Despite being an EVP in AEW, Cody Rhodes' decision to return to WWE has paid off massively for the American Nightmare. Now among WWE's top Superstars, he's reaching a bigger audience today than he'd have ever done had he remained part of Tony Khan's struggling pro wrestling promotion.
It's become clear we'll never be made privy to the full story behind why Rhodes jumped ship from AEW, but it seems Khan tried his best to get him to stick around.
Talking to Sports Illustrated, Rhodes confirmed he was offered a match with WWE Hall of Famer - and one of his heroes - Sting. "The last match I was offered in AEW was that match," he reveals. "It wasn’t confirmed or anything like that, but just the little I had to do with his debut there is a wonderful memory."
"I was a little Stinger. Maybe I’ll pull out a Stinger Splash in his honor. Seriously, cheers to a wonderful career."
Near the end of his run in AEW, Rhodes was struggling to connect with fans and we have to believe he'd had gone into a match like this as a heel. It could have been a lot of fun, though Sting will now be retired by an unnamed opponent at next year's AEW Revolution PPV.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rhodes was asked about his recent - albeit very brief - run as one-half of the Undisputed Tag Team Champions with Jey Uso. "Jey has been a superb teammate," he says. "I need to ask him what inning we are in."
All signs now point to Rhodes ending the story at next year's WrestleMania by finally dethroning Roman Reigns to become Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. If WWE decides against heading down that route, it will be a real missed opportunity, and Cody has said on a few occasions now that Seth Rollins' World Heavyweight title doesn't hold the same appeal to him.
RAW takes place tonight and that may go some way in clearing up what's next for Rhodes in WWE. However, we'll be very surprised if the American Nightmare isn't included in this year's WarGames match at Survivor Series!
TheRingReport.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.