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While Cody Rhodes is an integral part of WWE at the moment, there is no denying the things he did for their competition, AEW. Along with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, Rhodes started this promotion on his back. But he left the company for his first promotion, WWE, and he hasn’t looked back since. But this doesn’t mean all his connections from AEW are null and void.

Even today, after over a year of WWE, there is still one top star in AEW who pays tribute to Rhodes. Not only does it make for a heartwarming moment, but it also holds special meaning for him. After all, this star got to this position in the first place because of the faith that Rhodes put in him.

AEW World Champion paid tribute to Cody Rhodes at Double or Nothing

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This top star is none other than the AEW World Champion, MJF himself. In his title defense at Double or Nothing, MJF put Jack ‘Jungle Boy’ Perry through a Cross Rhodes, which he calls the Double Cross. Not only did this move to get a huge pop from the live crowd but even the wrestling Twitter was piped to see it.

His mentor, Cody Rhodes was a big influence on Friedman. He was the one who introduced MJF to all the big leagues in AEW and even the big shots in other industries. With Rhodes’ boost, MJF quickly got a great position on the upper mid-card in AEW. But that wasn’t enough. With all the hard work and skills on the mic and in the ring, MJF quickly got a hold of the world title as well.

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His fame grew to an insurmountable level where, at one time, he was feuding with UFC’s Conor McGregor on Twitter as well. So, MJF’s tribute to Rhodes must have been a proud moment for the mentor who is still recovering from his injury. But what do the fans think about it?

Fans cheer MJF as he pays tribute to his mentor in AEW

There is nothing that excites fans more than MJF referencing WWE on the mic or in his matches. So, this was just an icing on the cake that fans adore to see.

Everyone in the match had a mentor spot in the match and the fans ate it up!

MJF took that comment to heart.

Well, MJF is famously known to keep up his kayfabe in public and this is just a result of that.

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The fans absolutely love it when either of the companies references the other. But while other times it might have been in resentment, this was wholehearted admiration from MJF to Rhodes.

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Tell us what you think about MJF paying tribute to Rhodes in the comments below.

Written by

Murtaza Bharmal

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One take at a time

Murtaza is a seasoned WWE writer at EssentiallySports with a passion for storytelling in journalism. His love for pro wrestling began during the legendary Randy Orton-John Cena feud in the 2010s, and his enthusiasm for the sport reached new heights after witnessing the masterful performance of Sasha Banks and Bayley in NXT. As an expert in the field of pro wrestling, Murtaza epitomizes the fans' perspective at ES.
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Edited by

Amal Joyce