Bryan Danielson has credited AEW for helping to create the current “megastar” status of the reigning WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. In a new interview, Danielson reflected on the overall impact that AEW has had on the professional wrestling business, stating that the existence of a viable competitor to WWE has been “good for the wrestlers” in both companies and has directly led to the rise of stars like Rhodes.
Speaking with the Kairouz Bros, Danielson made a pointed statement about the “AEW effect” on the careers of some of WWE’s top stars, including the man who is now the face of that company. “If AEW wouldn’t have started, would Cody Rhodes be where he is right now? No, they have a megastar because AEW exists,” Danielson said. “Would CM Punk ever have come back? Probably not.”
Danielson’s point is not to take away from the incredible success that Rhodes has achieved, but rather to recognize how the competitive landscape has forced both companies to elevate their game and their talent. AEW provided Rhodes with the platform to reinvent himself and become a main event-level star, an opportunity he capitalized on to the fullest extent.
Cody Rhodes was one of the founding Executive Vice Presidents of All Elite Wrestling when the company launched in 2019. He was instrumental in building the brand from the ground up before his shocking departure in 2022. He then returned to WWE with a new level of star power and went on to headline WrestleMania and “finish his story” by winning the Undisputed WWE Championship.
“It’s good for the wrestlers, both in AEW and in WWE. It’s good for them,” Danielson added. The full interview with Bryan Danielson can be heard on the Kairouz Bros’ platform.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Kairouz Bros with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
