Cody Rhodes References All In On WWE SmackDown

When it comes to Cody Rhodes, he hasn’t shied away from making small references to his past. In interviews at the start of his WWE run, he commented on his relationship with The Elite and Tony Khan, and what went into his decision to leave and start afresh. Even after his Royal Rumble victory this year, Rhodes made a little tribute to his past in Bullet Club. 

On the March 3 episode of SmackDown, Rhodes finally came face to face with his WrestleMania 39 opponent, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. The pair traded words back and forth, but there was a moment in which Rhodes delivered an impassioned speech about his path to where he is today and how the goalposts for his success are always moved. 

Rhodes mentioned being an understudy for Randy Orton, overcoming the Stardust gimmick, and would then notably make a comment in reference to the All In PPV event in 2018, saying: “There's no way that 10,000 people would pay to see me and my buddies' little indie show”. 

Following years of WWE mostly ignoring the rest of the professional wrestling, it does always catch people’s attention when references are made, particularly in the case of AEW and The Elite. Rhodes, along with the Young Bucks, worked together to make the All In event a reality, and it is often regarded as the precursor for what would become AEW.