Tony Khan Says Stipulation Barring Cody Rhodes From AEW Title Was Cody’s Own Idea

The story behind one of AEW’s most memorable stipulations has a little more context now, courtesy of Tony Khan. In a recent interview, the AEW president addressed the famous 2019 Full Gear stipulation in which Cody Rhodes wagered his right to ever challenge for the AEW World Championship again on a match against then-champion Chris Jericho — and revealed that the creative choice came entirely from Cody himself.

“In the case of Cody, it was Cody’s idea to do that,” Khan said, adding that he personally had reservations about agreeing to it. Cody felt strongly about the stipulation, Khan noted, even as his boss harbored doubts.

Cody ultimately lost the match at Full Gear 2019, making the stipulation binding and effectively writing him out of the AEW title picture for the duration of his time with the company. Rhodes never did challenge for the AEW World Title before departing for WWE in early 2022, where he would go on to win the WWE Championship — completing a long-gestating redemption arc that resonated heavily with fans in part because of the very vow he had made years earlier in AEW.

Khan’s comments add an interesting layer to that history. What looked from the outside like a bold creative swing by AEW’s booking team was, by his account, driven entirely by Cody’s own conviction. Whether that gamble ultimately worked in Cody’s favor — helping fuel the “finish the story” narrative that carried him to WWE’s top title — is something wrestling fans have debated ever since.