AEW Backstage Reaction to Cody Rhodes Leaving; Asuka, Bayley WWE Injury Updates

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Some Within AEW Reportedly Happy About Rhodes' Departure

There reportedly wasn't universal sadness within AEW this week after Cody and Brandi Rhodes announced their departure from the company.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), some in AEW were happy to see Cody and Brandi go and felt that the "hero treatment" Cody and Brandi were given on the way out was "a great public story, but not the real story."

The Rhodes played a huge role in the creation and ascension of AEW both in terms of on-screen and behind-the-scenes work.

Cody was among the top stars in the men's division throughout his AEW tenure, holding the TNT Championship three times. He was also an executive vice president, making him one of the most powerful people in the promotion besides president Tony Khan.

Brandi was the chief brand officer and a regular presence on television as both a wrestler and one of Cody's managers as well.

None of Cody, Brandi or anyone involved with AEW have gone on record publicly regarding what made the Rhodes decide to leave the company.

It was reported by Fightful Select (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News), however, that people in WWE believe Cody lost much of his backstage power and wanted a raise, both of which contributed to his departure.

Also, PWTorch's Wade Keller (h/t WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan) reported that the expectation is Cody will return to WWE soon and receive a "big push" from the company.

Cody requested and received his release from WWE in 2016 due to unhappiness over how he was being utilized, but after leaving and developing into a bigger star in other companies, he may be in line to occupy a much more high-profile spot in WWE this time around should he return.

Asuka Expected Back By End of February

Asuka has not wrestled a match since Money in the Bank in July, but her return to in-ring action for WWE is reportedly imminent.

According to PWInsider's Mike Johnson, Asuka is expected back from shoulder surgery by the end of February, although it's "not 100 percent" because her return relies on both when she is cleared by doctors and when she is figured back into storylines.

The 40-year-old Asuka has established herself as one of the most successful female Superstars in WWE history since signing with the company in 2015.

During a two-year run in NXT, Asuka never lost a singles match and held the NXT Women's Championship for a record 510 days.

The accolades continued to roll in on the main roster, including winning the first women's Royal Rumble in 2018, winning a Money in the Bank ladder match, holding the Raw Women's Championship and WWE Women's Tag Team Championship two times each and the SmackDown Women's Championship once.

If Asuka does return soon, it would put her in line to potentially be involved in a big program for WrestleMania 38, which will take place April 2 and 3.

It is unclear exactly where she would fit on the WrestleMania card, though, since Royal Rumble winner Ronda Rousey is challenging Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's title and the winner of the women's Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Saturday will challenge for the Raw Women's title at WrestleMania, likely against Becky Lynch.

If there isn't an obvious Mania spot available for Asuka, holding her off until after WrestleMania and making her a surprise return on the post-WrestleMania Raw could be in WWE's best interest.

Regardless of when Asuka comes back, she would give the women's division an instant boost due to her presence and elite in-ring ability.

Bayley Expected Back By End of March

In addition to Asuka's impending return to WWE, Bayley is reportedly close to returning as well.

Per Johnson, Bayley is expected back in March, which would get her in just under the wire for a potential WrestleMania appearance.

Bayley has been working her way back from a torn ACL, which she suffered in July while training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

The injury occurred just before the full-time return of fans at WWE shows after they were unable to attend for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to getting injured, Bayley had firmly established herself as one of the top stars in the women's division. Most notably, she held the SmackDown Women's title for a record 380 days before dropping it to Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell 2020.

After Bianca Belair beat Banks for the SmackDown Women's title at last year's WrestleMania, Bayley entered into a feud with Belair over the title, but their scheduled match at Money in the Bank was called off due to Bayley's injury.

Like Asuka, Bayley is in a position where there may not be an obvious spot for her on the WrestleMania card, and since a late March return would be cutting it close, she could be a candidate to return after WrestleMania as well.

If WWE is insistent on her being part of the card, however, a match where she faces or teams with Banks is a possibility given how closely linked they have been over the years.

Bayley was doing some of the best heel work of anyone in the business before her injury, but she figures to receive a massive babyface reaction when she finally makes her return to WWE programming.

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