Following Fight for the Fallen event, AEW star and executive VP Cody Rhodes participated in the scrum wrestling media interviews. Highlights are below.
Tagging with Dustin for perhaps the last time:
Heavy. It was a heavy feeling. There’s no words. Dustin and I don’t get along. We love each other. We love each other very much. So these moments that are in this entertainment world that we live in…they’re real to us. I know that sounds crazy, and it’s all real, but those moments are even more particularly potent for me. To be able to share the ring with him…he’s just so good. So good. It’s just I want to keep doing this reunions because they never get old to me.
Anytime Dustin gets in front of this type of audience…because this is a different audience. I’m sure you guys know…there aren’t as many crossover fans as you think. These fans have been hiding. Where the hell have they been?
I don’t know if we’ll ever tag together again, I’m not saying we won’t, but if we didn’t, I’d be damn happy with this one.
Thoughts on a third match with NWA champion Nick Aldis, and AEW is open to working with other companies
Nick Aldis is amazing. That moment in Chicago, I thought there’s no way we can top that. That’s like my hometown now. That crowd. That Sears Centre. Just literally goosebump inducing moment that we got to share he and I. So I don’t know. You never know. I wanted to take that title further and further. The politics deemed that not possible. So at this point, solely focused on AEW. The young men and women that’s apart of AEW. If that’s something that comes up…I’m absolutely open to it. Our doors are very open. We’re not shy about that. We literally want to work with everybody, but in the interest of that, we’re focused on this brand.
The length of the show being over four hours:
The show on TNT will be two hours. So we’re a little bit backwards. We want to give these mega events before we get to the weekly show. I guess the way I look at it is we have all these guys and girls we signed and we don’t want to do four-minute matches. I don’t believe in them. We want guys to go out there and play their music. That’s why we hired you. I’m not here to teach you how to do it. I want you for what we got you for.
Here’s my takeaway from it all. At the end of the night nobody left. I’ll tell you the truth, if anybody ever went to the Ring of Honor shows when the Bullet Club or the Elite was on at the end of the night. That’s what started all of this. Us in there going ‘What do we do? How do we send them home happy.’ Whether Marty sings, or Kenny says something. We came up with a thousand things. That genuine feeling is a real connection to the people. It’s not even a marketing tactic. AEW is everybody who is in that arena tonight.
Jacksonville being a potential AEW home-base:
Everything about AEW has sounded ridiculous. All this stuff sounds so ridiculous, but it’s real. Absolutely. The roots are deep here. I got wrestling roots here because of Dusty. That’s one thing, but AEW’s roots are here. If we had a home, this is one of them. Atlanta, here, Chicago. There’s so much work it’s done.
How donations will continue to be made for the victims of the Jacksonville shooting:
The donations will continue. The Bucks are going to sell their gear. Moxley’s vest is going to go. All these items are going to go up in the next few days to continue the donations. We don’t want the donations to stop. It’s no secret there was no prophet made on this show. None. It was a loss I guess you could call it, but it wasn’t really a loss at all because we have to put that money where it authentically effects people.
Who he believes has stood out on the AEW roster:
The goddamn dinosaur. It’s just a thing…it’s a feeling. Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Marko with them now. What a special thing that Darby is. Clearly Max. What a beautiful thing. That’s why we’re the alternative.
Check out the full interview below. (H/T Chris Van Vilet)