There are no longer any "smoke and mirrors" surrounding the current status of Cody Rhodes, as the co-founder of All Elite Wrestling and former TNT Champion has reportedly inked a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment as of two weeks ago. While Rhodes' contract status has seemingly been confirmed, the nature of his impending return to the WWE fold is still up in the air.
This news comes weeks after his and wife Brandi's amicable split with AEW and Tony Khan, after which rumors began swirling as to Rhodes' next move. Would he find another promotion on which to roost, leave wrestling altogether to pursue outside projects, or would he in fact return to the WWE, the company in which he languished in obscurity as the astronomical nut "Stardust" for the last few years of his initial run?
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Rhodes is indeed contractually slated to appear on WWE television in the near future, but in what capacity has yet to be determined. One strong possibility is a feud and match with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38, given the numerous "nightmare" and "dashed" references made in relation to Rollins' diminishing hopes of getting on to the Mania card, as well as WWE's liberal use of "adrenaline" in their social media advertising being a potential nod to Rhodes' popular theme music. Another idea is to have Rhodes' return be the customary "shocking moment" on the WWE Raw episode taking place the night after WrestleMania. Regardless of what plan may be in place for Rhodes, he is intended to be placed on the flagship show's roster following WrestleMania 38.
Rhodes' initial run with WWE is certainly a fascinating roller-coaster career to look back on. His character growth was all over the wrestling spectrum, from his early days as Dusty Rhodes' plucky, young rookie son and Randy Orton's "Legacy" lackey to his "dashingly" unhinged metamorphosis and "mustachioed magnificence," to his later years of not only aligning with his brother Dustin "Goldust" Rhodes, but becoming an even more bizarre entity in the form of "Stardust," an identity he would assume up until his departure from WWE in May 2016.
Suffice to say, Rhodes' first run with WWE is a rather unique one and shows the wide breadth of his character work and potential, whereas his time in the independent circuit and helping to found AEW showed his growth, finding his own identity while maintaining and growing the legacy his late father, the legendary "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, had set out for him. Now, Rhodes returns to WWE years later as his own man, ready to take on the world.
There is still much speculation whether all of this is simply a "work" by Rhodes and his wife, given the unresolved threads left loose in AEW, his off-kilter promos and his constant teasing of "never turning heel" before his sudden departure. There's always the "never say never" mentality that reverberates among wrestling fans, but with the ink supposedly dried on his new deal with WWE, Rhodes has seemingly moved on, and perhaps so should the fans as well.
Source: PWInsider