Cody Rhodes has opened up about the real reason he was able to return to WWE, crediting a key decision made by his wife, Brandi Rhodes, following their departure from AEW.

Speaking on The Breakfast Club, Cody reflected on the exit from the company he helped build, explaining that the way Brandi chose to handle the situation played a major role in shaping what came next.

“Our departure from the company we were with and helped create, and that was AEW. It came down to her deciding not to talk about it to just move on.

Like, we’re not going to talk about it. Did bad stuff happen? Good stuff happened too. But I’m not going to talk about it.”

Cody went on to explain that staying silent came with its own challenges, particularly as speculation began to grow online, with fans and media creating their own versions of events without knowing the full story.

“One of the sad things about not talking about why we left is that narratives get created. Stories get told, podcasts happen, and fans think they know what happened when no one’s even been close.”

Despite that, he praised Brandi’s approach, calling it a selfless decision that helped ensure there were no lingering issues between themselves and AEW, ultimately making his WWE return smoother.

“And what I would say is the selfless part is that she lives with that. She owns that. She respects not just here, but the place we left enough to say, ‘I’m not going to talk about that.’ And that made it so that they’re good like, they’re out of here.

That was very helpful for us. And again, good stuff happened there too. But that’s what I mean by selfless, because she lives with that.”

Cody also touched on how fan perception can often spiral beyond reality, noting that while some narratives take hold online, they do not always reflect the majority of the audience.

“One of the things about that is wrestling fans they create narratives. They think they know. I had to remind her, ‘Hey, it’s not all the fans.’”

He pointed to WrestleMania 40 as a turning point, where Brandi joined him on stage and received a strong, positive reaction, helping to reinforce that the fanbase had not turned against her.

“And WrestleMania 40 was the prime example of that. I said, ‘You’re going to come out with me at WrestleMania 40.’ And I was so happy because the fans reacted big pop, big excitement.

I just needed to nudge her a little, like, ‘See? Those are the real ones. They get it. They’re not mad at you.’”

Cody finished by emphasizing how unique wrestling fans can be when it comes to welcoming talent back, regardless of past exits or controversies.

“That was very important that she felt that. Because a lot of wrestlers step away, go somewhere else, or make a mistake, and when they come back, the fans always welcome you back. They’re really special.”