Cody Rhodes lost to Chris Jericho in the main event of All Elite Wrestling’s Full Gear pay-per-view on Sunday night in Baltimore, Maryland. As a result, he can never again challenge another competitor for the chance to with the AEW World Championship title.
To say this is a crushing blow to The American Nightmare is putting it lightly. Not only did he lose, but he didn’t even have a choice in the matter. MJF, Cody’s best friend and protege, threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the lion tamer submission hold, ending the match and forever blocking Cody’s path to the AEW Championship.
MJF would go on to add insult to injury by attacking his former friend and leaving Cody bloodied and battered in the ring after costing him the match.
Cody released a public statement on the unfortunate circumstances:
Lovely snap my Wife got of Pharaoh and I days removed from the biggest loss of my professional career. Nothing positive will come from whining/pointing fingers. I’d like to thank everybody who attended Full Gear & Dynamite this last week, from Baltimore to Nashville…some of the loudest and loveliest fans ever.
Both cities did it “AEW style” by not just making it about a single event, but instead turning multiple days into a party and destination. I’d like to thank Tony Khan and my fellow EVPs. As well as Keith Mitchell, Tim Walbert, Rafael, Sandra, Janet, Stella, Chris H, Jeff J, QT Marshall, Jim Ross/Excalibur, Steve Yu & Dylan at Comeback Studios, and the long list of invaluable soldiers who were able to bring together such a first-rate production.
I’d also like to extend my gratitude to the Baltimore Commission and Dr Michael Sampson for treating my cut and allowing the World Title match to proceed for the fans in attendance. The end result is not something I can accept, it was my call/choice to make and nobody else’s.
I can’t change it, but I can move forward and hopefully find some vindication. Need to heal, train, and most importantly DO THE WORK. Lesson here: always trust your dog.
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