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When Cody Rhodes left AEW for WWE, it was anything but a clean break.
Sure, technically, the “American Nightmare” could do whatever he wanted to once he was let out of his contract by Tony Khan, as, after his option was declined, he could and ultimately did sign wherever he wanted to, but he left behind storylines that went unfinished, questions that may never be answered, and members of his Nightmare Factory family who had to re-jigger their plans on the spots within the promotion, from Lee Johnson, to QT Marshall, and even his half-brother Dustin Rhodes, who remains with the company to this day.
Did the older Rhodes have any ill feelings towards his younger brother for taking the money and running? Well, Denise Salcedo decided to ask “The Natural” that very question in an interview for Instinct Culture, and, in an interesting twist of fate, Dustin acknowledged that, yeah, it is weird that Cody isn't a member of AEW anymore, but he's fully supportive of his brother attempting to #FinishTheStory.
“Yeah, kind of. I love my brother, but he has to do what he needs to do. He has a story that he's had in his mind that he has to finish,” Dustin Rhodes explained via Fightful. “We've all heard it, every single week, ‘finish the story.' I tell him that all the time. I hope he does. I think he's probably slated for it this year, at least I'm hoping. He doesn't know yet. We're just playing it by ear. He's working hard, he's trying his hardest to be the face of that company. It would be nice to get a payoff, the one Rhodes in the family that actually pulls it off, it's pretty cool. I'm behind him 110%, very happy for him, I love him to death. He's earned it. He deserves it. Deserving has nothing to do with things, but I really do believe he deserves it, but more so, has earned it. He's a great businessman, he has a good mind for creating, kind of like my dad did. I'm the worker of the family, Dad was the creator, and I think Cody has a little bit of both. It's incredible. I'm not the creative type, I can't be a booker, it's not me, I won't do that. That will tear my soul apart.”
Would anyone hold it against Dustin if he was a bit bitter over Cody's exit, as they were fixtures of AEW's early years together, as his run with the company was undoubtedly altered by becoming the lone Rhodes in the promotion? Sure, but at this point, with his career rapidly approaching the 18th hole, it's nice to see one brother fully supporting the other, as the story's completion has more to do with the Rhodes family legacy as a whole than Cody's story individually.
Cody Rhodes wants to bring the WWE Championship to Atlanta.
Speaking of Cody Rhodes' desire to #FinishTheStory, the “American Nightmare” actually addressed his future himself after the most recent edition of SmackDown with an off-camera promo for the fans at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
“Atlanta is my hometown. I've done some silly stuff here,” Cody Rhodes told the crowd via Fightful. “Jumped off of a cage that was too high, set myself on fire, got into a fight with Brock Lesnar. I've done a few silly things. But all of them were in the efforts to give this city, the town, the community that raised me something to remember. When you're home, you share things that only you would share at home. Here's one. There is only one thing that makes me tired of coming home. The only thing that makes me tired when coming home is coming home empty-handed. I think we need to change that. I am not immune to all the news, everything that's happening, what will happen, what won't happen. All I can tell you is this. I'm the right man for the job. I'm the best man for the job. I'm heading into the Royal Rumble, I'm gonna go back-to-back, and I'm gonna bring a championship back home to Atlanta.”
In a way, you have to feel somewhat bad for Rhodes at this point, as he spent a year wanting nothing more than a rematch against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, but the landscape of the industry continues to change in ways that aren't necessarily in his best interest, like the returns of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the re-hiring of CM Punk. Still, if Rhodes does get himself over and lands the biggest win of his career, it will be all the more sweeter, as the odds are even further stacked against him.
Cody after Smackdown went off air:
“I’m heading to the Royal Rumble, I’m going to go back to back and I’m going to bring a championship back home to Atlanta.” pic.twitter.com/k8KeM9aOPj
— Roman Reigns SZN 💥 (@reigns_era) January 20, 2024
