In many ways, Cody Rhodes is the face of All Elite Wrestling, though many fans continue to boo him.
“The American Nightmare,” alongside the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and Kenny Omega, helmed a revolution when they launched All Elite Wrestling with company president/general manager Tony Khan. But three years into the promotion’s remarkable run, it’s quickly reaching a major point in its history, as many of the initial contracts are coming up. Rhodes, the Bucks and Omega aree at the top of that list, and while the Jacksons have signed extensions, Rhodes evidently hasn’t inked a deal yet.
That being said, in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the former AEW TNT Champion made it clear that he doesn’t plan to go anywhere else, and he noted that AEW be “very strange” without any of its core members.
“As of now, my future is with AEW,” said Rhodes . “AEW would be very strange without the core members of the revolution. We all still talk. We all have this admiration for each other. I can’t see myself anywhere else, and I’m very optimistic about what the future holds.”
Assuming Rhodes does sign an extension, he still has many goals for his time in AEW. He described how he wants to make the company appointment viewing, and he aims to do new things in a variety of ways, though he didn’t show his hand in that regard.
“I have a lot of data-based goals,” Rhodes says. “I ask Chris Harrington, our SVP, a really good number for a demo average. I always say I want to make AEW destination programming, and that’s numbers-based to me.
“I’m looking to move toward undiscovered terrain,” said Rhodes. “I want to create what’s never happened before, so I am going to take a different approach than any other wrestler. That’s what I am looking forward to doing.”
Moving forward, Rhodes’ specific plans aren’t clear, as he played his cards close to the chest when discussing his goals. But it’s fair to assume that he’ll remain one of AEW’s most recognizable stars for some time to come.