Another Cody Rhodes Update: His departure, Rhodes to the top, more (Patreon)

In an update on the Cody and Brandi Rhodes AEW departure, the locker room began talking last Wednesday, when neither were seen in Atlantic City for AEW Dynamite. Leading up to that, many talent that we spoke to were suspicious that Cody Rhodes' entire contract situation had been a work, with a lot of question marks regarding the legitimacy. However, they came to realize that the situation was real. It became clear to a few by Friday that a deal likely wouldn't be reached.

We've heard from AEW sources that some had reached out to Cody over the weekend, but the situation was downplayed, and he even said that word of him leaving was conjecture, and he was simply negotiating. Those that had spoken to him say that he claimed he loved working with AEW and Tony Khan. There are several production employees in AEW who were partial to working with Cody Rhodes, as he went to bat for them within the company.

Despite reports to the contrary, Fightful never gained a confirmation that Rhodes to the Top would be returning for a second season, despite asking WarnerMedia, AEW and TNT numerous times. Those we spoke to in AEW have not seen any filming for the program taking place of late. There are hopes that other wrestlers can be featured on reality programs, with Darby Allin being filmed of late.

We've not yet heard of any non-compete attached to an EVP separation, but Cody's deal expired at the end of December. Rhodes' team has spoken with WWE, who were aware that the AEW departure announcement would be coming at 10 AM.