WWE Hall of Famers Mark Henry and Bully Ray were recently asked about Cody Rhodes’ departure from AEW and CM Punk’s exit. These two wrestling icons offered one perspective on how these exits differed regarding the way each superstar was treated and maybe why they chose to abandon the promotion.
Rhodes left AEW in 2022, while Punk left them in 2023 before returning to WWE, their original home. And on a recent episode of “Busted Open,” Henry and Ray talked about what they thought might have motivated both men to walk out on AEW and return to WWE.
To start with, Mark Henry disputed the narrative that claims Rhodes only left AEW because he wanted to ‘finish the story’ in WWE. He argued that it was more complicated than that. “You think Cody just left because he wanted to ‘finish the story’ in WWE?” Henry asked. “Cody’s gone now because he felt like standing here talking to this wall wasn’t getting him anywhere. I’m not bashing anybody; I’m just telling you what was real. You have to be able to give as well as take.”
Bully Ray on CM Punk Exit
Ray gave his opinion on CM Punk leaving and compared it with what happened when Rhodes quit. He suggested both men saw similar problems within All Elite Wrestling but chose different ways of dealing with this situation.” Punk probably saw exactly what Cody did; it's just that he dealt with it differently,” Ray noted.
"They’d been around long enough; they know how things are supposed to be run correctly. Forget about whatever push; this guy was Stardust for chrissake! It’s about seeing how a real professional wrestling/sports entertainment company runs from the inside, which only happens when you’re in WWE working the right way or looking at machine work from the inside out. When you work elsewhere, you realize, 'Wow, this does not run the same as the other machine.' What suggestions can I give this place to help it run better? Sometimes, it just falls on deaf ears."