Cody Rhodes is proud of Jade Cargill for making the move to WWE.
Rhodes was part of Cargill’s debut match in AEW back in March 2021 on the ‘Crossroads’ edition of Dynamite. There, she teamed with basketball legend Shaq to defeat Rhodes and Velvet Sky.
The win marked the beginning of an undefeated streak that included becoming the inaugural TBS Champion and lasted until May 2023. That month at Double or Nothing, Kris Statlander returned from injury and defeated the star for the gold.
While Cargill was in the midst of the streak, Cody became the first big name to leave AEW for WWE at the beginning of 2022. He made his grand return to the company at WrestleMania 38 where he defeated Seth Rollins. Since then, he has been on a quest to capture the title his father never won, the WWE Championship, although he has recently taken a detour to become a Tag Team Champion alongside Jey Uso.
On September 26th, WWE announced that Cargill had followed in Rhodes’ footsteps to sign for the company. She made her TV debut at Fastlane, where she was shown arriving backstage and meeting with Triple H.
Cody Rhodes is “proud” to see Jade Cargill in WWE
At the post-show press conference, Cody Rhodes spoke about the signing, saying he was both proud and excited to see her make the move.
“Full disclosure. Uce and I may have had a libation or two on the bus. That said, I was very excited for her to make this jump and very proud. Jade came from the Nightmare Factory, but I didn’t train her. I’m going to tell people in the future when I write my book, maybe I did. QT Marshall set her up and trained her and helped her to get the spot where she took this big leap.”
The American Nightmare went on to say that it was now time for the work to begin for the star, although he is sure she can rise to the ocassion.
“I’m just very proud. Now, the work begins. There is a mindset here at WWE that did not exist, maybe it did and I didn’t notice it, but didn’t exist when I was here the first time and it is the most team-minded group that I’ve ever seen as far as the show comes together.
“This is an individual business, it’s tricky, it’s political, it’s show business. That team mindset, what we have, has proved to be so fruitful. Now, I just hope she can rise to the challenge and occasion. I think, for sure, she’ll be able to.”
With it seeming likely more stars will move between AEW and WWE in the future, Rhodes made it clear that he isn’t a liaison for people wanting to make that change, saying they need to decide what’s best for themselves.
“It’s not going to be my job to be the liaison to my former peers or whomever. I would hope everyone does what’s right for them. It’s what’s right for you.”
Rhodes is one of many stars offering their congratulations to the star, with AEW’s Thunder Rosa having wished Jade Cargill well, saying she “looks like a million dollars again.”
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.