When Cody Rhodes left AEW behind for a second run with WWE, the reactions on the All Elite side were mixed.

Sure, Rhodes was an AEW original, maybe the AEW original, considering he was the most front-facing member of the founders but over the course of his run, he went from the top babyface in the promotion to a middling mid-carder who refused to turn heel and had a pretty notable falling out with his fellow EVPs that left things awkward, to say the least.

Could the four EVPs have made it work? Probably so; by the end, the “Codyverse” has established its own weird little world outside of what the rest of The Elite were doing, and while every angle didn't hit, it certainly had its fans. Still, considering where Rhodes currently stands in WWE, it's safe to say things worked out very well for the “American Nightmare,” as his stock is about as high as any current professional wrestler in the world today.

And yet, despite how things ended and how everything has developed since, the Young Bucks, Nicholas, and Matthew Jackson, don't hold it against Rhodes for leaving or for bolstering their “enemy,” with the duo instead simply happy to see their friend succeed, as they noted in a pre-Revolution interview with Sports Illustrated.

“AEW will always be our baby. It's our life's work. We sought out to change the world, and we did just that. We created a new workplace for so many deserving people. Tons of talented individuals received a spotlight that they may have not gotten otherwise. And several people's careers were taken to new heights because of the sole existence of AEW. We're proud of the things we accomplished with Cody and happy to see him rising to the occasion. We're all rooting for each other,” Matt Jackson told Sports Illustrated.

“Speaking of Cody, I thought it was in poor taste that Darby brought up that he was the only competent EVP the other day on the microphone on live TV. Until that moment, I thought Darby was a sweet kid. Someone who could get a nice singles push once Sting leaves. He's an AEW original, someone who perfectly fit the image of this company. But I took great offense to that. If it weren't for us, he'd still be living in his car, working Dragon Gate USA shows for $75 bucks a shot.”

Nicholas Jackson weighed in on Rhodes, too, letting fans know that there is no love lost between their once and future friend.

“Cody is the face of the WWE now, and it's cool to see because we always knew how much of a star he was,” said Nick Jackson. “The founders of AEW will always have a lifetime bond with each other because we all know what we did for wrestling. We talk every week and in a weird way him leaving made us grow more as friends,” Nick Jackson revealed.

“And with the negativity, I've gotten really good at ignoring it. For one, I haven't had Twitter for like four years now, so that's probably a big reason why I don't see a lot, but I still hear about it. I think my close family members have a harder time with it. People forget we're human beings and a close family member just recently was like, ‘I was reading these nasty comments about you, and they think you're a bad human being', and she said how hurtful it was to read that stuff about us. So it sucks to see that type of stuff, but I tell my family all the time not to worry, but I can handle it because what's most important to me is my life outside of all this.”

On paper, it makes sense that Rhodes would hold no ill-will towards AEW, as without the promotion, he'd likey be working Shawn Spears angles back in NXT – assuming WWE even wanted him back – instead of headlining WrestleMania 40 but in the end it's nice to know that the Jacksons feel the same way, as they could be bitter to see their former co-worker shining off of something they all built together. In the end, if that friendship is genuine, then maybe there's a happy ending to The Elite story after all.

Arn Anderson credits Cody Rhodes for getting him back into wrestling.

Speaking of AEW personalities who have a vested interest in seeing Cody Rhodes succeed, Arn Anderson, the “Enforcer” of the Nightmare Family, had nothing but nice things to say about the “American Nightmare” on his ARN podcast, thanking his former client for helping him to get back into the business.

“Cody Rhodes brought me out of mothballs and, in the time was with him, let me enjoy the business again when I was completely burned out on the backstage part of it,” Arn Anderson explained on his podcast via Fightful. “I was never burned out on the performance side of it. So he made that happen. Thank you to Tony Khan. Thank you, Cody. I mean, once again, they allowed me to enjoy the business again and love the business, which I've always loved the wrestling part of it, just not too much on the politics. It just consumes you. So, I will be eternally grateful.”

Would Anderson have found a way back into wrestling without AEW? Potentially so; his son is working on the indies following his own run in AEW, and if that act would have picked up, it's safe to say Arn would have been standing beside Brock Anderson to lend his Four Horseman star power to the developing grappler. And yet, without Rhodes, that path back to television would have been a much harder to achieve, leading to a mutual respect that will likely last until both men hang up their boots for good.