When Cody Rhodes left WWE in 2016, he began simply being called “Cody.” This was due to WWE owning the trademark to his name. In April, Cody attempted to trademark the name after WWE let it expire. To some, it seemed as though WWE was finally taking the higher road and allowing the 35-year-old use of the Rhodes name his family has become so associated with. Evidently, that was not the case. WWE re-filed for the trademark in May and stated that the impacts of the pandemic are what caused their delay in renewing.

Cody commented on WWE’s trademarking of his name recently on Twitter. According to Cody, he holds no grudge against the company for doing so.

“It’s not as sultry/scandalous as reported. It’s just business. They’ve seen the same data we have, and they know they can make big money off the brand(even though it’s not in their house). Trying to license me is flattering, but it doesn’t stop this train from moving. No grudge,” Cody Tweeted.

Cody also commented recently on WWE using the “Great American Bash” name in NXT.

“The marketing of the event reminds me a lot of what Disney currently does. If you go to Disney World, they still sell Haunted Mansion shirts and they’re all done retro-style. They market nostalgia.”