Having been with AEW from the start, Cody Rhodes has seen it all in the company. He's been one of the faces of the company, a three-time TNT Champion, and contributed behind the scenes as Executive Vice President.
Since its inception in 2019, the AEW roster has seen a lot of turnover with top names making surprise appearances or in-ring debuts at pay-per-view events. 2021 was the biggest year ever for the company in terms of pay-per-view success, highlighted by All Out, which saw the debuts of Ruby Soho, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson.
Speaking on FITE in Focus, Cody reflected on major pay-per-views in AEW.
"It’s probably a really good sign that [out of] my favorite two pay-per-views, one of them I wasn’t on. That’s most recently, All Out, where Bryan Danielson joined us, Adam Cole joined us. That pay-per-view and then, of course, the original Double or Nothing. I know which pay-per-view, in my mind, I thought was the softest. I’ve never thought a pay-per-view we put out was weak by any means, especially bell-to-bell, but the original Double or Nothing, that was a feeling like no other and that energy, and what this was, and what it could be and its constant evolution since. Then to have, three years later, All Out, where big free agents — not just the surprises, but the bell-to-bell content of that show was significant. I think there’s something for everybody," said Cody.
While AEW has become known for great in-ring performances, Cody has always leaned into the storytelling and promo segments.
"I know that I'm in the minority, in terms of what I like in wrestling. I like storytelling and interviews. I’ll use WrestleMania 3 as an example. I like Hogan vs. Andre. I also like Steamboat/Savage, but I still like Hogan vs. Andre more, and I love Steamboat vs. Savage, but I know there are wrestling fans, and there are people in management, who like the latter more, and that’s what I like about AEW. There really is something for everybody. You will hear all these other luminary wrestling figures tell you that you can’t do that/you’ve got to have one singular focus and I think that’s just BS. We don’t have one [one-dimensional] wrestler on the roster. It’s a very diverse palate. The table has a lot of different dishes on it and I think that’s really good for fans," he said.
Cody regained the AEW TNT Championship on Christmas Day, defeating Sammy Guevara. He defended the title against Ethan Page on the most recent episode of AEW Rampage.
You can view full results from AEW Rampage by clicking here.
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