During his interview with IGN, Cody Rhodes discussed the WWE counter-programming AEW with NXT and what he’d like AEW Dynamite to look like. Here are the highlights:

On WWE Counter-Programming AEW With NXT:

We can’t pretend that we don’t know that’s happening. But we were always planning our show. And have been for a long while. This isn’t a reactionary move on our part. This is what our intentions were. To be on Wednesday nights and to be on a major network with such a great partner like Warner Media and TNT. Our focus is still on providing the best AEW, providing the best alternative. We haven’t switched over to ‘Well how can we compete?’ because we already felt like we had a product that people wanted to see.

On How He Envisions AEW’s Product:

We want to provide bell-to-bell sports-centric pro-wrestling. That’s going to mean longer matches. That’s going to mean stories being told between the ropes. That means no invisible camera backstage. That’s gonna mean more of a live-sports approach to our product. That’s 100% what we’re doing, so I want to avoid any reactionary elements. I loved the Monday Night Wars, I did. And I’m not trying to be naive and ignore a situation where it’s like ‘Hey, if this happens, we’ll have to play this card,’ but I’m just saying I want us to be more about our young and upcoming crop of talent.

On What To Expect From The First Episode Of AEW Dynamite:

The very first match you’re going to see on TNT is myself versus Sammy Guevara. I can’t sit here and tell you that Sammy Guevara’s got all the potential in the world because it makes him so angry. He’s so full of piss and vinegar and genuinely thinks he’s the best and that’s the type of thing we want to put out there. People like Jurassic Express, which is Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy. People like Sonny Kiss. Kip Sabian. Obviously, my best friend in the whole world too, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. I just want to stick to our word, that we gave fans back at the beginning.

You can read the full article HERE.

Credit: IGN.