Cody Rhodes’ contract status with All Elite Wrestling has been a big talking point over the last couple of weeks. News broke back on Jan. 17 that “The American Nightmare” had been working without a contract since the start of the year, despite the fact that he was the reigning TNT Champion at the time and was still one of the company’s executive vice presidents. He refrained from directly addressing his status in his first promo of the year, but after dropping the TNT title to Sammy Guevara in a Ladder Match at Beach Break he opted to give a post-show interview with AEW’s YouTube channel.
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“There’s so many elephants in the room,” Rhodes said. “This is an insane week in wrestling. People think that the Sean Ross [Sapp] story is bs — it’s not. I am working here without a contract. I’m not even on payroll anymore. I’m working here on a handshake deal. That is 100% legitimate, I swear on Pharaoh’s life [his dog] if you want to know how serious things got.
“But I can tell you this,” he added. “I have never felt more at home, then under those lights, wrestling for the TNT title. A title that will never, ever, ever be secondary because of matches like that. Old school promoters will tell you, the title could make the man or the man can make the title. At this moment we don’t know which is which. I’m very proud of Sammy Guevara. I absolutely wish I could go home to my baby girl, to my other — my family, and say, ‘Hey, the TNT champ once again.’ A belt that was synonymous with my name, doesn’t look like it’s gonna be just about me. Brodie [Lee}, Miro, Darby [Allin], Sammy, myself. I’m slow when it comes to rematches, but maybe I won’t be so slow getting my rematch for this one. But for now, gonna take a beat, get with Arn — Arn’s been there for my whole career. I’mma think about it. Again, an insane week, where I have heard the most wonderful, crazy things from all walks of the wrestling world on what it is that I do next. But like I said, I’ve never felt more at home than wrestling for that title in front of a crowd like that.”
