Cody Rhodes' role in 32-year-old star joining AEW revealed

Cody Rhodes was a driving force for AEW that led to its inception in 2019. At the time, when he held the corporate position of Executive Vice President, he was responsible for a lot of important decisions, including the signing of a now-popular name on the roster.

The aforementioned 32-year-old star, who is a former TNT champion, is Darby Allin. The face-painted wrestler is considered one of the four pillars of AEW, having been a part of the company since the start and gaining prominence for his daredevil style, captivating persona, and alliance with WWE Hall of Famer Sting.

In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Darby Allin revealed that he "blew up" Cody Rhodes' phone to get an opportunity to join All Elite Wrestling. While other rising names were inclined to join WWE, Allin had an opposite mindset and wanted to sign with AEW upon hearing about the creative freedom offered to its stars.

"I was like 'dude I need to be in this company' because at that time a lot of people that were offered to go to AEW or WWE were like ‘oh I’m just going to play it safe, I’m going to go to WWE’. I was the exact opposite, I was like 'f**k that I gotta go to AEW', I heard the words 'creative freedom'."- H/T WrestleTalk

Cody Rhodes lost a major match at WWE Crown Jewel 2025

Cody Rhodes left AEW in 2022 and returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38. He went on to become one of the top attractions for the company, joining the likes of Roman Reigns and John Cena as the next poster boy.

However, the Prodigal Son suffered a major setback at the recent WWE Crown Jewel Premium Live Event. He squared off against Seth Rollins for the WWE Crown Jewel Championship and failed to secure a back-to-back victory this year.

With Cody Rhodes coming off a massive loss, it remains to be seen what is next for the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion.

Make Sportskeeda your preferred choice for WWE content by clicking here: Source preferences

Edited by N.S Walia