Former AEW stars CM Punk and Cody Rhodes have increased their value since returning to WWE, according to former World Champion Swerve Strickland. After leaving WWE in 2016, Cody Rhodes made a name for himself on the independent scene.
He played a crucial role in launching AEW and establishing himself as a major player. Despite spending most of his AEW run in the mid-card scene, Rhodes eventually returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
Now, nearly three years later, Rhodes stands as the face of WWE. He has main-evented WrestleMania three times and is set to headline the event again this year, facing John Cena for the WWE Championship.
CM Punk left WWE in 2014 due to creative disputes and kept his distance from the promotion for years. In 2021, he officially joined AEW and remained there until his firing in 2023, ending his controversial run for Tony Khan’s promotion.
In the same year, Punk made his long-awaited return to WWE after nearly a decade. Since then, WWE has quickly positioned him as one of its top stars, and reports suggest he could face Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41.
Fans speculate that the winner of this match could be added to Cody Rhodes and John Cena’s bout on Night Two of WrestleMania 41. With Punk and Rhodes among WWE’s top stars today, former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland believes that Rhodes, Punk, and other stars have benefited from their time in AEW, which helped boost their careers in WWE.
Swerve Strickland believes AEW increased CM Punk & Cody Rhodes’ value
On the Bootleg Kev podcast, Swerve Strickland discussed how AEW played a significant role in elevating the value of stars like CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and others. He highlighted how AEW’s existence has created more opportunities for wrestlers to negotiate better deals and increase their overall worth.
He stated, “Sasha Banks had value, Mercedes has more value now because of All Elite Wrestling. Cody had more value because of what AEW was able to do, same with Punk, same with Moxley coming to AEW. Ricky Starks to Saints. Mercedes was the one that did big for the women… now it makes Becky Lynch look like a little hmm maybe. It makes New Day go, hmm maybe. Charlotte Flair, I wonder, maybe.” [H/T: pwmania]
It’s not just CM Punk and Cody Rhodes who have benefited from AEW. Several other stars, including Jade Cargill, Mercedes Moné, and Becky Lynch, have also seen their value rise. Even Swerve Strickland recently signed a lucrative new contract with AEW.
Over the past six years, Tony Khan’s promotion has played a major role in elevating numerous wrestlers and providing them with better opportunities.
