Did Cody screw Cody with his own booking, especially taking himself out of the world title picture? As a fan, why should I care about his character long-term when I know he has a lower ceiling than everyone else? AEW has done a great job building interest with their rankings…what's the incentive for him winning or even for his opponent to win as they're beating a seemingly unranked wrestler. And then after losing to Black, he starts taking his boots off… He doesn't want to be the top champ and he doesn't even want to be there, why should I support him? Plus, as fans, we lose out on his star power in matches like the Dynamite anniversary ladder match and the world title eliminator tourney.
I think he should turn heel and then start entering all those tournaments a spoiler, doing the ultimate troll job where he can't win them and tries to steal the wins from the babyfaces. And he can win all the matches with a Pedigree. Maybe denigrate some people of color? No, never mind that last one.