The WWE announced on May 22 that it granted wrestling star Cody Rhodes’ request to be released from the company.
Rhodes, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and half-brother of wrestler Dustin Runnels (Goldust), revealed through a tweet on May 21 that he had asked the WWE if he could be released from his current contract. He said that he would provide more details on the situation later on.
After the WWE granted his request, Rhodes once again took to Twitter to share his thoughts on why he left the company.
The wrestling superstar said that he had become frustrated over the years with how the WWE’s creative team was treating his on-screen character. He had asked both Vince McMahon and Triple H (Paul Levesque) in recent weeks if he could drop his current Stardust persona and go back to being Cody Rhodes, but to no avail.
Rhodes said the headwriters of the WWE’s flagship shows Raw and Smackdown pretty much ignored him whenever he tried to give them some of his creative ideas.
While he was grateful to McMahon and Triple H for giving him an opportunity to work for the WWE, he made it clear that he felt the management was not using his talents the right way. He also took issue when Triple H told him that he should “act his role,” likely in reference to how WWE superstars play parts in a storyline much like in TV soaps.
Rhodes added that he is open to the idea of exploring other facets of the entertainment business. However, he said that he’s still focused on being a wrestler for now.
Despite accumulating close to a decade of experience in the WWE, Rhodes is still relatively young for a wrestler. He could still become a star for one of the other well-known wrestling promotions in the U.S. and abroad such as Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, New Japan and even TNA.
Wrestling analysts believe Rhodes is one of the many talented wrestlers on the WWE roster who was not used well by the company.
Earlier this month, the WWE had released several of its midcard superstars as part of its spring cleaning of the roster. Among those who left the company include Alex Riley, Santino Marella, Wade Barrett and Damien Sandow.
.WWE has come to terms on the release of Cody Rhodes as of today, May 22, 2016. https://t.co/E5jQtOWlbO pic.twitter.com/jI1w4bS6p6
— WWE (WWE) May 22, 2016
My one only statement on the matter. No podcasts or tell-all nonsense. Thank you friends. pic.twitter.com/c5MNKw6spH — Hyrule Husky (@PrinceCGR) May 22, 2016
#WWE never really capatalized on the main event potential of Cody Rhodes. Such a talent. Sad day. — Scott Fishman (smFISHMAN) May 21, 2016