Brodie Lee captured the AEW TNT Championship on the August 22 episode of Dynamite, squashing Cody Rhodes in a shocking moment.
Cody had been having competitive matches for months, taking on all challengers for the TNT Title, but was decimated by Brodie. The end result was not only Cody losing his AEW TNT Title, but also being stretchered out of Daily's Place.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Cody recalled putting the squash together and wanting to give Brodie that moment.
"I wanted to do Vader vs. Inoki. I wanted to do it for a while, but no one fit the profile. Vader vs. [Antonio] Inoki was kind of done at SummerSlam with Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena, where two-minutes in, you realize, as a wrestler, 'they're going home.' I thought, 'No one has done that and it would be shocking. It would be the right call because in wrestling, anything can happen on any given night and we have to consistently remind them of that. [Brodie] is near seven-feet, a legit super heavyweight, who is mobile. It would make all the sense in the world for him to catch me with a dropkick and that's the piece that puts me out.' I know wrestling can follow the traditional parameters, but when we break away from those, sometimes there's some magic. He was the perfect person -- he didn't believe me when I told him. I told him, 'this is the easiest match you'll ever have.' He didn't believe me. I didn't want to do anything and I literally didn't do anything. A flurry at the beginning, that's it. He was worried, 'I want to hook your leg.' 'Don't even hook my leg. Absolutely disrespect me. Own me. Eat me alive.' Arn added the cherry on top at the end, the moment with Anna choking out Brandi. It was a great way to end the show. It's my favorite match in AEW. I just loved how I felt. When he covered me, I could feel his chest and how excited he was. He had some words for me right before he covered me and that felt so good. It was the right thing for the show, the flow of the TNT Title, and the right guy," recalled Cody.
Cody would be off television for a month following the match, selling the injuries sustained during the beatdown by Brodie.
AEW celebrated the life and career of Brodie Lee on the December 30 episode of AEW Dynamite after his passing on December 26. During the tribute show, Tony Khan called Brodie the greatest TNT Champion ever and retired the red strap TNT Championship, giving the title to Brodie Jr as the AEW TNT Champion for life.
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