Monday, July 31, marked the release of the anticipated WWE documentary, American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes, a two-hour film focusing on the life and career of the second-generation wrestler and WWE Superstar, Cody Rhodes, now available on Peacock.
The documentary delves into Rhodes’s wrestling journey, his trials, his victories, and the life events that molded him into a wrestling icon. It explores his early struggles in WWE, why he left the promotion, and what ultimately lured him back. But, it’s the documentary’s handling – or rather, lack thereof – of AEW, the promotion Rhodes co-founded, that raised the most eyebrows.
The documentary features noteworthy remarks from Cody Rhodes and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s CCO. Rhodes hints at personal reasons for his departure from AEW. Triple H, on the other hand, dismisses AEW as a “secondary promotion,” in line with his prior dismissive remarks about the company.
Rhodes’s time in AEW, the brainchild of Tony Khan, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks, is crucial in his wrestling story. For some reason, the documentary merely glosses over this part of his career, focusing more on his personal growth outside of the ring and his journey to fatherhood. At the very least, Rhodes’s exit from AEW is covered, albeit only as part of the WWE and its decision to approach him following the expiry of his AEW contract last year and his decision to return to the company he left in 2016.
Notably, Triple H, known for not mincing words when it comes to AEW, unabashedly discussed Rhodes’s return to WWE. He candidly noted that Rhodes’s dream was not to be the champion of a secondary promotion but the WWE Champion. This comment was seen as a jab at AEW, considering Triple H’s history of public jabs at the company, including referring to it as a “pissant company” during DX’s WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2019.
Rhodes is a notable figure in the wrestling world, partly due to his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, who never held the WWE Championship. Despite Cody’s dream to grasp the WWE Championship, his time in WWE has yet to yield that title. In contrast, Triple H has had nine WWE Championship reigns and is considered a 14-time world champion, just two reigns short of the record held by Ric Flair and John Cena.
Despite the documentary’s distinct WWE bias, Rhodes does get to discuss his reasons for leaving AEW, insisting it was due to a personal issue and not monetary or talent-related reasons. The move was, as he states, an opportunity to pursue his biggest dream: the WWE Championship.
Triple H’s commentary on Rhodes’s ambition ties into the ongoing narrative of WWE’s dismissive attitude towards AEW’s ascent.
AEW’s success, further exemplified by AEW All-In, makes it a legitimate alternative to the longtime wrestling promotion, but the WWE treats it as a smaller competitor. This perception of AEW as a “secondary promotion” is a theme that permeates the documentary, casting a shadow on the significance of Rhodes’s time there.
Although WWE has acknowledged other smaller wrestling promotions in the past, it still views itself as the only significant wrestling game in town. Despite some recognition of AEW’s existence, WWE’s focus remains largely on its own brand and superstars, creating a narrative that centers around WWE’s dominance and legacy in the wrestling world. This narrative is evident in the American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes documentary, a tale of ambition, personal growth, and the dream of becoming the WWE Champion.
It remains to be seen if AEW will respond to this, but don’t be surprised if it does.
Also, while Triple H appears dismissive of the AEW, the WWE is aware that its competition is gaining on it. The incoming All-In event is poised to set a new wrestling record in London, which might have prompted the talks of WrestleMania being held in the same location to try and usurp its eventual climb to the throne.
As for Cody Rhodes, he has yet to complete his story, but it’s believed that the WWE will finally give him the rematch with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40, presumably once The Tribal Chief is done with The Bloodline storyline, which moves on to yet another chapter in the Tribal Combat between Jey Uso and Reigns at SummerSlam on August 5. In the same event, The American Nightmare will face off against his biggest obstacle yet as he tries to close his trilogy against Brock Lesnar with a win.
