Steve Austin Says It ‘Wasn’t Such A Good Idea’ Cody Rhodes Left WWE When He Did

It’s been less than two weeks since Cody Rhodes asked for and was granted his release from WWE, but there’s still plenty of buzz surrounding his departure. Rhodes is already crossing items off his lengthy and impressive “to-do” list, as it was announced on Tuesday that he will be wrestling Kurt Angle for the first time ever on August 27.

Still, one Hall of Famer thinks Rhodes may have acted too hastily, particularly with the looming WWE brand split. On his latest podcast, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin spoke at length about Rhodes’ decision and offered his two cents on why Rhodes should have considered hanging in there just a bit longer. (Transcript via Wrestling Inc.)

“Cody Rhodes decided to ride off into the sunset. He wasn’t happy with creative [and] he wasn’t happy that he couldn’t do what he wanted to do.” Austin continued, “his value would have been at an all-time high because of the brand split and they’re going to need all hands on deck. And so maybe him leaving wasn’t such a good idea, to take himself out of the picture, as he might have had a little bit more leverage or might have been used in a higher regard due to the brand split because they’re going to need all the talent they can muster.

“I don’t see him in Japan. I love the kid. I love Cody. I think he’s a real talented guy, but where does he go from here if it’s going to be in the wrestling world?” Austin added, “I wish that guy all the luck. He’s a good kid and I’ve been friends with the [Rhodes] family forever. Dusty meant so much to my wrestling career and I used to travel the world with Dustin and I got to know Cody a little bit, so I wish the guy all the luck in the world.”

Austin may not see Cody in Japan, but Rhodes himself teased on Thursday he may soon be working for an even more surprising employer: EVOLVE.

This will likely thrill any indie wrestling fans, as EVOLVE currently employs the cream of the crop in active independent talent. But the tease is surprising, considering how closely EVOLVE is working with WWE these days. No less an authority (pun halfway intended) than Triple H has gone on record as referring to EVOLVE as a “feeder system” for WWE and NXT talent.

The developments with Rhodes will likely get even more interesting as his bookings begin to fill up. We’ll all be paying very close attention to where he winds up next.