During Cody Rhodes' initial run as AEW TNT Champion, he held a weekly open challenge that allowed anyone to step in the ring with him.
Many AEW talents took advantage of the open challenge while Independent wrestlers were also showcased. Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston quickly signed AEW contracts after their respective matches with Cody.
Online fans pushed for Warhorse to be a challenger for Cody and their push paid off when Warhorse faced Cody on the July 29 episode of AEW Dynamite. Unfortunately for Warhorse, he not only lost the match, but he did not sign with AEW coming out of the performance.
When asked about his bout with Cody and what it meant for his career, Warhose told Pro Wrestling Illustrated, "It definitely bumped up my booking fee [laughs]. I got a lot more recognition, got on a lot of people's radars, and got a lot of new fans from it too. Seems like every other day people are asking me why I didn't sign with AEW. I'd say I did my part and did it as best I could."
There was no follow up as to why Warhorse didn't sign with AEW.
Warhorse won the PWI Award for Independent Wrestler of the Year in 2020.
He remains active on the Independent scene as the reigning IWTV Independent Wrestling Champion.
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