Cody Rhodes has drawn a mixed reaction since AEW went back on the road in July and Rhodes began a feud with Malakai Black. Cody has teased that he's a heel by nearly going into the heel tunnel, but has maintained that he's been a babyface.
Rhodes has feuded with both babyfaces (Sammy Guevara) and heels (Ethan Page) in recent weeks and he is excited to take fans on this journey.
"I'm always of the idea that you can't judge your audience. They pay their money and can do whatever they would like, that's one of the most beautiful things about it," Rhodes said in an interview with Mike Johnson of PWInsider. "Wrestling is at its best when we lead them, but the truth is, it's when we lead them to what they want. It's very much a chicken and the egg scenario. In that case, the number one thing that is most apparent is to let it breathe. Let it happen. We don't have to turn down the boos or turn up the cheers. We have to let it be. It can be jarring, I'll be frank. It can be jarring to go from this wrestling Messiah in the first year and doing no wrong to now three years in and people want to see you lose. I grew up on wrestlers that I wanted to see win and wanted to see lose."
Cody continued by saying he is not bothered by the mixed crowd reactions.
"As long as they are doing what they're doing, I genuinely consider myself the luckiest wrestler on the planet. If you have a dueling chant going on, do I feel like the center of attention and feel lucky, but it is jarring, and it's jarring for a lot of people backstage as well because it's undiscovered country, especially if we don't knee jerk and do what has already been done in wrestling, if we do follow this road less traveled and that's what we intend to do. I couldn't ask for a better season in wrestling than what is happening. It's nuts and I'm lucky to be in this spot," he said.
Cody has previously stated that AEW is not doing what has been done before in terms of the direction they are going with his character.
Cody is set to defend the AEW TNT Championship against Sammy Guevara at AEW Battle of the Belts.
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