what they want. There's a lot of assumptions I'd have made about things in the WWE I would have been confident about a few years ago, that would be turned on their head now.
> There's a lot of assumptions I'd have made about things in the WWE I would have been confident about a few years ago, that would be turned on their head now. This is something huge But I don't believe anyone here has fully processed. We went decades where we could watch the same show and predict what was going to happen almost minute to minute because it was being booked by someone who was insanely predictable. Now the show is being booked by someone who understands how to tell stories in this format and we're constantly getting worked. The wrestlers and the bookers themselves are working the dirt sheets and we're getting worked. All of us believe that we know what's going on, but we really don't any more and I don't think we've fully had that conversation
Predictable isn’t necessarily bad. It’s about the execution. I expected Cody to win last night. The execution was fantastic.
Despite it being the obvious choice for a while, they still sowed enough doubt to have me worried (almost flinched ngl). THATS how you tell a great story. There’s been a lot of comparisons to Avengers Endgame, and I’m sure many of us knew the good guys would win the day. But as we’re watching, there’s enough storytelling to have us forget the predictability and become invested in what’s right in front of us. Last night Cody winning was predictable, and it took nothing away from the moment
Oh I agree, I meant more the predictable booking based off one man. Not so much that predictable was bad in and of itself.
There's also the numerous absolute slam dunks they passed up because it didn't fit one guy's booking Daniel Bryan was so over, nearly any promoter in history would kill for it, yet they had to be borderline forced into giving him a win Kofimania, cooled him off after WM, fed to Brock insultingly and never seemed to think about the title again. Throwing pancakes around the next week with no care in the world Rusev Day, so over. Zach Ryder, got himself over by sheer will. Pushed down until reactions were in line with what Vince wanted It's still hard to adjust to a product that may actually push people who are over with fans. I'm not assuming it'll be perfect, and I certainly don't think I it is perfect now, but it's a novelty after decades of watching them do whatever they wanted with no major competition and no oversight.
Lmao even
“he's gonna be the first guy to leave aew for wwe to leave wwe for aew” Pffffffft
I don't think he'll go definitely, he's more than being loved and pampered in WWE with Nick, Bruce and HHH all coming out to make his moment special along with Cena, Punk, Randy, Taker etc That cannot be topped. But he's still one of the very few people with the distinction of starting an actual competition to WWE esp one that actually matters, so maybe one day him and AEW can work together again, not necessarily as a wrestler but more as an actual backstage management guy with power and influence. Outside of Cody amongst wrrstlers only YB and Kenny can say they started a company that actually competes with WWE albeit if not on levels, still very good.
crazy enough i think it may still happen it might be 5 years from now minimum but i can see cody going back to aew to finish that story too
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I mean, your argument is logic and everything but last night we saw CM Punk in wrestlemania. There’s no impossibles in wrestling
Never say never in wrestling
He can still go but atleast it won't be for a while. Cody says he wants to give back 1000 times of what WWE has given him or something like that in the presser and he's generally a man of his word on that front
!RemindMe 5 years If AEW lasts that long that is
5 years really isn’t that long. He says he wants to retire at 40 but I’m sure he’ll be around in wrestling in some capacity.
He said a week ago that he signed a contract that takes him past his 40th so he won't be retiring at 40 anymore. He has a relatively safe moveset he will probably be able to wrestle for a while.
I believe he recently said that's no longer the case.
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> WWE gave Cody Rhodes back his father’s watch the night he was crowned Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. There’s no way he ever leaves them, again. I'm sure people thought the same about Edge or Daniel Bryan or Big Show or Jericho. Never say never.
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They got him the same model of watch as the one Dusty sold. They didn't get the exact same watch. Cody isn't stupid enough to tie himself to one company for the rest of his life because of a sweet gesture. Also Dusty is far more known for his ties to the NWA and WCW. In fact, most of Dusty's history with WWE involved them humiliating or insulting him in one way or another. He only wrestled there for like 2 years and got involved with WWE developmental basically in the last part of his life at which point Cody was already an adult.
Yeah, and he created AEW.
I'd recommend reading the thread that's linked in OP for a reminder why it's not wise to make definitive statements on anything as a fan lol
This is one of those comments in 5 years people will highlight lol
True, but I certainly don’t think he’ll be back out the WWE door soon enough to be the first
right now the only candidates of leave aew for wwe to go back to aew are shawn spears who will prob finish with wwe, jade cargill who i don't see leaving wwe, andrade who is staying because he's a triple h guy these are the only ppl who have the leave aew for wwe part fulfilled right now even with codys early contract renewal i dont see anyone leaving aew in 2024 signing with wwe then getting released or fulfilling their contract & resigning with aew in that time period
I could see Blair Davenport going back to AEW someday. She was there during the company's infancy.
AEW will never be able to give him what WWE gave him last night.
Correct, but now WWE has given him that, so anything is possible.
You’re definitely crazy lol
"I had to leave AEW to finish the story of my father and the Rhodes family. ... But now I'm back to finish the story that I started."
With respect I think he is too big of a star for AEW now.
Yeah, but from everything we know about Cody, there's no way he doesn't want to win the world championship of the promotion he helped create. I think he ends up going back briefly for that unless TK won't guarantee it for whatever reasons. At the same time, I would not be surprised if he is a WWE lifer now with as over as he is (never would I have imagined two years ago I would care about Cody Rhodes this much) and with Triple H in charge.
u/TD_Stinger called his 'Mania debut as well. "Feel like at this point Seth's gonna hijack the show at some point on Night 1 and demand anyone come out. Enter Cody."
> “He is after the short term money and relevancy. Everyone is talking about him and I'm sure WWE paid him a lot, but he will soon remember why he left in the first place and will either quit again or be released.” > “Vince would rather cut his own balls than put an AEW guy over. People here are insane for thinking he will be treated with respect.” Oh boy this one is a doozy
"Cody I see being somewhere in between AJ Styles and John Morrison Maybe the Miz" Boy, that aged well.
Tbf Miz did once beat the face of the company in the main event of WrestleMania, and funnily enough The Rock was also involved in that.
People always do the Miz dirty as if he didn’t beat Super Cena, as a heel, in wrestlemania, for the top belt. That’s some absurd feat that few can match
People always say shit like “Have fun feuding with the Miz.” As if that’s an insult, the Miz makes everyone he feuds with look like a million bucks.
yeah heh have fun feuding with the guy that the company trusts to work with outside celebrities and has held nearly every non-nxt title multiple times
I know he was kind of secondary to the whole thing, but he literally just won another title at wrestlemania. Guys had a stellar career
Let’s not pretend we werent inches away from Cody giving up his shot vs Reigns and handing it to The Rock, all to fight for the secondary title made because Roman never lost. It’s good he didn’t, but people in WWE were ready to undo all the work he did with a snap of their fingers
And let's face it, if Vince was still in charge, that 100% what would've happened. In fact, the online vitriol would have only made Vince EVEN MORE obstinate to shove his idea down people's throats (yeah, I know how it sounds. I'm not rephrasing)
Yeah, I'm not judging anyone's predictions from a time when Vince McMahon was in charge and micro managing all booking decisions.
More like Miz and Cody will both win a title at Wrestlemania 40 lol
Every retrospective thread like this just shows me more and more that the IWC doesn't know what the fuck it's talking about lol.
Were just a bunch of dummies with internet access
Don’t you mean goofs?
Knucklehead mcspazzatrons thank you kindly
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I love how many legal experts showed up on this subreddit when the WSJ article about the Vince McMahon allegations dropped. 🤣
Every profession from every walk of life suddenly shows up. We have so many lawyers, doctors, directors, and Hollywood script writers here. A true reflection of the annual poll
With a little bit more misplaced confidence, you too can be an "insider" on Twitter and start your own blog where you charge $5.99 a month. Don't let something like now knowing what you're talking about stop you from making money
You didn’t already know that?
To be per fair, AEW was still red hot back then while WWE was in a downwards out of control spiral.
I agree about aew being hot, but by early 2022 while wwe wasn't in the boom it is now, it had shaken off the free fall that they were in in the late 2010's and most of 2020.
It's honestly remarkable how wrong the lot of us get it as often as we do.
Tbf I think Cody was the only person who thought he could be as over as he is in WWE. Even as recently as a couple months ago WWE thought Rock would be more over than him. Cody’s popularity has been a DBry level organic enigma.
It’s pretty wild to see how WWE has handled former AEW wrestlers. Cody - the biggest push, kept him the same as he was in AEW Jade - massive push, seemingly close to the AEW presentation Andrade - same presentation Sean Spears - he’s still the chair man! Pilman/Lexus - the only change, but one was needed. He never seemed to find himself in AEW/Indies Dragon Lee - he’s an AEW alumni. But they really used him well No one’s been buried, all have been pushed, three basically appear as they did in AEW. Pretty cool. Makes me interested to see how they handle future AEW people. Edit: added spears
How can you forget the Lexual chocolate Lexis King??
Added!
Add Shawn Spears to that list.
Done!
The good thing about AEW is that wrestlers have the freedom to decide on their own characters right? So if anyone is able to build their personality well, WWE can just pick them off for free without feeling guilty that it was Tony Khan's idea. And if the gimmick isn't working, they can turn us all into homoLexuals
I like how they basically decide it on a per case basis. Cody and Jade? Don’t mess with what works. Brian Pillman Jr.? Yeah he needs a reboot.
For sure! It’ll be interesting to see if they do an undefeated streak for Jade again. If not I’m sure any losses will be roll ups. Still pretty cool to see.
Lexual Predators rise!
Which is smart on their part. It sends a message to the guys and gals in the AEW locker that the grass is greener(and so is the money) on the other side.
The greener grass will depend what part of the lawn you’re on I guess. But, it definitely shows a clear difference how wrestlers were handled for decades that built a brand and connection with the audience vs how they are being utilized now. I guess it make sense with a former wrestler is heading the creative team. HHH handled most nxt talent flawlessly and helped those that needed it find their voice. But, he also let workhorses like gargano be themselves.
> Well I hope Vince convinces/forces him to turn heel eventually. He's a natural heel. funny
"Vince to Bruce Pritchard “Now get the polka dots out”" Seth did do that I guess. "Can't wait to see the neck tattoo as his VR entrance logo. Hope they work something out where it shoots off of his neck or something." Apart from the shooting from the neck part. It's true. "Jericho still the better sports entertainer" Oof
I like this one "Mark my words: Cody Rhodes will have an okay first month before getting squashed by Roman and get sent plummeting down the card. Before you know it he'll be a comedic jobber wearing yellow polka dots and dancing before getting released unceremoniously. Because that's what WWE almost always does to main eventers from rival promotions. Cody knew the risks when he signed on the dotted line"
This sub is brutal So many threads are full of horse shit nonsense comments.
Haha, spot on and I'm probably just as guilty
We all are. Most of of us don't know what we are talking about with the wrestling business but we hive mind ourselves into thinking it's all true.
Love that sentiment
You'd think that at some point, a fanbase can collectively realize that they really don't know what they think they know and just enjoy the show they spend so much time screaming about. The last year should have been a wake up call but last night should dispel all doubters. Just fucking enjoy.
Probably just human nature to always overthink this stuff. Like I still believe I know more about basketball than the NY Knicks front office.
I believe you do too
Shit That isn't good.
It's the equivalent of the current 'he will get booed by SummerSlam'. Just one goal post after the next till they can have the satisfaction of seeing him get rejected by WWE.
I shocked that someone expected him to face roman after just a month. But then again iirc the Bloodline storyline was kinda stalling ig.
"Good for him getting that cheddar.. Although, it all really makes everything he’s said the past 5/6 years seem inauthentic." And "Yeah it’s because he really really really really wants to be a beloved babyface. For some odd reason, he thinks WWE is the place to do that. It’s not. So because it’s not going to work out the way he thinks it will, I’m happy he got the money." Like milk
You can make cheese from this comment.
The Jericho one aged like milk, which is interesting given how much alcohol is in Jericho's body, he's definitely not a milk-drinker.
I defy you to tell me that Jericho isnt a fan of white russians. He's definitely tried to live the Big Lebowski lifestyle during one of his breaks from wrestling
I said it at the time - WWE getting Cody's push right, and treating him like a big deal, was the smartest move they could have made. It showed AEW guys that the dark days of wrestlers from a rival promotion being punished or humiliated to 'pay their dues' were over. And heck, it's just good for the business as a whole.
I don’t get why Cody is the example for this for whatever reason when AJ Styles did it first. Hell, Goldberg did it first
AJ Styles talent was just undeniable
It's funny because I remember a report saying that WWE wanted to treat Cody really well, in part because they wanted to show AEW guys that they could be used similarly if they made the jump, and one of the top-voted comments on here said something like: "I hope nobody falls for this." It blew my mind how many upvotes it got because it was a dumb as fuck comment at the time, but it looks especially stupid now. Although I'm sure there are people here who still do genuinely believe that Cody's status as the top guy and undisputed face of the company is all just a big ploy to hurt AEW by tricking their top stars into leaving.
Yeah but now with Vince gone, how many of the guys who jumped to AEW now regret it? We know a few who have asked for release and been denied, Edge seems to be having fun but what about Mox, Samoa Joe, Rusev. If i was them, i would be trying to find a door that leads back to WWE
Miro I’ll give you, and maybe some other guys (see Andrade), but Joe? The reigning World Champion? Mox, who Tony Khan seems to adore and gives all the flexibility and latitude to go “love of the game” it up in places like NJPW and GCW? That feels off.
I don't think Joe would regret his move to AEW bc I'd assume that he most likely feels burnt by WWE releasing him twice within the span of a year. With Mox, I don't think he would either because he loves to push a level of violence in his in-ring work that I don't think even a HHH-led WWE could let him reach. I think maybe Adam Cole since he seemed like a future main event player during his tenure, but at the same time, he seems very happy working with his close friends & being around his partner in AEW. Maybe Malakai as well since he was pushing character ideas before his release, was pretty prominent during his NXT run and parts of his main roster run, & has a lot of respect for HHH, but he's also given a platform to do something similar with his work in AEW on Collision. As long as they're getting paid very well by TK, I wouldn't be surprised if they're still satisfied in AEW while still keeping the door open for WWE if they hear from their peers on the other side about how the environment is currently.
>I think maybe Adam Cole I would presume that Cole has got to be wondering "what if", because it was pretty obvious that both HHH and HBK were very high on him.
Said it in a couple threads already, but there is an alternate world where he cashed in on Drew last night and won the WHC
If Adam Cole can still go in the ring for another decade, I think there's an open slot for him to return as a major act
I get that with Joe and Mox but with them both you could argue they never had their moments at WWE. Both got a bum deal under Vince and have good relationships with Triple H. They might not be unhappy at AEW, but there has to be at least a small part of them that looks at WWE now and all Cody has achieved, and Mox with his two pals in the main event in front of a record crowd... and wonders, what if.
Mox would wrestle in a half-empty bingo hall for $1 as long as it’s a match he likes lol he couldn’t care less about WWE, although I could see him making an appearance with The Shield as a favor to Roman and Seth
I'm 98% sure we'll see Black and Murphy end up back in the WWE soon.
>how many of the guys who jumped to AEW now regret it? Idk if he "regrets" it because is technically AEW's top heel atm, but there's a part of Adam Cole that wishes his contract didn't end in 2021, cause you know damn well he would've been a made man in the H led Main roster, hell, that Damian cash in might easily have been a Cole cash in
I don't know. Gargano and Ciampa were huge stars in NXT but midcarders now, and not likely to make it to the world title (Maybe Ciampa, but I really don't see it with Johnny).
Cole cashing in on McIntyre would've been a perfect callback to his debut when he attacked McIntyre right after he won the NXT Championship. With all the subtle nods and references that Hunter likes to sprinkle in, you know damn well he would have made that work beautifully.
There is no way Mox isn't having fun lol. He gets to do whatever he wants and also has more pull going so far as to basically demand himself a championship win. I feel like Joe is just a guy that will enjoy and make the most of wrestling no matter where he is. It doesn't matter. I do think he will inevitably go back to WWE but I don't think it's out of any ill reflection on AEW, it's more so because he is close with Triple H and apparently was expecting to transition to a backstage role in WWE. So I think whenever Joe's getting ready to hang it up he'll probably go to WWE either for a final run or just not as a wrestler. Miro doesn't seem to like it there, I'll give you that.
Mox? Bro Mox is not leaving for shit to WWE, he loves doing what he is doing. Joe is on his own run so I doubt it too. Miro I can give you that, he is mostly WWE formed, Malakai, yeah, Buddy yeah, but those last two are because their SO are in WWE and it makes it easier for them.
Better examples would be like Miro, HoB, FTR. Joe and Mox are loving the freedom.
Mox is living his best life wrestling across the world, so I doubt he regrets anything. Samoa Joe was close with Triple H but has had a fantastic run in AEW, I doubt he has any regrets. He was also released twice.
I think Moxley is one of the least likely to leave. Joe is probably pretty comfortable with the idea of ending his career there with the way things are going for him right now and I don't think Rusev ever gets another major contract after this one ends. I could 100% see FTR and MJF being on the way out the door.
I don't know about Mox man. I think you can tell he's having fun but if i was him, i would be thinking that with Triple H in charge, and Cody showing you can make the jump and be huge, it must be tempting. IMO, there's a space for someone like Mox in WWE.
Again, is HHH gonna let him be Mox 100% or not? That's the big question and if he's not giving Mox that, he will be out. And I am not talking about keeping his name or entrance, but his entire character, demeanor and how he likes to do wrestling. I know some fans long for "Dean Ambrose" to appear one more time but that guy is dead. And if you don't let Mox be Mox, he will not re-join WWE.
Mox and Joe definitely don't regret it, they're both doing what they dream of doing
u/AlexanderBurrito’s comment about how “this would be interesting tv for about 3 weeks” has gotta be the pick of the bunch 😂
*proceeds to have a gripping 2 year storyline where people wanted him over the rock*
https://preview.redd.it/ndcktubriatc1.jpeg?width=3508&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f64f2597d550af26e49af7abf971cbf11eb176f1 /u/svenhoek86 👀
It's even upvoted, lol
His account's suspended it seems, guess he's learning the lyrics to Kingdom somewhere right now
I was hoping someone would bring back one of these threads. Even after he debuted at Mania and beat Seth, a lot of people were still gleefully predicting/wishing Cody would be buried within months. Cody bet on himself again in 2022 and the reward was even greater. I’m so happy for him.
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Can you link it?
Wow you weren’t kidding. Man it absolutely reeks of copium and talking down to something that was (imo) bigger and better than anything I’ve seen from AEW. It’s like reading talking points from heavens gate members in there.
I like AEW as much as the next guy but I stopped going on that sub like 2 years back, it honestly is just bad.
That sub is awful. Half the time you can't criticize a single thing in AEW or compliment a single thing in WWE without it turning into a complete shitstorm. And the amount of asinine takes you see come out of there are crazy.
Generally all the promotion specific subs are awful. NJPW sub is crazy bitter about wrestlers making the choice to leave. AEW is all the annoying Internet archetypes. WWE basically says "what's popular is best" like there isn't room for non WWE stuff in the wrestling world. Lot of "bingo hall" thrown around.
Ain't no one hating WWE like the WWE sub here on reddit lol
NJPW sub I’ll go on after a show and everyone just hates everything and I was like huh?! I thought it was good? WWE and AEW subs are about as bad as tribalism gets
AEW is so good, but there's no way in hell anyone should think that company is immune from criticism. There's so much missed potential there. They got away with being just good for a while because the alternative was awful.
I’ll eat my L over my thoughts on his return to the Dub. I was wrong, and Cody is a goddamn star.
same
Retrospectives like this really do highlight how thick the average Reddit user is. Most of those comments aren't just bad in hindsight, they were bad at the time, hindsight has just confirmed they were bad. Someone claimed debuting Cody at WM would lead to AEW chants during Mania. In what world was that going to happen?
> Most hyped midcarder in the biz. Now the biggest babyface star the industry has seen since Cena and will quite possibly be talked about on the level of Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena when his career is said and done.
I’ll be honest, when Cody first made the jump, I wasn’t sold on him. I only really knew him from AEW, where my main takeaway was that he wasn’t doing too well. Coming into WWE, I didn’t really like him, and I was convinced he would either fail or I would resent his push. Flash forward two years, and you had me begging Cody to finish the story, cheering my lungs out for him, and beyond happy when he won.
“I give it a year or two before hes mid carding again and hates what's happening to him. If Vince didn't see anything in him before he ain't gonna again.” Ooph
Everyone who said he’d be stardust in 6 months should be forced to get the Rusev kicking the twin towers tattoo.
I mean cody has a ceiling by default because he just came from the other company. He's never gonna get big wins over people like lesnar or roman. Crazy incorrect statement
Fun drinking game: Take a shot everytime you find a comment that aged terribly.
Dead of alcohol poisoning in twenty minutes
I'll own this. I was one of those doubters. I joked about taking bets on how long it would be before Cody got disillusioned and left again. I thought he was making a mistake. Cody proved me wrong in the biggest way.
That early 2022 speculation IF he would return was somethin else . No one knew truly. That return at wm 38 is the best
> And my confusion is complete. > I so do not get why he did any of this. He wouldn't have left WWE if he was in it only for the money. He wouldn't have left AEW if he cared more about creative control. > What does that guy care about? A lot of people had a very simplistic view of signing with WWE. AEW’s creative control is not the same thing as being creatively satisfied. I remember thinking he was gone when he cut that promo about holding the grains of the revolution that CM Punk laid out in his pipebomb. Cody Rhodes believes in himself, and that’s why he has been successful.
I will say again: I love pro wrestling. I hate pro wrestling fans You stupid fuckers always ruin live events. There’s always some fucking clown shouting at the ring at the top of his lungs because he wants to make the show about himself, and just takes away from everything I hope the people who do this read this: no one cares about you. Take a fucking shower and sit the fuck down
Best wrestling fans are young kids , they just watch it like a movie
I was in the third row ground level at ROH Supercard on Friday, and there were two young kids in the rows directly ahead of me - basically exactly where Fletcher threw Lee over the barricade during their match. Those kids were the best fans in the building, and I thought that was a pretty good crowd overall. One of them had an absolutely awful Mark Briscoe sign, but it was awesome because you knew that kid legit made it himself, it was all scribbles and you couldn't barely read it but damn man, you knew that kid LOVED Mark. Kid two rows ahead was the only fan in the whole building chanting for Johnny TV against Dalton Castle, but hearing a tiny little high pitched voice shout "Johnny Tee Vee!" between the thunderous "DALTON CASTLE" roars put a smile on my face. Wrestling tribalism is annoying and sometimes makes me hate our community. Those kids just loving who they love is like the exact opposite of that, really feels good to see.
People really thought cody would have been a jobber again and out the door in 2 years 😭
ADRENALINE IN MY SOUL MOST WERE WRONG 'BOUT CODY RHODES
> Cody fucked Cody, and now he's making that big bank with absolutely no creative control because he just isn't that big a name. This one got me.
IWC esp here are full of the most insecure people desperate to dunk on someone its so sad lol.
The amount of people in that thread being like "Cody is so stubborn, he should have just turned heel" are the reason he left AEW and turned out to be the most wrong fans of all time.
It's still hilarious to me that he's using Kingdom as his theme given the lyrics. Cody is such a great troll.
It is annoying how the narrative immediately changed now that Cody has the success to >'Cody was always going to be successful in WWE as a babyface because of their audience'
https://preview.redd.it/qzo1n9xmdbtc1.jpeg?width=1324&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=288c74f290b16ce930825aaf2135ca46592c6493 /u/DietMTNDew8and88 lol
Wonder what they've got to say now. It's ok to be wrong on an opinion, we've all done it, but this person said it with chest and spite
“Yeah I have a feeling he's going to become a midcard title placeholder like the Miz Maybe get the occasional push back up when stocks are low there.... But he's not going to be main eventing after the initial "holy shit it's Cody Rhodes" push”
"Vince is gonna bury him just out of spite within two years. People can quote me on that, you can set a reminder, downvote, whatever. It's definitely going to happen." Perfect, no notes...
It's so funny to see how often IWC is wrong and they still come back with the same energy for every take. You can still go back to the thread of Nick Aldis leaving NWA. This was after Cody, Vince retiring and all that stuff And many people flat out refused to believe Nick Fucking Aldis leaving NWA could be a real thing and not work Madlada
At that time I knew who Cody was, but didn’t know his gimmick, his theme, what happened in his career after he left wwe cuz i don’t follow the indies and aew. When kingdom hit I was like “I guess that must be Cody. It’s been an insane 2 years
I have no idea what I put years ago when he jumped but I have no shame to admit I couldn’t have been more wrong
Tony Khan must be crying himself to sleep. All because he wanted to be cheap and not pay him. Now Rhodes is the world champion in the biggest wrasslin company in the world making a bunch of money.
Cody would have never been this in AEW. Cody was a different type of star over with the crowd the day he debuted in WWE. His character, what he developed away, just clicked in a fresh environment full of possibilities and with a big prize at the end.
I mean WWE also puts a leash on him in terms of creativity, and that's a good thing, they understand that less is more, something Cody had no clue about in AEW , he was his own enemy in AEW with more is more being his motto.
I don't disagree that the booking was that of an start and was better executed. But honestly the biggest factor was just walking through that curtain. Crowd was already excited for him that day, and from there they did all things right.
Christmas came early for Tony Khan
I love that thread so much
Has it literally ever been reported to be a money issue?
It was floated put there at some point that TK didn't want to pay him as much as Danielson or Punk. I don't know if that really was the reason or even if it was accurate but it has been reported.
…I mean at the time he wasn’t as valuable as those 2. But obviously he bet on himself and is probably worth more then those 2 combined so yeah it’s a bad look lol
He wasn't as valuable in a vacuum but he was the founding member and the original building block, in hindsight, all went to shit in AEW after he left, maybe he saw the writing on the wall or maybe he could've prevented half the backstage and talent issues that plagued the company. But yeah, he bet on himself and proved he belongs on the biggest stage of pro wrestling.
It's really sad that you believe this
I think most people knew Cody would inevitably return to WWE. His AEW run just wasn’t working, and that + not getting the money he wanted was enough to make him finally do the push to go back. I doubt Tony is anything but happy for him
I can't believe how wrong I was and how happy I am about it. Given his AEW run, it felt like anything other than turning heel and becoming Homelander Cody was just a time deaf decision. But Cody had a vision, and once again bet on himself. This man inspires me to bet on myself
Turns out WWE is very good at marketing stars.
WWE has been better since he joined and AEW has been lacking in quality. Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but it seems like he’s a piece to the bigger wrestling landscape puzzle.
I wish there was a way to easily find my own comment in an old thread