Eric Bischoff praises 13-time champion for his courageous exit from WWE

Eric Bischoff spoke in detail about a 13-time Champion who is currently in WWE and is set to have the biggest moment of his entire career. Referring to his earlier exit from the company, the ex-RAW General Manager was full of praise.

On the 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff podcast, the former RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff spoke in depth about the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes - who is a 13-time champion across WWE and AEW.

Eric Bischoff said that Cody's story is getting bigger and bigger and praised his decision to leave WWE in 2016:

"It will get bigger and bigger and bigger because we're caught up in it still. The fact that Cody [Rhodes] is even in WWE, returning to WWE where he started from. After stepping into AEW and being such an important part of that company, the launch of it, in some respects the face of it along with others. Very high profile in AEW. Then to turn around and walk away from it, that was a big move. First of all, it was a big move to walk away from WWE [in 2016]. When Cody packs his bags and says 'Ok, I'm going to give this AEW thing a try'. It took a lot of courage. I texted Cody, and as soon as that was announced, I remember I was in LA on business and I was sitting in a restaurant and I got the news. I sent him a text telling him how proud his dad would be because that's a Dusty Rhodes move." [4:56 - 5:55]

Eric Bischoff quoted Dusty Rhodes and continued to praise Cody Rhodes' decisions and spoke about how it led to his happiness:

"If you don't like the way things are going, if you don't believe in the company you're working for or the position you're in, you pack your bags and go somewhere else. Ride that lightning bolt is what Dusty used to say. Ride that lightning bolt just until it hits the ground and then go jump on another one. That's the way Dusty described it. That's exactly what Cody did. He moved over to AEW, but he saw the handwriting on the wall. It wasn't the vision that he came to AEW with. Putting words in his mouth, that's an assumption based on things that I've heard and read."

He continued:

"I haven't even had that conversation with Cody, personally. It was pretty apparent that things weren't going to go the way it was supposed to go and he made his decision again. A big, big decision, because you have to know that Cody Rhodes walked away from the enormous amount of money and lots of security had he stayed in AEW. He wouldn't have been happy. Again, much like his father, packed his bags. And look where he is now." [5:56 - 7:06]

You can watch the full video here.

Despite the risk that Eric Bischoff spoke about, Cody Rhodes made more money after leaving WWE

While the six-figure guarantee of a WWE contract can be quite difficult for most people to let go of (and understandably so), Cody Rhodes' gamble even paid off financially.

Contrary to popular belief, wrestlers can end up making more money after leaving WWE, which is what happened to Cody Rhodes in 2017. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Rhodes said:

"They [The Young Bucks] set up the deal with Hot Topic and they're going to be the first 7-figure downside characters that New Japan Pro Wrestling has. The best way to put it is it's better." (H/T WrestlingInc)

Cody is reportedly well into the seven-figure range in WWE. There aren't many paychecks in professional wrestling like that of a main-event WWE Superstar.