Cody Rhodes opens up about AEW exit to Bill Simmons

For more than three years, Cody Rhodes has kept relatively quiet about his exit for AEW.

But it appears the WWE superstar is now ready to tell his side of the story regarding his 2022 split from the company he co-founded. And Bill Simmons is getting the scoop.

In a clip for an upcoming interview on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Rhodes can be seen discussing his AEW departure the most in-depth that he has since it happened. “The American Nightmare” admitted that there’s still “bad blood” between himself and the pro wrestling promotion and revealed that he felt disrespected by the circumstances that ultimately led to his exit.

“There’s clearly bad blood. But there’s also clearly respect and love,” Rhodes says in the clip. “The way I kind of see it is, if I felt disrespected ever at WWE, that’s one thing. That’s a company that was built… that’s the Yankees. That’s the flagship of it all. If I ever felt there, I was a number on a sheet, maybe. But feeling disrespected at something I built with my friends and that we built, feeling disrespected there, I wouldn’t stand for it.

“And I think [Rhodes’ wife] Brandi and I both — I’m so blessed to have her — It was one of those where it was, ‘f*ck it, I did way more here than you think, and you’re gonna find out the moment I’m out the door.'”

The son of “the American Dream” Dusty Rhodes proceeded to state that he subscribes to the theory that success is the best revenge. And while he may have been receiving a mixed reaction from the AEW audience at the time, Rhodes remained confident he was on the verge of something special with his on-screen character.

“If I’m not gonna do it in the house that I literally built with Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson] and Kenny [Omega] built, then buddy, I’m going elsewhere,” he told Simmons of his mindset at the time.

“There’s clearly bad blood, but there’s also clearly respect and love.”

Cody Rhodes discusses what led to his departure from AEW. pic.twitter.com/U8RYZ90rHD

— The Ringer (@ringer) July 31, 2025

It didn’t take long to see that Cody Rhodes would make good on that threat, as he returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 and quickly established himself as one of the company’s biggest stars. Three years later, the 40-year-old is the undisputed face of the company as he looks to recapture the WWE championship in a main event match against John Cena at this weekend’s SummerSlam event.

Meanwhile, Rhodes’ departure was a clear hit to AEW, especially when coupled with CM Punk’s controversial exit a year later. Reading between the lines, it seems notable he didn’t mention AEW owner Tony Khan as he referenced the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega as fellow co-founders, although this is also only one clip from a longer interview.

Previously, Rhodes had only addressed his breakup with AEW in vague generalities. And while he didn’t offer all of the specifics (at least not in this clip), it’s certainly fascinating to hear his perspective on what proved to be one of the biggest moves in pro wrestling history.