Cody Rhodes is a professional wrestler in WWE.

Now granted, it certainly feels like he does a whole lot more than just that, as he does a ton of media for the company, makes charity appearances for Make-A-Wish and others, and even runs a wrestling academy on the side with his former AEW coworker QT Marshall, even if it would appear the school has been on break since back in January, but at his heart, Rhodes is no different than any other wrestler, taking their assignments and working them the best they can.

In AEW, however, Rhodes was tasked with so much more, as he was also producing matches, helping to run the community outreach department with his wife Brandi, and filling out the rest of the responsibilities of being an EVP alongside his fellow Elite members, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.

Discussing just how challenging it was to do so much in AEW with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Rhodes reveals how taxing the entire EVP experience was for him and, in turn, how excited he is to simply be a wrestler in WWE.

“One thing that’s been really very real and in front of your face, and accurate is that the long road sometimes can be very special, but you have to see it. You have to really, if you say it out loud, no, that’s not gonna work, no way. But if you see it, then you start to feel it. And it’s even sweeter if that moment comes, if that day comes, but there was, I’m sure, a myriad of plans,” Cody Rhodes said via Wrestling News sources.

“I’m so plugged out of a creative aspect because I mean, from the time I was PayPaling you, my days as a creative person are I’m not interested in them.

“Even if I had the best idea ever, I would be afraid to pitch it to anybody, just because it just, it just burned me out doing it. And I was too young to be doing it. I should have just been throwing my tights on, boots, on being a wrestler, Superstar, however, you want to put it. But that was the job. And that’s what the audience wanted and just was a lot of taxing, great lessons though.”

Once upon a time, Rhodes noted that he wanted to be the quarterback to Paul “Triple H” Levesque's coach. Based on his most recent comments, it would appear that assertion is/was/will continue to be dead-on for the foreseeable future.

Cody Rhodes reveals his opinion on stealing moves in professional wrestling.

Discussed his professional wrestling career further, this time with Sean Ross Sapp at the premiere of American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes, the “Grandson of a Plummer” was asked about incorporating other wrestlers' moves into his own moveset, with the Pedigree, the Figure Four, and Cody Cutter obvious homages to Triple H, Ric Flair, and Will Ospreay, respectively.

In Cody's opinion, these maneuvers are homages that he believes he's earned after wrestling another performer so many times.

“Booker T, in the corner. Jerry Lynn also does it. I’ll do the spin over into a sunset flip. My rule is, if I wrestle you more than five times, I can do all your stuff. It’s only my rule, and people hate it. I love the Cody Cutter. I think it’s better than an Os-Cutter, but I did get it from Will, so fair play to Will, who’s super talented. Beyond super talented,” Rhodes said via Fightful.

“If I’ve wrestled you more than five times, I told Jay Lethal this once, and he hated it. He’s like, ‘No, wait, no, no, that’s not how it works.’ I can do your stuff. It’s just my rule, and I’m waiting for someone to be like, ‘Hey, please don’t.’ But hey, I like to sponge. Part of what we do is, I got to lean into being a Rhodes, so I can do these Rhodes things. I got to lean into being part of the indie revival. I got all that, and I’m lucky to have been part of it. So I sponge off as much as I can. The Booker roll, which Jerry does as well, there’s a couple of Arn Anderson things that I do that are hard to visualize. It’s all someone else’s. I just try to put into a Nightmare package.”

In this particular situation, who is right, Rhodes or Lethal? Should professional wrestlers develop their own moves, borrow them from foes they face, or learn them from friends either by collective action or by “earning” them in a match a la the Great Muta gifting the Shining Wizard to Kaito Kiyomiya on his farewell tour? For better or worse, every wrestler has to make their own decision, and others will have to judge it as they see fit.