Cody Rhodes: 5% of WWE Talent Would Be Accepted into AEW; 'That May Increase'

All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes said this week that AEW isn't looking to bring in a large percentage of talent with WWE ties.

Appearing on AEW announcer Jim Ross' Ross Report podcast (h/t Ross Kelly of WrestlingInc.com), Rhodes suggested that few current WWE stars would be welcomed into AEW:

"Honestly, I've kind of jokingly said that it is five percent and I'm talking Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes and Chris Jericho, maybe a few others. It's not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful, but like I have been talking, you have to be able to cut it and meet the standard that people have into their bell-to-bell contest. That number may increase, being that this opportunity that exists for the boys and girls to make more money, whether here [AEW] or there [WWE], for the boys and girls to have options. That number may increase."

Rhodes also mentioned the importance of utilizing fresh talent:

"If they can play, they are going to play, but right now the recruitment was more about ... I use the term 'Tier 1.' It was more about freshness, if that makes sense. I want to build a new class of guys. I have been there before where nobody has my back, nobody is my ally, and I don't want to get into sour grapes over it but I know that it is one of the things that I look forward to the most once we really get into the schedule is the fact that these fresh faces ... take Darby Allin for example who was just announced. I don't want them to feel like they were set up and that was it. I want them to feel that they were set up to win and set up to succeed and then they went out there and hit it out of the park, so yeah.

"WWE at the moment I would say five percent at the current makeup, and that may increase. But right now there are a lot of faces you have never seen, and a lot of people you would be surprised once you do see them."

Much of AEW's roster is made up of wrestlers who have little or no WWE experience, led by the likes of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. That isn't to say AEW is completely shying from those with WWE ties, though, as Rhodes and Jericho both enjoyed successful runs there.

Also, AEW recently announced the signing of Cody's brother, Dustin Rhodes, who primarily wrestled as Goldust in WWE.

Familial ties likely had something to do with the signing of Dustin, as he will face Cody at Double or Nothing on May 25, but he also brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that few others can match.

With rumors of WWE Superstars such as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival, Sasha Banks and Luke Harper—the latter of whom announced on Twitter that he requested his release—being disgruntled, AEW may soon be faced with the dilemma of whether to sign talent that walked away from WWE.

Dean Ambrose is another commodity to consider, as he allowed his WWE contract to expire, which means he is free to sign elsewhere.

Given the fact that Ambrose is a former WWE champion and one of the most popular stars in the business, it is difficult to envision AEW will pass up the opportunity to sign him if he expresses interest despite his WWE background.

AEW seems intent on not falling into the same trap as Impact Wrestling when it brought in a deluge of former WWE stars during the mid- to late 2000s, but it has to strike the right balance between not ignoring and not relying on former WWE talent.

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