Cody Rhodes Planned His ‘Escape’ From WWE For 6 Months

Cody Rhodes has found major success outside of WWE over the past year, but he was planning an escape route from the company for six months before he left.

Speaking with the Charlotte Observer, the Ring Of Honor World Champion said that he was unhappy about his spot with the company, and planned his infamous "list" so he'd have matches booked when his WWE contract was up. 

"I was just talking about this and it's made the difference. When guys leave – whether they decide to leave or they're forced out – there's usually this period of time we see them around the world and they can ride that WWE wave and use it, and then it goes away. It loses its luster after a few months. I planned my escape for six months before I left. I loved WWE, but in the end I was unhappy. It was just like planning an escape from a maximum security prison. I'd released a list of potential opponents online so when the 90-day no-compete clause was up, I had matches booked on good faith. I thought about the follow-up."

As Fightful.com exclusively reported the week of our launch last year, WWE put a "gag order" on several talent when they came to terms with their releases.