By Haydn Gleed
It’s not a stretch to say that most wrestling fans saw the news of Cody Rhodes asking for his release from his WWE contract and were gobsmacked. How could this guy who was living the dream and had the potential to stay in WWE in some capacity for years to come decide to throw it away. After reading his explanation for asking for his release, I have been left with nothing but respect for him.
It is worth noting at this point that we only have Cody’s side of the story regarding how his career was being handled by management. For the purpose of this blog, let’s just work with the hypothetical notion that what Cody said is the truth. With that being said, how many of you reading this would have the guts, no matter how much you hated your job, to just get up and walk away? When you add to that the fact that as a WWE wrestler, he also giving up the fame and the money, it adds to the bravery that he showed saying this is not how I want my career to be managed and then doing something about it.
The statement he issued via Twitter is intriguing. He didn’t bury the company and at some points he was respectful, but at the same time he did get a few shots in. It was not a ranting, swearing, over the top statement. Thus, it reads as an honest, well written, and obviously well thought out statement that felt authentic. The shot about the system being unrecognizable and broken was perhaps too far, but if that’s what led to his departure then so be it. The newsworthy elements to it are obviously the fact that he wanted to abandon the Stardust gimmick for six months, which would put it just after his father’s death. He also raised the brass ring term which has become somewhat of a derogatory comment when talking about how talent feel the will never reach the mythical ring that Vince talked about no matter what they do. After all, and again we have to take the statement as the truth, if somebody not only says I think I could be better by doing A, B & C, and refuses to take no for an answer and also came up with his own ideas, what more could he have done?
So this brings me back to respect. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are unhappy wrestlers and employees in nearly every company in the world, but most will stick to the status quo and not rock the boat. They will continue to pick up their checks and piss and moan when their bosses are not within earshot. Again, I want to take my hat off to Cody Rhodes for not only making a statement with his words but also by his actions. He is a talented wrestler and, given his previous training and based on how he threw himself into the Stardust role, an acting gig is not out of the question. I hope he is a success in whatever he does next.
As always, if you want to get in touch, feel free to get in touch via twitter @haydngleed or via email haydn.gleed@gmail.com
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