Cody Rhodes' AEW Contract Expired End of 2021, TNT Champion Reportedly A Free Agent

NEW YORK: All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Executive Vice-President (EVP) Cody Rhodes is said to have been working without a contract since the end of last year.

As per a Fightful Select report, the reigning TNT Champion, Rhodes' contract with AEW expired at the end of 2021, technically making him a free agent. He's been working without a contract since then and his status as a free agent has been known to many within AEW for weeks now, the report further cited. However, there's no word yet on when the champion may ink a new contract with AEW.

While the contract bit technically makes him a free agent, Rhodes is also one of the founding members of AEW. He along with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks is one of the four wrestlers who started at Tony Khan's company with the title of EVP.

He recently became a three-time TNT Champion by defeating Sammy Guevara for the title on the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Rampage last month. That would be right around when his deal was apparently expiring, and probably not a decision the company would make if they were worried about Rhodes leaving the wrestling outfit.

Post the Holiday Bash fight, Rhodes was scheduled to defend his title against Guevara in a rematch at Battle of the Belts pay-per-view (PPV) on January 8. But that match got cancelled at the last minute due to a medical issue. Instead the company lined up Guevara for a face-off against Dustin Rhodes for the Interim AEW TNT Champion title at the PPV, which Guevara eventually won.

There have been quite a few rumours doing rounds ever since Fightful's article came out. However, AEW has reminded their supporters that Rhodes is scheduled to make his return on this week's AEW Dynamite. But they still haven't made any announcement regarding when the title match with Guevara will be scheduled.