Tony Khan: AEW Fans Booing Cody Rhodes Is Like WWE Fans Booing John Cena

Tony Khan has compared the reaction Cody Rhodes gets from AEW fans to the one long received by John Cena from WWE fans.

Rhodes is one of wrestling's most polarising figures at the moment, with many choosing to boo the AEW executive vice-president, prompting a mixed - albeit passionate - reaction to the former TNT Champion.

Khan has indicated that it's been a while since Rhodes has received what was not the reaction AEW wanted him to get but feels there are similarities between Rhodes' standing and John Cena's in WWE.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Live, Khan said: "It’s been a long time since it was the opposite of the intended reaction. I’ve known what the reaction is for a long time, and I think it’s very polarizing.

"It’s not all one side. I think it’s a mix of the crowd, and it’s very similar to John in terms of how you hear a split, and there’s a ton of women and kids that are huge fans and some of the guys booing, but people are still really buying Cody. And in the right moments, they do cheer him. And we saw that when he saved PAC from Malakai and Andrade. There was a huge Cody chant, and in that context, people were really excited to see him, and the truth is I do really think the people really like Cody.

"When John Cena was a full-time wrestler, he’s one of the all time great wrestling stars and people really liked to see him too. And, of course, that reaction, in time, became more generally positive, but still, obviously, people only have grown to care more and more about John Cena. So I do think people are very emotionally invested in Cody one way or another, which is a very good thing."

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