With AEW Double or Nothing officially here, the fine folks at Busted Open Radio decided to stir up a little intrigue to ask Cody Rhodes, the former TNT Champion, about his relationship with his former company now that he's established himself as the top guy in WWE.

While Rhodes didn't mention the promotion by name, he didn't disparage the brand either, noting that while he may not be a member of the company anymore, he remains a fan and will never root against them because of his history.

“I think I'll always have an eye on it because it's just not something you can abandon in your mind in a sense that me, Matt (Jackson), Nick (Jackson), Kenny (Omega), Tony (Khan), Brandi (Rhodes), Bernie (Cahill), Chris (Harrington), and Dana (Massie) started this thing. Especially if you were in those initial meetings. I'll always have an eye for it. I could never pretend it's not there anymore,” Cody Rhodes told Busted Open Radio via Fightful.

“Jacksonville is a funny place because always, when WWE comes to Jacksonville, people ask, ‘How do they respond to you here?' I was really proud of how it was on SmackDown because that's really what it was. I spent a year, I spent my pandemic in Jacksonville. I was at Daily's gym. We were there on the beach and at Daily's Place. All we were trying to do was to get people through the toughest times and hard times with sports entertainment and with pro wrestling. I'm always appreciative that Jacksonville is appreciative of it. I wouldn't root against my former company, and I keep eyes on them, and I have a lot of really great memories, really more than anything. Sometimes, things are just for a season in your life. That was a season in my life, and it was a really great season.”

Well, if Rhodes can avoid tribalism while literally holding court as the top champion in the WWE Universe, what's preventing his fans from doing the same?

Would it have been easy for Rhodes to mention beforehand that he didn't want any AEW questions? Sure thing, he did just defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia and could have conditioned that he would only talk about those pursuits in his appearance on Busted Open. Still, it makes sense that Rhodes still has a fond spot in his heart for the company he helped to found, as if he didn't join AEW, he wouldn't have established the “American Nightmare” as an international star and likely wouldn't be the WWE Champion today on an elevated platform. For better or worse, Rhodes' professional legacy is firmly and forever linked to AEW, and whether the promotion burns out in six months or truly fights forever, the “American Nightmare” will forever be remembered as an act forged in TK's trenches.

Tony Khan talks AEW's media rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery.

Speaking of the future of AEW, Tony Khan recently sat down with Sports Illustrated to talk about the promotion heading into Double or Nothing, including the company's forthcoming media rights negotiations which are ongoing with Warner Brothers Discovery. While TK didn't exactly break any news in his interview, he is very excited about where things are going, as things are shaping up for a massive financial windfall.

“It’s a really exciting time for AEW. We’re in active negotiations for the AEW media rights. Warner Bros. Discovery continues to be the best possible partner, and they’ve helped us grow this brand. It’s going to be a very exciting remainder to this year, and we’ll find out where AEW is going to live,” Tony Khan explained via Fightful.

“For everyone who cares about AEW all over the world, we’re in a great position. This is going to work out really well for AEW. We’re having great talks, and people should feel very confident about what that means for the wrestlers, the staff, and the fans. As a result of everyone’s hard work and endless support from the fans, there will be a tremendous deal for AEW. The outlook for the company is so bright moving forward.”

Will AEW stay exclusively on Warner Brothers? Will Ring of Honor get a new television deal, too? Or will TK break the shows up, with some staying on TBS/TNT while others find a home on, say, FX or ESPN2? Either way, this will remain a prominent storyline until Khan signs on the dotted line, whether he likes it or not.