Kevin Owens Recalls Cody Rhodes’ 2016 WWE Exit: ‘It Sucked To Lose My Friend’

Kevin Owens recently looked back at Cody Rhodes’ exit from WWE in 2106 and getting him connected with The Young Bucks. Rhodes’ exit from the company led to his being hooked up with the Bucks, which of course eventually led to the creation of AEW after the independent All In show in 2018. Owens spoke about Rhodes’ departure in an interview with SHAK Wrestling, noting that he hated losing his friend and wanted to make sure he was taken care of on the indie scene.

“Cody left in 2016, and it sucked,” Owens said (per Fightful). “It sucked to lose my friend. I really wanted him to have the best possible introduction to the independent scene because he had never been around and never done that. He had been in the WWE system for so long. The independent scene is a whole different ballgame from the WWE. I just guided him in the right direction and put him in touch with people.”

He continued, “I knew the Young Bucks would take care of him and I knew they would hit it off. They did. I was right. That helped him get the right platform and everything else fit. He knew what he was capable of and he really wanted to show people what he already saw in himself. He succeeded. That’s an understatement. It’s great to see him get all of his flowers and see the position he’s in now.”

Rhodes returned to WWE in 2021 and is now the Undisputed WWE Champion. He defends the title against Owens at WWE Bash In Berlin.