"Before there was a forbidden door, I WAS THE ONE WHO BUILT IT!"

[Context: At the time of this promo, Cody was the TNT Champion while Sammy Guevara was the Interim TNT Champion. This latter title had been introduced when Cody was unable to participate in Battle of the Belts I due to being exposed to COVID-19. Instead Sammy faced Cody's brother Dustin and triumphed, being crowned Interim Champ in the process. Fortunately Cody did not actually contract the disease and could return quickly.]

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[Cody comes to the ring with his TNT Championship, and builds up a ladder in the middle of the ring.]

Cody: "What do you guys want to talk about? I'm reminded from that last match about a man who once sat on a stage just like that, looked in a ring just like this, and he gave one of the most important addresses in the history of our sport. It inspired thousands of would-be wrestlers. It mobilized literally millions of fans. It was the first hint of a revolution. I am talking about CM Punk and the pipe bomb. [crowd applauds] Someone told me to save this promo but I honestly don't know if I'm going to get the chance so I'm going to do it now.

In that interview, that was the first whiff of a revolution. He laid out a roadmap. He listed things. Things that for him - for somebody like me - that were taboo at the time. Things like going to New Japan Pro Wrestling, working with Ring of Honor, and ultimately, he would talk about teaming with The Young Bucks. As destiny would have it, as fate would have it, he was unable to do those things. But he would join... [part of the crowd begin to chant 'Royal Rumble', implying they believe Cody is leaving AEW and will show up as a surprise entrant in rival promotion WWE's Royal Rumble PPV later in the month (there are some boos from other fans at this suggestion). The chants cause Cody to pause and smile somewhat sadly]

He would eventually wind up here in what Pro Wrestling Illustrated called the 'Comeback of the Year', but if we're being honest with one another, and I see all the CM Punk shirts, it is the comeback of the decade. We are all living it, we are all loving it. [a moderate "Cody sucks" chant breaks out]

But in his absence, in the void that CM Punk left behind, somebody did do each and every one of those things. I did them. [Mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd]

I CARRIED EVERY OUNCE OF ANTI-MONOPOLY SENTIMENT ON MY SHOULDERS. I HELD EVERY GRADE OF THE REVOLUTION IN MY HAND, AND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU CHEERED. You wanna ask why I won't turn heel? It's because you cheered me when I needed it the most. When it says there is more than one royal family in wrestling, I am talking about me and ALL OF US!

People talk about the 'Forbidden Door'. It's a proper noun. Its vernacular. But if you are an industry journalist who covers what we do and you disagree with anything that I say here tonight you're not a journalist. As this generation likes to say: Check the receipts, check the dates, before there was a forbidden door I WAS THE ONE WHO BUILT IT! [a loud "Cody" chant breaks out]

And I am gone, I'm gone for two weeks--two weeks!--and I see that The Young Bucks last week in the opening segment almost started the Wednesday Night Wars all over again. And listen, I know reDRagon graduated hip toss class with flying colors, but I don't need to see the Bucks beat the developmental more than once. And then my friend, my Trelawney-like friend in Ricky Starks, my real life friend, gets into a tiff with Jay Lethal. Word to the wise, the Lethal Injection is the one cutter in the business that people don't kick out of. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

And then one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet that you're gonna see later, Malakai Black. A guy who hung two losses on my name--everybody knows I hate to lose--a man who needed no help added insult to injury by getting help in the form of just this size and speed and strength--and I know we're not in the business of renaming people like Gunner McGilabuddy [see Note 1 below] or whatever the hell it is, [crowd laughs and applauds] but not just speed and strength, ... BALLS. Because if you come to AEW and you call yourself Brody, you've got balls. And I'll let you find out in eight years what a mistake that was when that kid [see Note 2 below] shows up.

But speaking of Brodie, speaking of Darby, of Miro, and the TNT Champion, Sammy Guevara. These are men, a lineage, a legacy of champions who taught you what you had been taught against. Everyone had been conditioned for 20 years that any title that doesn't have the word 'World' in it is a secondary belt. But we don't have secondary belts, the only way it's secondary is because right now there's two. I think it's pretty clear what we do. I know Tony Khan has sent a contract in the mail to Sammy Guevara and myself--maybe it's not the contract I wanted [see Note 3 below]--but Sammy at this point, Beach Break, two titles, one champion. Oi Sammy Guevara, what do you say?"

[Cody climbs the ladder and stares into the camera]

- Credit: Thank you to inmate CrewsWrestling for taking the time to transcribe and submit this promo! Thanks CrewsWrestling!

- Note 1: At this point in time WWE frequently renamed wrestlers and Cody was poking fun at this. The name "Gunner McGilabuddy" is a reference to two WWE superstars. Firstly Walter who became Gunther on the day Cody made this promo, and secondly third generation pro Joe Henning, son of the legendary "Mr Perfect" Curt Hennig and grandson of "The Axe" Larry Hennig. Joe wrestled the first few years in the WWE as Michael McGillicutty before being repacked as Curtis Axel (a name that paid tribute to his heritage).

- Note 2: At the time of this promo Brodie Lee Jr. (also known as Minus-1) was 10 years old and had begun appearing as a "mascot" of sorts for the Dark Order stable that his father had led before his untimely death. AEW promised that if he should wish to continue in his father's footsteps he would be given a contract once he turned 18.

- Note 3: Around this time rumours began to emerge that Cody was working unsigned, having not yet put pen to paper on a new contract after his previous deal had expired. At the time it was unclear if this was part of a story line (a "work") or was really true. In the end it turned out to be the real deal as only a few weeks later Cody left AEW and joined WWE.