Cody Rhodes has said that no one has ever gotten close to surmising why he and Brandi Rhodes left AEW for WWE in 2022. 

Rhodes is a three-time WWE Champion heading into his fifth WrestleMania main event in April. But there was a time when he had yet to ‘finish the story’ and co-founded AEW with Tony Khan and The Elite in 2019, serving as both an on-screen cornerstone and Executive Vice President behind the scenes. Likewise, Brandi had joined AEW as Chief Brand Officer and also played a role on-screen.

Both pledged to keep quiet on why they departed the company they helped establish, and Khan has also kept coy on the subject for his part. But that hasn’t stopped discourse and speculation on the matter, even if Rhodes said during “The Breakfast Club” that no one has yet to accurately surmise what had happened. 

“When we left [AEW]… It came down to her deciding to not talk about it. We’re not going to talk about it. We’re moving on. Did bad stuff happen? Good stuff happened too. I’m not going to talk about it,” he explained. “And one of the sad things about not talking about why we left and the departure, one of the difficult things was narratives get created, stories get told, podcasts happen, fans literally think they know what happened when no one’s been even close.”

Rhodes said that’s what he finds to be selfless from his wife, the fact that she lives with the narratives being spun and continues to respect AEW enough not to talk about. 

“She respects, not just here, but the place we left enough to go, ‘I’m not going to talk about that.’ And that made it so, ‘They’re good. They’re out of here.’ That was very, very helpful for us. And good stuff happened there too. But that’s what I mean by selfless because she lives with that.”

Together, and sometimes apart, the Four Horsewomen ruled the 2010s and early 2020s of WWE. According to Charlotte Flair, they’re also the reason she fell in love with professional wrestling, which is why they stand atop her personal Mount Rushmore of women’s wrestlers.

“Honestly, I can’t disagree,” Lynch said, referring to Flair’s statement made on “Complex Graps.” “That’s a great answer. I won’t say many great things, but that’s a great answer. We really did change the game. We’ve changed the game.

“I think this is the first year in 10 years when you haven’t had one of the Four Horsewomen in one of the world title matches [at WrestleMania]. But then you got me in the Intercontinental Title match and that’s more important, more interesting, bigger, better represented than the world titles have been. So who do you have to thank for that? Me, one of the Four Horsewomen, on the Mount Rushmore, greatest of all time. We’re a great foursome. Never really aligned all together, but we did great work. We’re still doing great work. We’re all doing great work. People love our work.”

While Mone is enjoying success in AEW and across the indies, Lynch, Flair, and Bayley are all chasing titles at WWE WrestleMania 42. In Lynch’s case, she heads into the big event as the number one contender to the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, a title she’s held twice before. Flair and Bayley will stand on opposite ends of a four-way bout for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, with Nia Jax and Lash Legend defending. Lynch, Flair, Bayley, and Mone have all defended or won world titles at “The Show of Shows” in past years.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Cheap Heat” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Following their heated confrontation last week that led to their Stand & Deliver match becoming official, former tag team partners Sol Ruca and Zaria almost got into a brawl on the streets of New York City ahead of “WWE NXT” live from the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden. Video of their heated confrontation was posted online.

The video, obviously staged for fans to catch and share to social media, was posted by an account called Dropkick Discussions to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. The footage shows Zaria being moved away from Ruca by WWE officials as the women shout at each other near a line of hot dog stands and other food vendors. As she’s being moved away, Zaria can be heard telling Ruca how she could “never be jealous” of Ruca, because she’s “selfish and self-centered,” as Ruca stands by more calmly by alongside Nikkita Lyons.

Sol Ruca and Zaria got into it outside MSG!! 🫨🔥 #solruca #zaria #wrestlingnews #wwenxt #wwe #prowrestling pic.twitter.com/3PI9fFsWYz

— Dropkick Discussions (@jjoseph___) March 31, 2026

After months of tension between the pair, starting when Zaria lost Ruca’s Women’s North American Championship when she was defending the gold on her behalf at Gold Rush back in November. After many more weeks of Zaria getting more and more frustrated over Ruca’s various opportunities, the “ZaRuca” implosion finally happened on the February 24 edition of “NXT.” Zaria cost Ruca her shot at the NXT Women’s Championship when she attacked the number one contender before the match. Zaria hit Ruca with a spear and an F5, allowing for Jayne to get the easy victory.

The pair had a face-to-face confrontation in the middle of the ring last week and will face off at Stand & Deliver in St. Louis on Saturday.

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.’s live coverage of the March 31 episode of “WWE NXT!” There’s a big fight feel in the Big Apple this Tuesday evening, with several high-profile matches and face-offs scheduled for “NXT’s” Madison Square Garden takeover. With “Stand and Deliver” just around the corner, who knows what WWE’s explosive roster of hungry upstarts will do to secure a last-minute place on St. Louis’ hallowed card?

After Blake Monroe stole Tatum Paxley’s “NXT” Women’s North American title following her March 17 title defense, Paxley interrupted Monroe’s signature bath-time monologue to lay down the gauntlet for a face-to-face segment. The champion is keen on getting her championship back, but just what Paxley has planned for the title thief Monroe is anyone’s guess as the two women meet in middle of New York City.

Both women’s titles will be in the spotlight tonight, as Lola Vice takes on Kendal Grey in a Number One Contender’s match to determine current “NXT” Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne’s “Stand and Deliver” opponent. The current AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion has been on fire in both the United States and Mexico, but how will she hold up against the former “WWE Evolve” Women’s Champion Grey? Will Jayne and her Fatal Influence lackeys interfere in the match? All questions will be answered as Vice and Grey battle in the concrete jungle, with Jayne’s title hanging in the balance.

Ethan Page, Ricky Saints, Tony D’Angelo, and “NXT” Champion Joe Hendry have been at each other’s throats for weeks, with hands flying indiscriminately from contender-to-contender, contender-to-champion. What was just a long-rumored match for the “NXT” Championship will be made official tonight, as Page, Saints, D’Angelo, and Hendry will sign the contract for a Fatal Fourway match at “Stand and Deliver.” Words will be exchanged, pen will meet paper, and bodies will certainly litter the ring. Just what these four competitors will do to each other ahead of “Stand and Deliver,” however, will be revealed.

And we’re live in New York City! We’re joined by Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary as Madison Square Garden erupts in raucous applause.

Francis Ngannou confirmed that his deal with MVP and Netflix is a one-and-done situation. 

Ngannou is returning to MMA on May 16 against Philipe Lins on the card headlined by Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, the first MMA event to be streamed on Netflix. It will mark his first fight since 2024, having beaten Renan Ferreira for the PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Championship, which was in itself his first fight since leaving UFC as the unbeaten Heavyweight Champion the year earlier. 

Ngannou confirmed to Ariel Helwani that he will be fighting just the one time for MVP as it stands, confirming it isn’t a multi-fight deal or promotional agreement. He also said that streaming on Netflix was a major drawing factor for him to sign.

“It’s just this fight, not a promotional agreement,” Ngannou said. When asked whether he was getting paid better than when was with PFL, he said, “That doesn’t matter… Of course [I’m happy with it], otherwise I wouldn’t have said yes. I’m happy for the opportunity as well. This is the first MMA fight that will be on Netflix. So I was more excited about that. That was a big decision factor.”

Ngannou departed PFL in January, though the promotion announced it only a few days before his fight was confirmed for May 16. He has since said that he had been pushing for another fight under the PFL banner, that it was their decision for him to leave, and he would like to remain with the PFL Africa brand if that remains a possibility.