Former WWE Star Cody Rhodes Heading To ROH, TNA - Still Can't Use Name (VIDEO)
Cody Rhodes may be through with WWE, but he's far from done with professional wrestling, despite acting offers coming his way (for one, he'll be guest-starring on the new season of Arrow this fall).
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Cody has signed deals to work for Ring of Honor and TNA. However, the difference with Cody is that he's not actually under contract to either organization. These deals are per-appearance, and will continue until one of the parties decides to terminate the arrangement. Currently, the rumored opponent for Cody in TNA is "The Miracle" Mike Bennett, considering the two have been working against each other on the independent scene. No word on who he might be paired against in ROH though.
Unfortunately, Cody will still be unable to use the "Rhodes" family name as long as he's appearing on television or online, as evidenced by the recent trailer for the PWG Battle of Los Angeles DVD, which lists Rhodes as "Cody R".
I guess the rumors of @CodyRhodes not being able to use the Rhodes name outside of WWE are true. #BOLA2016 pic.twitter.com/QVKIySHexB
— WWP (@WeeklyWPodcast) September 7, 2016
This runs contrary to a tweet Cody posted in July stating that he owns the name Rhodes:
I own Rhodes
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 15, 2016
He was with me for my first breath and I was with him for his last
There's no piece of paper on Earth that takes my name away
Maybe he meant it figuratively? I mean, even without the name, everybody knows he's a Rhodes.
Again, I kind of wish WWE and Cody could have come to an agreement that would allow him to use the name, but I understand where WWE is coming from, for once. While they didn't make Dusty Rhodes, they're the ones who sanctioned Cody using the last name Rhodes, and they used their resources to help make him a star with that name. So it makes sense why they wouldn't want him to profit by that name elsewhere. That said, I see no reason why Cody couldn't be every bit as big of a star with his birth name of Cody Runnels. At the very least, it's a better name than Cody R.
But what do you think about this? Should Cody be allowed to use the name Rhodes? Or should he change it up? And who should he face in ROH and TNA? Sound off in the comments!
And for more WWE news, find out why Cody Rhodes is calling out WWE over its TMZ and ESPN partnerships!