Biggest Gamble Of All”: Cody Rhodes Reveals Fear That WWE Return Would Be A “Mistake”

When Cody Rhodes made his shocking return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, it felt like a triumphant homecoming. However, behind the pyrotechnics and the “Kingdom” entrance theme, there was a significant amount of fear. In the years since, Rhodes has established himself as the face of the company, securing two WWE Championship reigns and main-eventing multiple WrestleManias. Yet, looking back on the decision to leave his executive position in AEW to return to the place that once relegated him to the mid-card brings up distinct feelings of anxiety for “The American Nightmare.”

Cody Rhodes Opens Up About The Risk Of Leaving AEW

Rhodes recently appeared on a new episode of the Six Feet Under podcast with The Undertaker, where he reflected on the gamble he took. He admitted that, contrary to some online narratives, he had a “good gig” in AEW, complete with an executive job and Warner Media television projects. Walking away from that security to bet on himself in WWE was not an easy choice.

“The situation, looking back at it now, so many things were happening,” Rhodes explained. “I had two television shows that were on Discovery now, but Warner Media programming. I had to juggle that, I had to really weigh it out. Obviously, opportunity is amazing, but I had to really weigh it out. Is this a mistake, right? They didn’t see it the first time. They saw a little of it, but they didn’t see it. Is this the biggest mistake ever? You think the first time leaving is the biggest mistake ever. Coming back, my fear was like, this could be the biggest gamble of all. I had a good gig. I had, contrary to what you hear, and how the internet likes to internet, but I had a good gig. I had an executive job. I loved the Bullet Club guys. But evolving and moving myself forward, it was just a lot to weigh out.”

Rhodes noted that the risk was entirely on his shoulders. If he failed, the machine would keep moving, but his reputation would be shattered. “Had I gone out there and belly flopped in the pool, like, it wouldn’t have hurt WWE at all. It would have been, ‘See, he wasn’t. He was Little League all along.’ Now I’m getting anxiety over it now, and it’s over. We already did it. We’re good, we’re good.”

From “Undesirable” To “Undeniable”

One of the keys to his success was the way he was presented upon his return. Rhodes highlighted that he was treated as a star immediately, with his history outside the company tacitly acknowledged and respected. “I was presented as if I never existed there before, in a way,” he said. “Like, I was presented as this fully polished, ready, if you didn’t know, and you were a young kid watching, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool. Like, you jumped right in. And if you did, you were rewarded for knowing the journey.”

Now, Rhodes finds himself at another crossroads. Having recently dropped the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre, he enters this weekend’s Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia with a singular focus: earning another shot at the gold and proving once again that the gamble was worth it.

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