The booking of tonight's Royal Rumble event was poetic in many ways. One such moment was when Cody Rhodes and CM Punk battled as the final two contestants of the Men's Rumble. Both the stars once left the company over creative frustrations and they were both looking to win the match so they can finish their own stories.
One aspect of this showdown that wasn't highlighted as much however was their respective stints in AEW. It's ironic that both the stars were part of the AEW roster at one point but never got to lock horns in the company.
The winner of this contest Cody Rhodes was asked about this during the post Royal Rumble media scrum. He admitted that he was surprised at never getting to face Punk in AEW:
It's funny that we meet back here. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there and it didn't happen. For whatever reason it didn't happen. but I think both him and I had different personal experiences.
Don't believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. [It was a] personal thing. And probably a personal thing for Punk and that happens. People come, people go. It's not a huge thing.
Cody Rhodes Wanted To Earn CM Punk's Respect
The American Nightmare then dived into his encounter with CM Punk tonight and the history between the two. Cody Rhodes claimed that he is looking forward to seeing what's next for the Straight Edge Star in WWE:
But to see him tonight, and to see Miz, and to see Kofi - Those were my guys. The first OVW show I walked into; Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event. Punk was also like running the whole show. He made me set up the ring.
To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think tonight he got to see who I am now. And that means a lot to me. He's amazing. [It] could have gone either way. I look forward to what he does in WWE.
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