WWE Star Cody Rhodes Contrasts Experience Working With Tony Khan, AEW With CM Punk's

After everything between CM Punk and AEW appeared to be a thing of the past, Punk re-opened discussion on Monday, when he appeared on "The MMA Hour" to give his view on his time in AEW, owner Tony Khan's leadership, his relationship with Elite members the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, and the incidents that led to Punk's departure. Two days later, Punk's WWE co-worker Cody Rhodes found himself on "The MMA Hour," with Ariel Helwani asking Rhodes if his assessment of working for Khan and AEW, the promotion Rhodes helped found and worked for from 2019 to 2022, was similar to Punk's.

"That's his assessment, it is not my assessment," Rhodes said. "It's always important for me to remind people that I am so proud of what me, Matt, Nick, Kenny, Tony, Bernie, Brandi, and Dana, and Chris. And I name all these people because I was in those meetings. As much as the internet will try to spin a narrative one way, if one of those people had not been at that start-up level, the company would not have happened. And I am so proud of what was created. 

"I am so insanely proud of what it does for the industry overall, for wrestlers and their well-being, and their ability to feed their families. And I have an unbelievable for so many people in that locker room, including the Bucks, including Kenny. We're bonded forever over this thing that we did. So it's not my assessment. In my time there, the infrastructure was just being built up, but we were trying new things and doing things. It was a start-up company, a big-time start-up company, but a start-up company. And I wish them nothing but the best."

Rhodes' time in AEW did coincide briefly with Punk's after the latter joined AEW in August 2021. While Rhodes confirmed he never saw any issues between Punk, Khan, and the Elite, he did feel there would be some tension between Punk and AEW talents that had been there from the beginning. Ultimately though, he doesn't fault anyone for the issues that arose.

"I just think what happened there is a ton of misunderstanding, a ton of miscommunication," Rhodes said. "You will see on indies and wrestlers that aren't properly trained, and I'm not talking about bullying etiquette or anything like that, but you do need to have a little old school in you to know the collaborativeness of what this is. And I just think they were ships in the night. I know I was Switzerland the last time you asked me. I love Matt, Nick, and Kenny, and I love CM Punk. I don't know how, but I do. I am just happy for everyone involved, and I just think it was a ships and the night's thing. I wasn't there though, so."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The MMA Hour" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription