Opinion
Cody Hits The Rhode(s)
Rob explores one of the biggest topics in wrestling right now! Rhodes newly traveled, and how this is dredging up interesting perspective in the IWC.
It’s purely coincidence, but absolutely poetic, that in the same week Dr. Dre performed at halftime of the Super Bowl Cody Rhodes announced that he and Brandi were leaving All Elite Wrestling. Like Dre bolting Ruthless Records to start Death Row Cody left the WWE, wandered the wilderness for a bit then joined up with Tony Khan, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks to start up AEW. And like Dre, Cody shocked the world by not coming to an agreement on a new contract and then leaving the company he helped start to take on the establishment. (I guess that makes Tony Khan Suge Knight….the players for the Jaguars would probably agree with that assessment.) The revolutionary found himself on the outs in the house he helped build, and did the thing we thought he’d never do – leave.
Now to be honest when Cody first left WWE I figured he’d be back. He didn’t sound bitter and he left on good terms. But once AEW came together I thought he wouldn’t. It looked to me at least like he’d gotten all he wanted – the prominent spot on the card, the outside ventures he’d missed out on in WWE, the creative control over his character that he didn’t have in WWE, and a position for Brandi that allowed her to do more than ring announce – and that he was satisfied enough to stay where he was. But I was wrong about Dean Ambrose and I was wrong here. In this case me being wrong reveals something about this whole company war that a lot of you guys have been fighting.
If the man who engaged in the most performative acts of Us vs Them – the Throne Breaking, the Golden Shovel, the promo he gave just weeks ago railing against name changes and the like – can pack up and leave ‘Us’ to walk across the street to ‘Them’, albeit under some duress, then that should tell you all you need to know. The Company War, the Pro Wrestling vs Sports Entertainment War, the Freedom vs Control War, whatever you want to call it, was like everything else in the wrestling business: a work. And if you bought into it, whether you work for either company or are a fan, then you got worked. Sorry, there’s no other way to slice it. At the end of the day, it’s a job. You get the most you can out of it for yourself while you are there, and if it’s time to move on you do it. Your loyalty is to your family and not the company.
Now what does it all mean? More in perception than reality in my opinion. They have the wrestlers to fill Cody’s place without missing a beat. But psychologically it’s gotta sting a bit. If one of the EVPs, without whom the company would have never gotten off the ground or reached the heights it did, can be forced out and leave then anyone can. Do they need Cody Rhodes in 2022? Not really. His 10 to 15 minutes of TV time can easily go to Keith Lee or some pending arrival or some of the people who are already there and could use some more time. His slot on pay per views can go to Keith or someone else as well. Cody himself will likely go back to WWE and if nothing else he will make some good money to close out his career. He’ll get a few big matches on the front end at least, and may very well head to a backstage role in a few years.
The simple answer here is that Cody leaving the company he helped establish is a game changer in terms of how people in AEW may view their place there. There are more than a few true believers there and their worldview has been rocked by this for sure. There are also some men and women there who have already smartened up to the business a bit, who were already setting things up to explore their options in the future, who may not be as afraid to leave for the one literally greener pasture out there. All the talk about WWE being a prison doesn’t hit the same when one of the main people spouting that line looks like he will be signing up for another bid sometime soon. And since he was forced out then some may start wondering when their day is coming.
You see Cody represented something way bigger than anything he did in the ring. Cody was the man who walked away from WWE before it was cool, before there was another nationally televised wrestling company to go to. He left WWE to wander the earth like Cain from Kung Fu, through the indies and Ring of Honor and New Japan without having a stable home for another three years. He was the IWC’s hero for that, and he deserved that praise because he took a genuine risk in leaving like he did, at that time. And when he helped build a home in AEW he sang it’s praises like no one else. He led the charge against the Evil Empire for three years, but the eventually was forced to drop his spear and pick up the flag of the opposition. And it’s gonna be a bit disheartening for some when he cuts the eventual ‘I went looking for greener pastures but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side’ promo on a Monday night down in a few weeks or months.
But that’s where it looks like things are headed, which puts Tony Khan at a crossroads (see what I did there?). This past week has not been a good one, PR wise. There’s the Cody business, the big audience number drop this past Wednesday (as much as I say that number doesn’t matter if you run it up the flagpole every week like Tony does when it’s good then you have to eat it when it’s bad), Big Swole’s podcast interview where she aired him out entirely, and his feeble attempt at deflecting it by telling us that yet another big announcement is coming next week. Whether he realizes it or not, the cracks are starting to show. I’m not calling gloom and doom here but the biggest thing that he has needed to avoid was looking like just another wrestling promoter and now he’s looking exactly like one.
As for Cody, a new chapter begins and we’ll see where it goes. A new uncertain day is here for sure and change is coming for sure on both sides of the street.
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
-
Podcasts7 days agoGreg DeMarco Show: WrestleMania 42 – Know What You’re Watching
-
AEW Results6 days agoMitchell’s AEW Dynamite Results & Report! (4/22/26)
-
Results4 days agoMitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/24/26)
-
Results5 days agoAndrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.23.2026


