Cody Rhodes Admits WWE Could Have Sued Him Over 2016 Departure

Cody Rhodes has a great way of connecting with his fans, which helped him become the Undisputed WWE Champion. However, it wasn’t always like that when he left WWE back in 2016 and it appears he could have been sued when he left WWE back then.

It is a very well-known fact that Cody Rhodes absolutely hated his Stardust gimmick in WWE, despite the fact it did become popular with fans. The frustration led to him asking for his release in WWE in 2016 but he made the announcement on social media, which in hindsight was a mistake.

While speaking on the Flagrant podcast, The American Nightmare admitted that he could have been sued by WWE after leaving in 2016. He feels sorry for making it harder for other wrestlers who want to leave. Instead of asking to be released, he just said he wouldn’t be coming back. He remembered telling the talent relations person that he wouldn’t return. While people have emotional moments, he thought it was important to announce that he was done with the company on social media.

Cody Rhodes called his choice a big risk because he could have faced legal problems. He thinks he never signed his release contract and didn’t sign anything else after that, even though it was sent to him. He realized he could have been sued, which was a real possibility. But he felt he needed to take that risk. He believed he had earned the right to leave after everything he had done for the company. Since he always did what was asked and never messed up, he thought he should be allowed to leave without issues and assumed they wouldn’t go after him legally.

“I apologize to any wrestler today in any company who thinks they’re going to get a release because I ruined it for a lot of people. Here’s why: I didn’t ask; I told them. I said, ‘Hey, I’ll see you next week,’ and then I added, ‘No, you won’t.’ I remember telling the talent relations guy, ‘No, you won’t.’ Of course, everyone has their emotional, drama-filled weeks, and maybe they thought it was just that. But I actually put my statement out on social media saying, ‘Hey, thank you so much, I’m done.’ Once it was out there, there was no going back.

It was a huge gamble because I could have been sued. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever signed my release contract. I never signed anything after that, even though it was sent to my house. I could have been sued, and I probably should have been. But I needed to take a very big risk and gamble in that moment. I felt I had earned it. I thought, with all the respect they had for my family and everything I had done—never slipping up and doing everything they asked—just give me this one thing and let me ride off. They weren’t going to chase me.”

Cody Rhodes would make his triumphant return to WWE back in 2022 at WrestleMania 38 and the rest is history as he is clearly one of the biggest babyfaces in the industry and someone WWE trusts a lot. Nonetheless, Rhodes has learned from his experience in 2016 and that’s all that matters to him in the end.

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