It would be impossible to argue against the fact that the house lights were cut, the elevator was brought in, and the crowd lost their shit at the entrance ofCody Rhodes. His match with the wrestler was high quality. That wasn't the problem.
When things are going well, it's a tradition forCody to be available to all media outlets. He likes to talk about himself. He has mostly earned the right, given what he has accomplished. The seeds of what drove him out of AEW and to New York are still there.
All of the reasons for jumping, and to be the first to go the other way, from AEW to WWE, seemed to be a celebration of himself. Having just had a baby and wanting to maximize his earnings makes sense. Wrestlers only get a short window to be the main guy and the check that comes with it, and having children is a spur to most being as financially supportive as they can. Good on you for that.
It's important to see where he came from to figure out where he's going. He left the company because he felt he wasn't valued. He wasn't the first to leave the company and go on to have a good career around the globe, but he was one of the few to leave voluntarily. He was the biggest name to immediately carve out a big place for himself in Japan with NJPW and on these shores with ROH, invading the Bullet Club and tussling with Kenny Omega for leadership of that group being the main story that spanned both of those companies.
All In was the driving force behind AEW. On TV, and through the Pandemic,Cody helped get AEW off the ground. He was a major creator of the first company to stake out a place on TV and be a competitor with World Wrestling Entertainment in two decades, at least in terms of being a viable place for wrestlers to go to be on TV or for fans wanting something different.
We're not done! At the company's start,Cody put on some good matches, like putting over guys like Sammy Guevara, and then put over guys like Brodie Lee. These guys were made stars by him, like they never had a chance in the wrestling business. In the span of three years. It's mind-blowing.
He messed it all up.
The crowd didn't turn onCody because they were supposed to. He was so up his own ass that he wouldn't let anything happen without him. The booking that he forced upon fans and Malakai Black was a way for the company to protect their stars. He forced himself on cards with people like QT Marshall. He solved racism. He wasn't content to just be part of the scene and ride its ebbs and flows. The fans wouldn't go along with him being above it.
It made him a mid-carder. He should be applauded for taking himself out of the main title scene to leave room for others. He was upset that Tony Khan didn't understand that he had to pay top of the card prices for a mid-card performer, as well as giving him the say over creative that he wanted. When he was treated as the main guy, he was happy to play the revolutionary and maverick. As soon as he wasn't there, all that fell by the wayside.
He's in a wrestling organization with a fan base that isn't quite as sophisticated as AEW's. His name will give him a buzz for a while. He was happy to turn on everything he said he stood for just a few months ago. Even though we all remember him smashing that throne, there were love letters to him. We know his desire for mainstream success, and his allusions to his game show and reality show, as well as his other projects. Making a living without breaking your body is appealing. You can't be the leader of the wrestling revolution. You can't be all of that when you also want to be the face of AEW, a company that is supposed to be about sports entertainment.
He told us that Vince told him that it was not broke and that he could do all the work. It was broken. The fans were watching it. They were not booing the character. They didn't want to see him.
The two audiences are very different. AEW is a niche crowd more beholden to the values of the independents, which was never going to be receptive to the presentation of the WWE. Along with everything mentioned above, the audiences will be. He doesn't have to worry about people booing him.
It is far more unpredictable than a place. The buzz will die down. At a surprise entrance at Mania, the Hardyz were welcomed the same way. They were basically scenery again within a year. Vince likes to go back to his favorite toys. How much else is there if he doesn't get into a program with Roman? There were a lot of dance partners who did good work for the company. It wasn't enough for him, but he did it for a while. In a place where there is no mid-card?
Most of the matches were good, which was the main reason whyCody was not going to go into the trash in AEW fans. He won't be able to do that with New York. He can bleed anywhere. With just 10 minutes of TV time, he can be so methodical in his matches. He's less likely to get a chance to work on a story. He will be celebrating himself while refusing to be anything else without the matches to back it up. Heels celebrate, but they won't do it.
He might be able to make enough out of the grace period. He will be a joke everywhere but the bank if it doesn't. We know how he handles that.
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