Former WWE IC champ has apparently asked for his release from the company

Whoa, this is a shocker.

Cody Rhodes has had a tough past year. His stock in WWE had already been falling, and then his personal life took an enormous hit in July when his father — the famous Dusty Rhodes — passed away.

On Saturday, it appears that the younger Rhodes wants to take his life in a different direction, as he posted these tweets to his Twitter account.

The full text of the two tweets, in case they are deleted.

"(1/2) The past ten years have been quite the trek, but as of earlier today I have asked for my release from @WWE

(2/2) I'll speak further on the matter shortly. Thank you to all the pro-wrestling/sports entertainment fans worldwide. Thank you"

Rhodes has been with WWE for a decade, performing both under the Cody Rhodes moniker, and more recently as the comic book-like Stardust character. While Rhodes hasn't exactly been climbing up the card recently, his apparent release comes as a bit of a shock to the wrestling world.

Rhodes is a former two-time Intercontinental Champion with WWE. This story will be updated as more information is made available.