Tony Khan: Cody Rhodes has been ‘very positive’ in our interactions since AEW departure
Tony Khan only has good things to say about Cody Rhodes and the contributions he made while with AEW.
Back in July of this year, Rhodes appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast and discussed his departure from AEW, noting that being disrespected in AEW felt different than it would have in WWE because AEW was a promotion that he helped build. Still, Rhodes said that, despite there clearly being “bad blood,” there was still love and respect between himself and AEW.
Khan was asked about Rhodes’ comments during a new interview with Q101 in Chicago. Khan noted that Rhodes is usually pretty gracious with the things he says about AEW, so he would give him the benefit of the doubt regarding these remarks. Khan added that things have always been positive between him and Rhodes in their interactions since Rhodes left AEW.
“You know, he does a lot of interviews. And I think when you have to say so many words so often, because he works so hard. He works such a big schedule. And to his credit, I’d bet he does hundreds of interviews a year,” Khan said. “And I’m not sure I agree with that, but I also would give him the benefit of the doubt that, you know, I’ve heard him say a lot of positive things too. And for somebody that doesn’t work here and that’s involved in the competitive promotion, he’s usually pretty gracious with the things he says. And I’ve seen him since he’s been gone. And it’s always been very positive and good. I have only good things to say about him and his contributions here.”
Rhodes and Khan, both founding fathers of AEW, are two of the most important people in the history of the promotion. A “personal issue” caused Rhodes to leave, though he’s never fully explained what that issue was. Still, Rhodes has said he’s rooting for AEW to succeed and believes its existence is important to the health of the wrestling industry.
Since returning in 2022, Rhodes has been one of the top stars in WWE. He currently holds the WWE Championship heading into a title defense against Drew McIntyre on the January 9 episode of SmackDown.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.