Tony Khan knows the inevitable is likely coming and that perhaps the future of big decisions he'll be dealing with as the owner of AEW is already beginning. With the departure of Cody Rhodes to WWE, the first of what could be many big names jumping ship -- or at least playing AEW and WWE against each other -- more departures are likely to come and for those that stay in AEW, it could be expensive to keep people around.
Khan talked about Cody jumping from AEW to WWE in a recent interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. When asked about how he feels to see Cody on WWE programming, Khan said, “Not anything I want to comment on,” but was sure to add that he didn't have hold any ill will towards Cody or Brandi Rhodes and that they appreciated all they did to help build AEW into what it is today. He also acknowledged that Cody being the first major AEW star to jump to WWE doesn't mean he'll be the last.
Khan knows that Cody is just one of a number of stars who might go back and forth between AEW and WWE. "It’s not anything unusual to see stars coming from other promotions, including WWE into AEW,” Khan said. “I think it is now a little different to see a star from AEW go onto WWE television. I think as the years go by — we’re a young promotion — it was bound to happen sooner or later. And now it has."
Related: Tony Khan Says Bots Responsible For Anti-AEW Sentiment Online
Let The Bidding Wars Begin
There are only rumors as to how much it cost for WWE to sign Cody to a new multi-year deal. The number is apparently quite high. There's also talk from a star like MJF that he is absolutely going to test free agency and see what WWE is willing to offer. There will be more, and Khan knows it.
“We have a lot of great wrestlers here,” Khan explained. “I expect there probably will be, down the road, interest in some of them because we’re putting on such strong shows. I think there’s bound to be free-agent movement on both sides of the competition. I think it’s great for the wrestlers.”
