Mick Foley On What People Should Give Cody Rhodes Credit For

Cody Rhodes' WWE return didn't come without questions after Rhodes became one of the faces of All Elite Wrestling and a pillar in creating the company in 2019. When the son of Dusty Rhodes decided to make his return to WWE after several years away from the company, many criticized the move after Rhodes was vocal about his dislike for his time spent there in the past. He would also occasionally take jabs at the way WWE handled business.

After defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38, Rhodes made it clear that his goal was to return and capture the World Championship, a belt that's alluded him and his family forever. Since returning, Rhodes has been one of the top stars in the company and positioned as the main draw on the "Monday Night Raw" roster.

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley commented on Rhodes' return to WWE, stating how happy he is to see him come back to the company and be more valuable than when he left.

"I think people should give Cody a lot of credit for leaving WWE on his own because he believed he was capable of more," Foley said during the latest episode of his podcast "Foley is Pod". "And he was. So I applaud anybody who goes out there and makes themselves more valuable without the national TV machine behind them."

Unfortunately for Rhodes, he's since suffered a gruesome torn pectoral muscle, an injury that's going to reportedly force him to be on the shelf for three to five months. The former AEW TNT Champion didn't leave abruptly though, facing Rollins inside Hell in a Cell in one of the gutsiest performances in the company's history before coming back the next night to seemingly be written off WWE TV.

Continuing to discuss the success of AEW, Foley mentioned how important it is to have talent outside of WWE succeed and why WWE CEO Vince McMahon needs to hear that at times.

"The Young Bucks did it, Kenny Omega did it," Foley said. "Kenny didn't have the national platform like a WCW, a WWE, but he did have an opportunity to go there and said 'No, I'm good,' and that's great for business. Vince needs to hear that more often, whether it's Vince or Triple H hearing the 'Yanno actually, I'm good where I am,' I like that."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Foley is Pod with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.