Cody Rhodes Wanted a “Big Showing” From WWE Raw Star

Before he returned to WWE in Spring 2022, Cody Rhodes was one of AEW’s key figureheads. As one of the four Executive Vice Presidents, Rhodes helped scout and subsequently recruit a number of top talents into the company. Names like Darby Allin and Ricky Starks were touted as stars that Rhodes thought highly of, and its no coincidence both of their AEW debut matches came against the American Nightmare. While Rhodes had his pick of the litter when it came to the independent circuit, he also had his eye on under-utilized talent that were contracted to other major wrestling promotions.

One of those names was WWE’s Chad Gable. Reports circulated in 2021 that Rhodes was keen on bringing the multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion into the company, but he ultimately stuck with his long-time employer.

As fate would have it, Rhodes and Gable eventually did get to share a locker room, just not in AEW. Both men are members of the Monday Night Raw roster and had the opportunity to meet inside the squared circle for the first time earlier this week. Rhodes got the victory in a back-and-forth bout that went roughly ten minutes.

According to WRKD Wrestling, Rhodes was adamant about Gable getting a “big showing” during their red brand contest. Just as he was in 2021, Rhodes remains a “fan” of Gable’s work.

While he is still a way’s away from the main event scene, Gable has cemented himself as a Monday Night Raw staple over the past calendar year. His “Alpha Academy” pairing with Otis has helped boost his television time, as the two are regularly featured in both weekly matches and segments.

Gable has been a duos specialist for just about his entire WWE tenure. His NXT pairing with Jason Jordan resulted in a big spotlight for the former Olympian, as the two were among the few developmental selections during the 2016 WWE Draft. After Jordan moved on to a singles run, Gable began tagging with Shelton Benjamin in a relatively short-lived team. He then moved on to form a unit with Bobby Roode which lasted from late 2018 until mid 2019. He had a brief solo tenure as “Shorty G,” a gimmick that was panned by fans and eventually dropped entirely. From there, he joined forces with Otis and has been tagging with him ever since.