WWE Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes Comments On His And CM Punk's AEW Exits

Cody Rhodes' 2022 exit from AEW surprised many people, especially since he was one of the company's co-founders and EVPs. There have also been plenty of rumors about his departure, but Rhodes told journalists at the WWE Royal Rumble post-show press conference that they shouldn't believe everything they hear about his reason for leaving. Furthermore, he believes that Punk probably wanted to leave for reasons only he knows.

"Don't believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. [It was a] personal thing. And probably a personal thing for Punk, and that happens. People come, people go. It's not a huge thing."

Of course, Punk was fired by AEW following a reported backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023. This came after the infamous AEW Brawl scandal, which reportedly saw him and Ace Steel get into a backstage fight with The Elite.

Both Superstars now seem content with their positions in WWE, and Rhodes isn't looking back. "The American Nightmare" has said leaving AEW was an easy decision for him, and he's now out to finish the story by winning the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.

Following his second consecutive Royal Rumble victory, Rhodes declared his plans to face Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40. As of this writing, it's unknown what WWE's plans are for Punk at the biggest show of the year.

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