Cody Rhodes’ decision to leave AEW surprised a lot of people. Not only because he was one of the company’s top on-screen talents but an Executive Vice President behind the scenes, too. Many wouldn’t be willing to give up the power that comes with such a position. Though after returning to WWE, Rhodes had claimed that he wasn’t mature enough for the role.
In an interview with the Out Of Character podcast, The American Nightmare said that he’s glad to have been part of the cast but he feels like it wasn’t the best use of his time.
I think that role. I did well with it. I was very active. I did start a department. The community department and Brandi did bring KultureCity into the wrestling and sports entertainment space. So we were very active in terms of all the facets and assets of that gig. But I think that job was meant maybe for [someone older]. We wanted a wrestling company brought to you by wrestlers for sure.
That’s a huge part of the mission. But maybe it would have been better served for me at age 45 than it did at age, you know, 33 or whatever it was. I am just now entering the prime of my career. So to make political decisions, like boxing myself out of winning a world championship, those decisions in hindsight, were not the correct decisions and [not] what I should have been doing.
Cody Rhodes repeated the comments about being the best wrestler in the world, but he couldn’t reach this potential due to his role as executive vice president. According to Cody, it may have been better for him in an earlier part of his life- before Cody decided to be a top contender in WWE.
I’m the best wrestler in the world. Ryan, I can tell you that without it sounding braggadocious and it’s simply because this is all I do. I train to do it. I live and breathe it. I have a school here with four rings. I treat this like an athlete in the NFL would treat a game and their team. But with that in mind, I needed to go and be that.
I wanted it to be both and it was just too difficult and that’s where I did not have the maturity to balance it. It wasn’t a matter of being one of the boys versus not because I’m no longer just one of the boys. I love it and wish I could be one.
But I’ve been in this position before. I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been in these production meetings and things of that nature. I’ve been part of the technical production.
But I just think it would have served me better a little later in my life when I could look at a show and say I don’t want to be in the top spot. You need that good competition in your locker room, that positive real competition. If I can’t be the best wrestler in the world on television because I’m afraid I’m going to offend colleagues, because I am also their boss. That was the situation we were in and I just played it in the middle. There was only so much playing in the middle I could do. Now you know I’m not in charge of anything, other than me.
