Tony Khan: Cody Rhodes Felt Strongly About Never Challenging For AEW World Title Again, I Had Reservations

In the lead-up to AEW Full Gear 2019, Cody Rhodes put his future on the line, stating that if he could not beat Chris Jericho, he would never challenge for the AEW World Title again.

Cody did not beat Chris Jericho.

“In the case of Cody, it was Cody’s idea to do that. I did have some reservations about it at that time. He felt pretty strongly about it, and that’s how it came to be,” Tony Khan told Case Lowe on Q101. “I went along because I can see why he wanted to have that, and it would certainly build unpredictability around the event. It did add intrigue, and that was a great show and a great match. The aftermath did create challenges. Not long after that, the pandemic hit, and I had the idea for the TNT Championship, and I think Cody was great as the TNT champion, to be the first champion and defending the title on TV. I did have reservations about [him not getting a world title shot], but it was something he felt pretty strongly about, so I went along with it.”

At AEW Revolution 2026, Hangman Page put his future World Title shot on the line, losing to MJF. Fans can learn more about Hangman’s request here.

The stipulation will return on AEW Dynamite as Kenny Omega puts his future on the line.

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