Cody Rhodes says he told WWE executives that he’s the best wrestler in the world, says he’s still rooting for AEW President Tony Khan despite leaving AEW, serving as an executive producer for the documentary that A&E is producing on his father

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Cody Rhodes spoke with Variety in an interview that was released on Saturday night. The following are the highlights of the interview that can be read in full at Variety.com.

Cody Rhodes recalled telling WWE officials that he feels he is the best wrestler in the world: “I told Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and Nick Khan — this very small circle of individuals — I told them what I truly believe and it’s that I’m the best wrestler in the world. And to go further with it, I actually don’t think there’s a close second. But with that said, the opportunity now exists to prove it, and that’s what I’m most excited about. It’s a completely different individual returning to the game. It’s a different brand. It’s someone who’s experienced all the wonders of independent wrestling, of traveling internationally, of being able to get on the ground with the fans that make this whole ship move.”

Rhodes was also asked about AEW departure: “I chose to remain silent about my departure from AEW and I’m going to keep my word on that. There’s no shoot interview. There’s no nefarious tale that’s going to be told. There were all these different theories and none of them are correct. I mean, there were things about money and creative control. They were printed as fact and it’s been a very difficult two months to see that, when the reality is it was just time. It was a personal matter and we couldn’t move past it. I have nothing but respect for Matt [Jackson], Nick [Jackson] and Kenny [Omega]. I’m rooting for Tony Khan. His name is going to be in the history books as someone who helped to bankroll and support this entire alternative and revolution that AEW became but for me, it was just time to to move on. I get an opportunity at my dream, I get another chance at it. And you really can’t leave any stone unturned with that.”

Rhodes also spoke about being an executive producer for the A&E documentary on his late father Dusty Rhodes: “I also just wanted to share with you because I haven’t been able to share with anyone, I’m really excited that A&E is doing a documentary on my dad. To be able to be the executive producer on it and not have that even be in question and to be able to coordinate people who really were in his life and to tell his story, that’s a big part of this journey as well. To see that and have that crew there as well. Part of his journey is part of mine.”

Powell’s POV: So the mystery continues as to why Cody left AEW. It’s admirable that Cody continues to speak positively about Tony Khan and the other EVPs despite whatever led to his departure. It’s also good business, as you can’t rule out the possibility of Cody returning to AEW again someday. It may seem like a big long shot now, but it doesn’t seem like as much of a long shot as Cody returning to WWE did during Cody’s first year on AEW. It’s an interesting interview that also includes quotes about keeping the American Nightmare persona, returning at WrestleMania, the biggest lesson that he carried into Saturday night, and a fun item with Cody sharing the story of Dan Lambert gifting him the WWWF Championship belt that his father and Superstar Graham fought over.