Notable AEW Talent Exits Company: Set For Reunion With Cody Rhodes in WWE?
Arn Anderson will leave AEW when his contract expires later this week.
All Elite Wrestling is set to lose another veteran backstage presence. Days after WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry revealed that he will not be renewing his AEW contract when it expires later this month, wrestling legend Arn Anderson shared the same sentiment. Anderson is essentially an AEW original, having debuted at the first AEW All Out in 2019 to help fend off former stablemate Tully Blanchard and ensure a fair fight between Cody Rhodes and Shawn Spears. Anderson went on to sign with AEW and hold an on-screen role as Rhodes's "head coach," serving as the American Nightmare's manager throughout his AEW run.
When Rhodes left AEW in January 2022, Anderson's role reduced drastically. He would occasionally pop up to support his son, Brock Anderson, before Brock quietly exited AEW last October. Now, Anderson announced that he is departing the company when his deal expires this Friday.
"I just wanted to say thank you to Tony Khan," Anderson said on his ARN podcast. "Believe it or not, the 31st is the last day on my contract. I just want to say thank you. I appreciate everything. That goes to everybody that works there. All my friends, Tony Schiavone, JR, all those guys, all the talent. [Dean Malenko], obviously, Billy Gunn, all that crew. [Jerry Lynn]. Everybody was great. So I just want to say thank you and see you down the road."
Anderson's wrestling future is uncertain, but the timing of his release coincidentally aligns with recent notable comments from Rhodes.
"I don't know, maybe I'm looking for the classic wrestling manager to join me on this title reign," Rhodes said in an interview just last week. "I don't know who that is or what that is but it just felt like I wouldn't mind someone to holler the stuff that you just did.
"One of the reasons I liked having Arn Anderson around was the same reason I would have loved to have my dad around me," Rhodes continued. "It was nice to have a guy over my shoulder say what you just said and say we're not apologizing for greatness where mediocrity loves company and we're not joining that company. It was nice to have that voice in your ear."
Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Anderson's wrestling status and his potential reunion with Rhodes in WWE.
