Arn Anderson Reflects On Cody Rhodes' Decision To Leave AEW

Cody Rhodes moved one step closer to achieving the dream he's always strived for by winning the 2023 men's Royal Rumble match and punching his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 39. "The American Nightmare" now aims to become the first Rhodes to hold the WWE Championship, a goal he outlined after returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Despite shocking the world by leaving AEW, a company he helped start, to return to WWE, Rhodes' comeback felt like a homecoming. Since his departure, however, Rhodes' former manager Arn Anderson and his son Brock have been in "limbo," with Rhodes' absence leaving them without a spot on weekly television.

However, Anderson said he holds no hard feelings towards Rhodes for his exit, stating that he has texted with his former protege since Rhodes returned to WWE, as recently as after the Royal Rumble. During an interview with "The Ten Count," Anderson detailed how proud he was of the man he's known since day one, mentioning the "rich history" he has with Cody, Dustin, and Dusty Rhodes.

"When the decision was being made to leave, there was going to be a lot of backlash and a lot of different opinions," Anderson said. "When you're in this business, wrestlers are always changing companies, all the time, it's the history. When you make that decision based on the birth of your child and the things you want out of your marriage and being a new father, how can it be wrong? Tony Khan is a great human being, he cares about the talent and as much as I'm sure he hated losing Cody, but if that was his decision, he was going to support it." Anderson said a lot of the AEW talent is still friends with Rhodes, despite his departure from the company. The WWE Hall of Famer also believes Rhodes will "do wonders" for WWE and is happy about the success he's enjoying, believing that AEW will have "a lot of days" wishing Rhodes was still a member of the roster.