Ever since Cody Rhodes' shock AEW departure, speculation has run rampant that the former TNT Champion is heading to WWE. During Monday night's episode of RAW, the company started dropping hints that Rhodes might be WWE-bound, but SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee's recent comments might not make the former AEW EVP feel overly welcome!
Taking on The Pat McAfee Show, he said: "I guess Cody Rhodes is coming to WWE. I guess. Who cares dude? Him and his little friends started something, it was terrible. We actually went head to head on Wednesday, we beat them a couple different times. Who cares dude? To hell with Cody Rhodes. Now people are going to think I’m starting an angle with Cody Rhodes."
It's worth pointing out that the outspoken McAfee was joking, and he'd go on to say, "I’m actually pretty pumped if Cody’s coming back. Obviously a massive name in sports entertainment. If he’s coming to Smackdown, I’m excited about it. Cody Rhodes is going to be cool though in WWE."
"Put him back as Stardust [Laughs]," he continued. "Seeing what he’s done in AEW and seeing what he was doing in WWE, I can see why he maybe wanted to [leave]. But if he’s back, he’s back. I’m excited about it."
McAfee might have been having fun here, but burying Rhodes in such a public forum probably isn't the best way to tie into WWE's attempts to build hype for Cody's impending return. Of course, it's worth noting that the announcer stepped into the ring for a match with Adam Cole in NXT, so perhaps he's angling to work with Rhodes? That could be a relatively big WrestleMania match...