On Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray addressed the lasting impact of Cody Rhodes’ departure from AEW. Rhodes left the promotion in 2022 after serving as both an in-ring performer and Executive Vice President.
Cody [Rhodes] leaving AEW was a major, major blow to that company. Cody leaving AEW is what started the downward trend. Go back and look at any number, any metric, any talk on social media. Cody is the first crack in the wall.
Bully Ray also suggested that AEW CEO Tony Khan took Rhodes’ departure personally.
The WWE Hall of Famer advised Khan to adopt Vince McMahon’s approach of not taking business matters personally.