Cody Rhodes Believes He Should Have Been More Of A Player In AEW, Less Of A Coach

Cody Rhodes' time in AEW saw him frequently losing against a number of young AEW stars or new signings. Be it MJF, Malakai Black, or Andrade El Idolo, Rhodes had a few high-profile losses while in AEW. 

In an interview with "Bleacher Report," Rhodes admitted that he probably should have been more of "a player" in AEW.

"I was letting some of them beat me long before they should ever beat me," he said. "I wanted them to succeed, and I still do, but it wasn't time for me to be a coach. It was time for me to be a player."

"The American Nightmare" wore many hats in AEW, apart from that of a wrestler, which included helping AEW's community outreach, backstage production, and coaching younger talents. Unfortunately, Rhodes' status as a performer and a coach clashed, and in order for him to mentor others in the company, his own status on-screen had to take a back seat.

Despite Rhodes having only lost 17 of his 73 AEW matches, those 17 losses stuck to Rhodes' character. His 2019 loss to Chris Jericho was a major one in his AEW career, which barred him from competing for the AEW World Championship for the remainder of his time with the company.

But things have changed for him in WWE as he is without a shadow of a doubt "a player" in the company. After winning the Royal Rumble match, he'll be heading into this weekend's WrestleMania 39 to challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event of the show.