Tony Khan Says Cody Rhodes’ Controversial AEW Full Gear 2019 Stipulation Was His Idea

Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho
by I.S. Roarke

Tony Khan confirms that the controversial stipulation fans saw during AEW Full Gear 2019, where Cody Rhodes challenged Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship, was entirely Rhodes’ idea.

What happened was that Cody said that if he failed to win the AEW World Title from Jericho during the pay-per-view, he would never challenge for the belt for the rest of his career. The American Nightmare ended up losing this match and never became a World Champion in the company.

This stipulation was controversial, and many fans believe it should’ve never happened. Cody was one of the EVPs in AEW at that time, so it made sense that he put this stipulation in the first place. It put a ceiling on his AEW run, and the only way he could’ve salvaged it was by turning heel, but he wasn’t willing to do that either. Khan recently confirmed that this was completely Cody’s idea.

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Tony Khan Says Cody Rhodes’ Controversial Full Gear 2019 Stipulation Was Cody’s Idea

While speaking with Q101’s Case Lowe, Tony Khan said he had reservations about this idea, but since Cody Rhodes felt strongly about it, he went along with it.

Here’s what Khan said:

“In the case of Cody, it was Cody’s idea to do that. I did have some reservations about it at the time. He felt pretty strongly about it, and that’s how it came to be. I went along because I could see why he wanted to have it, and it would certainly build unpredictability around the event. It did add intrigue, and that was a great show and a great match, Cody versus Jericho at Full Gear 2019. But the aftermath did create challenges.”

You can watch the full interview below:

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A few years after Full Gear, Cody Rhodes ended up leaving AEW due to creative differences between him and Khan, among other things. He returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38, where he was announced as Seth Rollins’ opponent.

Since returning to WWE, Rhodes has achieved tremendous success, including two Royal Rumble wins, multiple World Title reigns, and back-to-back WrestleMania main events, among other achievements.

For more on Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes and pro wrestling (WWE, AEW, etc.), you can check out this page. If you’re new to watching wrestling, check out our WWE streaming guide, which is updated for 2026.