Earlier this month, Cody Rhodes deactivated his Twitter account @CodyRhodes. The account has since been reactivated but with some changes. The name now listed on the account is “AEW Community Outreach”.

Several people on social media have noted that Rhodes took to Instagram stories to say that his Twitter account will be given to the AEW Community Outreach Team.

“I know folks were upset I deactivated my Twitter – but I’ve decided to lend those followers and transition the account to The AEW COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM! Good people doing good things for each other. Happy Thanksgiving!”

It’s possible Rhodes decided to leave Twitter in response to negativity from fans. That is just speculation, however. Rhodes has been receiving a negative reaction from fans as of late which was clear in Chicago on Wednesday night. The live crowd in the Wintrust Arena booed Cody throughout his main event match. When Rhodes tossed his weight belt into the crowd, the person who caught it ended up throwing it back. After the show went off the air, Rhodes teased exiting through the “heel” tunnel on the left as well. More on what happened with Cody and the live crowd in Chicago is available in the link below:

Cody Rhodes believes he’s on borrowed time as a full-time wrestler.

Cody has become a polarizing figure in AEW. The fans have seemingly turned on the AEW EVP in certain markets.

It truly started at the Arthur Ashe Stadium Dynamite show in New York City and has snowballed into other locations. Despite the boobirds, Cody insists he won’t turn heel and he’s given some more insight into why.

Clock Is Ticking On Career Of Cody Rhodes

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Cody Rhodes said that he doesn’t see himself wrestling full-time for much longer and he doesn’t want to get wrapped up in the babyface vs. heel talk.

“You don’t wanna drop an absolute on anybody but I don’t have a lot left in my career. I don’t have another 10 years.

“It’s probably three more years full-time wrestling and I wanna get every accolade I can get my hands on. I wanna be the best ‘me’ I ever was as a pro wrestler and the way I’m gonna do it is as me.

“If we try really hard to rope me into babyface, rope me into heel, I think we’re gonna miss this wonderful moment. Like you said, Indianapolis was a total home game.

“That’s what Arn Anderson says, it’s either gonna be a home or an away game. I know walking into certain markets it’s gonna be an away game. Very likely, New York City, that’s an away game.

“Walking to Atlanta, Georgia, that’s a home game. Indianapolis was a home game, Miami was a home game. That’s the greatest energy and the greatest gift the fans could give me is to keep doing what they’re doing.”

Cody is fresh off a victory at the Full Gear PPV. He teamed with PAC to defeat Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo. Many believe all wrestlers involved in that match will eventually collide in a four-way dance.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

All Elite Wrestling has released the first line of AEW wrestling buddies featuring Cody Rhodes and AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

The official LJN Wrestling Buddy Plush dolls stand at 18” and feature recorded sounds from the actual wrestlers. They’re powered by two AA batteries, included with purchase.

AEW Wrestling Buddies are now available exclusively at Amazon.com for $24.99.

• ROWDY! Features Real AEW wrestling stars’ voices and sound effects!
• INTERACTIVE! Buddies know when they’ve been pinned and when they’ve beaten the pin!
• BIG! The plush is 18” of Beat ‘Em Up Fun!
• AEW fans, pro-wrestling fans, toy collectors, and toy enthusiasts will love the details and game of the new AEW Wrestling Buddies, The Official LJN Wrestling Buddy Plush!

Cody Rhodes

Kenny Omega

AEW Wrestling Buddies

The AEW wrestling buddies were first unveiled at the Double or Nothing fan fest earlier this year.

In addition to Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega, the first line also includes buddies for Darby Allin and Luchasaurus. The Darby Allin and Luchasaurus buddies are not yet available. They are expected to go on sale in mid-December.

One AEW star doesn’t believe Cody Rhodes is bothered by fans booing him.

Cody insists he has no plans of turning heel in AEW but the fans haven’t taken too kindly to him. The boos rained down on Cody during his AEW Grand Slam match with Malakai Black. It wasn’t just the New York City crowd who turned on Cody Rhodes, however.

QT Marshall, the heel leader of The Factory, appeared on the Battleground Podcast and expressed his belief that Cody Rhodes doesn’t actually care whether or not fans boo him. 

“Yeah, I mean, well, it depends,” said Marshall. “I think they were booing him because, like, especially right now with Malakai, Malakai is cool. He’s fresh, he’s from the other place. So it’s like, we’re in the honeymoon phase of Malakai. So, I did expect that.”

It is hard, on the surface, to like him

Marshall understands that Cody Rhodes can be a polarizing figure. Aside from his in-ring career, he’s a successful businessman and television star. This may rub some people the wrong way.

“On top of that, Cody is like a very polarizing figure, right? He’s got his own tour bus that suits. He’s rich. He says, he has a reality show. I mean, it is hard, on the surface, to like him, but at the same time, what has he done to deserve to get booed?

“I don’t know. You know, I punched Arn Anderson in the face. So I deserve to get booed. You know, Malakai kicked Arn’s head off, he deserves to get booed. I’m trying to think of one thing that Cody’s done that deserves booing from the fans. At the same time, as long as they’re making noise, I don’t think he really cares one way or the other.”

Rhodes ended up defeating Black in their third outing. He recently took on Andrade El Idolo on the Nov. 3 episode of Dynamite. A run-in from FTR cost Cody the match.

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Tony Schiavone recently commented on AEW fans booing Cody Rhodes as of late during an episode of Ask Tony Live! on AdFreeShows.com. Schiavone noted that there are plenty of fans still cheering for Cody.

“Cody has a reality show and he gets his own special entrance. I understand he’s getting booed, but he gets cheered a lot too. I’m in the arena so I can hear it and see it much more than you guys can. I think he got cheered as much as he got booed in Orlando, it’s just the people who boo are much louder and more obnoxious,” Schiavone said.

“I even saw pictures afterwards of guys who were taking selfies with him saying, ‘Hey, I booed him, but he’s a great guy’, which he is. When Justin Roberts started calling him ‘The Prince of Wrestling’, that kind of stuck in people’s craw as well,” Schiavone continued.

Schiavone continued to say that Cody being an EVP in the company plays a role in how fans are responding to him. There may be a perception that he receives preferential treatment because of his role in the AEW office.

“Obviously, he’s an EVP so everybody thinks that he gets preferential treatment, and that’s not true. I mean, he lost the first two matches to Malakai Black, so he hasn’t won all of his matches. He lost to Brodie (Lee). It’s not that he wins every match he’s in. Some people just don’t like him. I happen to like him because I like his family.”

Cody Rhodes and Malakai Black React To Match On Dynamite

Rhodes cut a promo this week on Dynamite making it clear he would never turn heel. He stated that would be the easy thing for him to do. Rhodes also stated that he would not go back on the stipulation that says he can never challenge for the AEW World Championship again.

Following his loss to Cody Rhodes in their 3rd match, Malakai Black took to social media to offer comment. He stated that their rivalry was not about wins and losses and that he’s made it so that the world hates Cody. Black made his comments in an Instagram post not long after the loss.

Transcriptions via EWrestlingNews

Malakai Black has suffered his first loss under the AEW banner and it didn’t take long for him to speak out.

On the Oct. 23 edition of Dynamite, Black took on Cody a third time. Malakai was 2-0 over Cody going into their third encounter. The story going into the match was that Arn Anderson was able to get Cody to recenter his focus from Hollywood to the squared circle.

Malakai Black Reacts After Losing To Cody Rhodes

Things paid off for Cody as he was finally able to defeat Black. After the match, the “House of Black” took to his Instagram account to explain why he feels even in defeat, he has won.

“The entire world is a graveyard, and if you think this was about putting my shoulders on the mat; you’re rudely mistaken. My job was to destroy you and your world. The entire world hates you, you’ve become the beast I set out to make you, and I was willing to sacrifice my blood for it. Enjoy the seeds I planted for months. House always wins.”

Black decimated Cody on the Homecoming edition of Dynamite when they first met. Cody teased stepping away from the ring for a while when Malakai Black nailed him with Black Mass after the match. Black then won their rematch at AEW Grand Slam by spitting mist in Cody’s eyes and rolling him up for the pinfall.

Cody Rhodes has an important rule that the camera crew for Rhodes To The Top must follow.

Cody has become quite busy since AEW got off the ground. Not only is he an active competitor, but Rhodes also stars in the TBS game show Go-Big Show. Throw in the fact that Cody is now a father and he has his own reality show along with his wife Brandi, the work seems to never end.

Cody Rhodes Reveals Rule For Rhodes To The Top Camera Crew

With Rhodes To The Top in full swing, Cody Rhodes revealed to Busted Open Radio the one rule that the camera crew must follow.

“I mean no disrespect to Shed media or our friends at Warner Media, but it’s very annoying. The annoyance of it is a great complaint to have that these people want to document this company as it grows, and they want to document our family as it grows. It did get to the point where some of the reasons I think the show is real quality, is it got to the point where I said, ‘Hey guys, I’ll wear this mic and you can follow me with that camera, but don’t stage anything. Don’t ask me to repeat something. Don’t ask me to frame something up. Just film. If you just film, you’ll be very happy ultimately with what you get.’”

On AEW TV, Rhodes has been feuding with Malakai Black. Cody is down 0-2 against Black. Their third meeting will take place on the Oct. 23 episode of AEW Dynamite.

Cody’s real-life workload has played a role in his storyline with Black. Cody’s mentor, Arn Anderson, has told the former two-time TNT Champion that he’s too Hollywood these days and needs to snap out of it in order to defeat Malakai Black.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcribed quotes

Cody Rhodes has detailed what his job entails as the Executive Vice President of Talent for AEW.

There’s been a lot of chatter as of late when it comes to the current state of EVPs in AEW. Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported that EVPs Cody, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks have seen their roles become greatly reduced. The report also notes that Cody has had a falling out with the other EVPs.

Still, Cody Rhodes appears to see his EVP of Talent role as a prominent one. During an interview with Monsters and Critics Reality, Rhodes said he’s still very much active in trying to find the stars of tomorrow for AEW.

“Well, that’s technically my number one job at AEW as the Executive Vice President of Talent. That’s the most important thing I already know that Bryan Danielson is famous, I already know that CM Punk is amazing in the ring, that Kenny Omega can have a five-star match, I know that. It’s our job to show you who in five years, or three years, will be leading the charge and if you just look at some of the homegrown types with Ricky Starks, and MJF, and Private Party, and Lee Johnson, I mean, I could go on and on. It’s vastly important.”

Rhodes went on to fire back at critics who claim he buries talent. He says he loves mixing it up with rookie performers so that the future of AEW is showcased in a prominent position. In particular, Cody was quite high on Darby Allin and Ricky Starks throughout the interview.

Despite the report of having a diminished role as EVP of Talent, Rhodes heaped praise on Tony Khan. He said that Khan always seems to know which young talent has the potential to stand out above the rest.

AEW has seen a shift in duties behind the scenes. According to a report Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, the company’s Executive Vice Presidents have been less involved in the creative aspect of operations.

Sources within the Jacksonville-based promotion indicated that AEW President Tony Khan has taken an even greater role in crafting storylines and angles. While talents are encouraged to pitch ideas and give suggestions, it ultimately comes down to Khan, and “creative is absolutely Tony Khan’s prerogative now.”

It’s unclear when this transition happened but the report notes that at one point, Cody Rhodes was the only EVP who regularly attended office meetings. Though now his office role, as well as his creative input, has ‘greatly diminished.’

Matt Jackson’s EVP role has been assisting his wife Dana with merchandise while Nick Jackson is focused on handling Being The Elite.  Kenny Omega is focusing on the gaming side of things. He is very hands-on with the upcoming AEW Game. Although Kenny still helps put together the women’s matches.

After these changes, members of The Elite do not have the final say in the creative or hiring talents anymore and they are basically ‘EVPs in name only’ now.

Cody’s relationship with other EVPs appears to have been affected as well.  Per sources, “Cody doesn’t really have much of a relationship with any of the EVPs, anymore. The others are still great friends, but Cody is very much on the outside looking in.”

This isn’t the first time we are hearing about in-fighting among the EVPs. It was reported earlier this year that some AEW EVPs were no longer on talking terms. Though at the time the Young Bucks had tried to dispute the news by joking about it.

Cody Rhodes was interviewed by ESPN ahead of tonight’s big Dynamite event from Rochester, New York. During the interview, Rhodes was asked who out of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole he is most interested in facing in AEW.

“Adam Cole,” Rhodes answered without hesitation. “It’s an easy question for me to answer in terms of I feel Adam Cole is very well known by the hardcore wrestling audience and, of course, fans of the Elite and Bullet Club and that entire portion of this revolution. But I also think that casual fans or lapsed fans or just new fans have only seen just the tip of the iceberg of what he’s capable of.”

“I know Bryan Danielson is one of the best in the world, I know CM Punk even after a 7-year absence is one of the best in the world. They’re helping pull this wagon already and they’ve only been here a few days. Adam Cole gets to show a whole new audience and gets to interact and create a whole new brand for himself just because he has such a large platform to do it with AEW. He’s the one I’m most excited about getting in the ring with when and if that challenge presents itself.”

Cody Rhodes vs Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and Adam Cole

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk shared the ring together often in WWE and OVW. They twice wrestled singles matches against each other on WWE’s main roster. Punk defeated Rhodes on the 9/22 RAW in 2008. Rhodes then defeated Punk via count-out later that year on the 12/19 RAW.

Rhodes also shared the ring with Bryan Danielson often while they were both in WWE. Including house shows, they wrestled each other in 15 singles matches from 2011-13. Rhodes leads their all-time series 8-7.

Adam Cole and Cody Rhodes teamed together on 4 occasions as members of Bullet Club, with all four matches taking place in Ring of Honor. Their only singles match against each other was on 5/26 in 2017 at a show for NorthEast Wrestling. Rhodes won and defended the NEW Heavyweight title successfully against Cole on that show.

Fans who were convinced that the gear Cody Rhodes wore for AEW Grand Slam was inspired by Homelander are in for a rude awakening.

Rhodes competed inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. He went one-on-one with Malakai Black in a rematch. Cody fell victim to the classic mist in the eyes and a small package, which led to him losing the match.

Fans couldn’t help but notice Cody’s gear. Many assumed it took inspiration from Homelander. That isn’t the case, however. Here’s what Cody Rhodes told Robbie Fox on My Mom’s Basement.

“The Boys, which is a wonderful everything. If you’re not ready or watching The Boys, it’s outstanding. (My gear) isn’t (inspired by the show). I feel bad saying it isn’t because everyone thought the initial cape that [Lead Seamstress/Designer] Ms. Sandra Gray had made was Homelander inspired, but really, I think it was a Colonial soldier is what inspired it. I never once, because of the fun reactions online, I never told her to deviate only because if people find that parallel and they like it, why not? There is a parallel in characters in terms of my goody-two-shoes nature not always sitting that great with wrestling fans. I can be the good guy, but they don’t have to cheer me, they can do whatever they’d like.”

Rhodes is known for his extravagant entrances. For an event the magnitude of Dynamite, it comes as little surprise that the former two-time TNT Champion went to great lengths to show out.

Now that he’s gone 0-2 against Black, Rhodes is seemingly left to start a new rivalry. Who that will be against remains to be seen. It was teased that Cody and Arn Anderson were beginning to have some problems during the rematch with Black. It’ll be interesting to see if it leads to Arn aligning himself with someone else.

Arn Anderson has shared his theory on why fans in NYC booed Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes was featured on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite. He went one-on-one with Malakai Black. Cody lost the match when Black rolled him up after spitting mist in his eyes.

The boos for Cody Rhodes were loud and clear. Fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City did not want Rhodes to go over. Appearing on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Arn gave his take on why Cody wasn’t well-received in “The Big Apple.”

“I’m just speculating and I don’t pretend a mind reader, but I’m trying to get into the head of a wrestling fan. The most talented guy and the number one guy in Hollywood right now is The Rock. There’s no disputing that, I’m talking as an actor. John Cena was a guy that had always stood and was dedicating 100% of his time to the fans, to the company, to the business. I feel like when he started doing movies and he was no longer with WWE, I think fans, possibly, not putting words in their mouth, may feel a little afraid that they got their support behind these guys, and then they got red hot and took off to Hollywood.”

Anderson went on to say that he feels the fans may feel slighted since Rhodes hasn’t been on TV as much as some other top talent. Rhodes has been filming for the upcoming Rhodes to the Top reality show with his wife Brandi, and the Go Big Show. Others may point to booking decisions involved Rhodes as of late, while some believe Cody simply has the perfect life and flaunts during his entrance too much to stay as a face.

Rhodes recently had an AMA over at Bleacher Report. During the session, he claimed he’d retire before going heel again.

Cody Rhodes has named the four people who he’d put on a Wrestling Mount Rushmore.

Cody wife Brand recently took part in an ‘AMA’ Q&A session for Bleacher Report. They answered questions related to a number of different topics including a potential heel turn for Cody and more

When asked if their company was always going to be called All Elite Wrestling, the former TNT champion revealed that they first thought about calling it only ‘All Elite.’

“There were other names kicked around.” said Cody, “We considered ‘All Elite’ and Tony had the foresight and said ‘it’s a wrestling company, we need initials’… Dynamite is what Tony wanted and he saw it through.”

Brandi added that AEW was always on their mind. The debate they had was about the name of their weekly show before settling for Dynamite.

Wrestling Mount Rushmore

When a fan inquired the duo who they would include in their Mt. Rushmore, Cody Rhodes interestingly took the name of both Vince McMahon and Tony Khan, before adding Dusty Rhodes and The Rock to the list.

Brandi said that she would have Sherri Martel, Ms. Elizabeth, Mae Young, and Madusa in her own Mt. Rushmore of wrestling.

Apart from this, the duo also answered questions related to things such as the origin story of AEW, advice for aspiring businessmen, and more.

You can check out all the questions they answered here.

While many fans have discussed the possibility of Cody Rhodes turning heel for a while now, the AEW star himself is against changing his current character. The former TNT champion recently took part in an AMA of Bleacher Report. He answered questions such as what was the inspiration for him to join AEW and more.

Cody was then asked about the toughest challenge he has faced in his career. Replying to it, Rhodes said that the music has broken his heart far more than it has cheered him:

“The music has broken my heart far more than it has cheered me up so far. I started a bit smaller and today in our industry I’m like a giant. Currently, I’m in a position where they think I book the show and book myself which has created tension for some fans. I’m of the belief that if you pay your money you can cheer, boo, etc.”

Cody Rhodes Will Retire Before Turning Heel

Cody Rhodes continued his explanation saying that going from a warm to adversarial reception from the fans has been a challenge for him. Though the former WWE star promised that he will retire before turning heel:

“To go from a warm reception to an adversarial reception…I’ll retire before I become a heel. I’m not going to make decisions that are bad for our youth to see. That’s the challenge, how do I maintain where I’m at when the crowd wants to get a different flavor.”

Cody Rhodes teased his retirement after losing a match to Malakai Black on the August 4 episode of Dynamite but Black stopped him with a post-match attack. The Rhodes to the top star is set to make his in-ring return at the Dynamite: Grand Slam special this Wednesday in a match against Black.

Cody Rhodes has listed his personal favorite matches.

Rhodes has been wrestling since 2006 when he was brought to OVW to develop. It didn’t take long for Rhodes to make it to WWE Raw as he made his television debut the following year. He ended up spending nearly nine full years on the main roster before being granted his release from WWE.

Cody Rhodes ended up wrestling on the independent scene as well as NJPW and ROH before playing a pivotal role in the creation of AEW. With years of experience under his belt, Rhodes has plenty of choices in terms of which matches are his personal favorites.

In a recent mailing list, Rhodes revealed his opinion on the top matches he has participated in.

“My personal top 4:

4) MITB 2013 – Philly(the crowd saved me)
3) Cody V Kenny at Supercard(set an attendance record)
2) Cody V Sammy G on Dynamite
1) Cody V Brodie I on Dynamite

Honorable mentions: Wardlow in the cage, Legacy V DX Summerslam, Cody V Aldis I ALL IN, Cody V Dustin DON, Cody V Darby I, Cody V Lethal York Hall, Cody V Rey WM”

Cody’s number one choice was featured on the Aug. 22, 2020 edition of Dynamite. Rhodes put the TNT Championship on the line against Brodie Lee. Brodie ended up winning the match in dominating fashion. The two had a Dog Collar match on Oct. 7, which saw Cody win back the TNT Title.

AEW EVP Cody Rhodes recently took part in a media conference call where he discussed a number of things including the recent controversy over the match between Chris Jericho and Nick Gage.

Domino’s Pizza threatened to pull their advertisement from AEW programming over a spot in the bout. This started the debate on whether or not death matches should be a part of mainstream wrestling.

When asked this question, Cody Rhodes mentioned that the advertisement for the bout was very clear about being an extreme match. He then claimed that such bouts do have a place in cable TV programming:

“And I think the answer to your question about does it have a place in television, well, we were the number one show on cable. And that is a huge honor, three weeks in a row. That’s a huge honor and responsibility to our fanbase,

During the Olympics we were the number one show on cable!” said Cody Rhodes, “So yes, I think it does have a place. I don’t think it is something you will see often. That’s just my opinion, as asked for.”

• Cody Rhodes On Wanting To Face Former WCW Champion

The former TNT champion later reiterated his comments about how we are not gonna see this type of matches very often but they do have a place.

Apart from this, Cody Rhodes also discussed things such as keeping the momentum of AEW going from week to week and show to show and more.

All Elite Wrestling faction The Nightmare Family have added several new members to the group. During a recent episode of Sammy Guevara’s vlog, Cody Rhodes confirmed that four All Elite stars have been officially added to ever-growing group.

“If you are somebody who is part of The Nightmare Family, then I consider you more than a one day a week wrestler,” Cody Rhodes said on the vlog.

“And can take that Nightmare Family logo, jacket, familial connection. Do whatever the hell you want with it, take it to any company in the world — go anywhere with it, it means you are family” the former TNT Champion added.

Fuego del Sol, Red Velvet, KiLynn King, and Baron Black have all now officially been added to the stable, with Cody Rhodes also mentioning how fans incorrectly believed that Red Velvet was already a member.

The Nightmare Family now consists of:

• Cody Rhodes
• Brandi Rhodes
• Dustin Rhodes
• Arn Anderson
• Gunn Club (Austin, Billy, and Colten Gunn)
• Lee Johnson
• Brock Anderson
• Red Velvet
• Fuego del Sol
• KiLynn King
• Baron Black
• Diamond Dallas Page (association)
• Glacier (association)
• Tommy Dreame (association)
• Stephen Amell (association)

With CM Punk’s links to Stephen Amell, there’s potentially a chance that he aligns himself with the group, should he make his much anticipated debut for AEW. That chance is slim however, as All Elite will likely keep Punk and the other rumored signee Daniel Bryan as main event singles talents.

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite finally saw the in-ring debut of Malakai Black. Black took on Cody Rhodes after making a very impressive entrance. However, despite Black picking up the win, it was Cody Rhodes who got everybody talking after the bell.

The man whose vision became AEW took to the center of the ring and addressed the crowd. Doing so with a tear in his eye and a tremble in his voice.

“There is no better place than here. There is no better time than now, and I say this with absolutely zero bitterness in my heart. I thank you guys so incredibly much. I love you so incredibly much. You have made my life incredibly special.” Cody Rhodes was in tears as he placed the microphone on the floor and began to remove his boots.

The AEW commentary team made no short reference to the significance of the gesture, and it being the time-honoured way for a wrestler to retire.

However, before Cody Rhodes could remove his second boot, Malakai Black struck. Levelling Rhodes with a crutch shot across the back. The broadcast went off the air with Rhodes laid out in the middle of the ring and Black standing tall.

Have We Seen the Last of Cody Rhodes in an AEW Ring?

It remains to be seen if this is all part of a storyline, of how Cody is broken and ready for the end. To have his zest for wrestling re-ignited by Malakai, or if it is indeed, really the end of the Rhode road.

Wrestling is a sport built around emotion and storytelling. It is a sport where retirement is more often than not impermanent. Many have already drawn parallels to Ric Flair and his numerous retirement matches and celebrations. However, Cody Rhodes is a businessman. He has the taste for life backstage, and maybe, just maybe he wants to stop while his body is still working with him.

Enjoying his time as an EVP of AEW, running a business, the recent discovery of fatherhood. All of these things can put a new perspective on life. However unlikely it may seem; all eyes will surely be tuned in to Dynamite next week to see what Cody Rhodes has to say.

With AEW now back out on the road, Cody Rhodes has announced a new community outreach initiative. Rhodes stated that the goal of the new department is to make a positive contribution to every city AEW visits.

“Very privileged to announce w/the blessing of Tony Khan our new Community Outreach team & department! We have a mission to do something positive in EVERY community we visit,” Rhodes Tweeted.

AEW Charitable Initiatives

AEW has run several charitable initiatives since its inception in 2019. Proceeds from first “Fight for the Fallen” event benefitted victims of gun violence in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Last year’s “Fight for the Fallen” benefited COVID-19 relief efforts.

AEW also has a partnership with Kulture City to make their events sensory inclusive.

“Priding itself on being for everyone, AEW partnered with KultureCity to make all their events Sensory Inclusive™ Certified so that all fans might be able to attend and be included,” Kulture City’s website reads regarding the partnership.

Fight for the Fallen 2021

Several matches have been booked for next week’s Fight for the Fallen event from Charlotte, North Carolina:

• IWGP United States Championship
  Lance Archer (c) vs HIKULEO
• No Rules – 5 Labors of Jericho
  “The Painmaker” Chris Jericho vs Nick Gage
• Santana and Ortiz (with Konnan) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (with Tully Blanchard)
• Christian Cage and Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) (with Marko Stunt) vs. Hardy Family Office (Angelico and Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)) (with Matt Hardy)
• 10 Man Elimination Tag Team Match
  The Elite (Kenny Omega, The Good Brothers and The Young Bucks) (with Don Callis) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page and The Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, and Alex Reynolds)

In 1985, Dusty Rhodes created the Great American Bash. The first event was held on July 6th, 1985 from the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The week before, on June 30th, 1985, another one of Dusty Rhodes’ creations entered the world when Cody was born.

Tonight, NXT presents the Great American Bash from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Florida. Cody Rhodes commented on WWE using the name of an event created by his father recently on Twitter.

“Business is business. They have the rights to many of Dusty’s greatest creations. My hope is that they do them justice and I will never be bitter about his legacy being honored and a whole new generation seeing he was a genius w/lasting concepts,” Cody responded on Twitter.

In 2019, Cody commented on possibly buying the War Games concept from WWE during an AEW media call as well.

“Well, you mention WarGames and I’m thinking to myself, I really just want to buy it back,” he said on the call. “I wonder if they would let me buy it back because Dusty thought of the match concept on a napkin in a parking lot. Arn Anderson was there, I got a witness. The one they do now isn’t truly loyal to the old school rules of it. Maybe I can get it back.”

Today is Liberty Iris Runnels’ first day in the world. Cody and Brandi Rhodes have announced that their daughter was born today. The father noted on Instagram that Liberty weighs 6lbs 12oz.

Liberty will be just 3 days younger than Jon Moxley & Renee Paquette’s daughter who was also born earlier this week.

In an interview with the Buzz on Newsday in February, Cody spoke about bringing his daughter into the wrestling world.

“I’m so proud of being a pro wrestler,” Cody said. “I’ll definitely be bringing he or she, whenever I’m told or whenever Brandi lets me know, I’ll bring them around it. The sky’s the limit for a baby Rhodes, that’s for sure.”

Shortly after it was revealed she was pregnant, Brandi Rhodes spoke to PEOPLE about the news.

“Cody and I are so excited and overwhelmed by this news,” Brandi said. “We’ve had seven exciting years of marriage, worked together to grow our careers and our core at AEW from the ground up, and now here we are embarking on another incredible chapter.”

“We have always talked about it as a future, and it turns out that the future is now,” she added. “It’s surreal that parenthood is right around the corner! We are ready and excited to dive right in.”

Congratulations to the new parents!

The NWA presents When Our Shadows Fall on PPV today at 4 PM est. Ahead of the show, Billy Corgan appeared on Busted Open Radio this week and spoke about a possible trilogy bout between Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis. Corgan said he’s pitched the idea to AEW President Tony Khan.

“I’ve pitched it to Tony [Khan] a few times [Nick Aldis coming over to AEW]. It’s Tony’s world, I respect him for what he’s building. But yeah, look, I’ll say it again, Nick [Aldis] versus Cody Rhodes for a third time. I mean, that is an epic, epic matchup waiting to happen,” Corgan said (transcriptions via Post Wrestling).

Rhodes defeated Aldis at the All In show on September 1st, 2018. Aldis then regained the title at the NWA 70th Anniversary show on October 21st, 2018.

“I saw it happen twice in front of my own eyes and when you combine Cody with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship and that history,” Corgan continued. “I’m sorry, I saw a look on Cody’s face that I’ve only seen when he was fighting for that title, because you can’t tell me that history does not mean something to him.”

The NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line at When Our Shadows Fall. Aldis will defend against Trevor Murdoch, who earned the title shot by winning a battle royal on Powerrr.

“I mean, his father’s nickname is tattooed across his chest for a reason and when your dad’s Dusty Rhodes, I mean, I’m sorry. I get goosebumps just talking about the dang thing, so I hope we see Cody and Nick down the road at some point because that to me, it’s just like, it’s just waiting. It’s just waiting,” Corgan concluded.

During a recent media call to promote Double or Nothing, Cody Rhodes teased that there could be new title belts coming to AEW. Rhodes confirmed there are no plans to rename the TNT belt with the move to TBS, but did note that there could be a new set of team-based titles coming to the promotion soon.

“The TBS title has not been discussed yet, but another title as a lot of people can guess has been the title that has been more discussed about potentially coming in the future,” Rhodes teased (transcriptions via Wrestling Inc.) “I’ll let y’all speculate on what that is. Hint hint, we have a lot of people, teams, on the roster.”

AEW has hinted that trios titles could be coming to the promotion previously.

Rhodes continued to talk about the origins of the TNT title and why it is his favorite in all of wrestling.

“Remember the origins of the TNT Title was WarnerMedia, our television partner and provider, was the one that wanted us to have it,” Rhodes continued. “That was a first in all of wrestling, for your partner in the space to say, ‘We’d like you to represent us,’ which is why we’ll keep it the TNT Title throughout its time. It’s my favorite belt in all of wrestling.”

The Young Bucks previously reacted to the reports of infighting among AEW EVPs in their own unique way. Now Cody Rhodes has responded to these claims as well. The former TNT champion held a media conference call ahead of the Double Or Nothing PPV this Sunday where he was asked about the rumors.

Replying to the question, Rhodes who was said to be having trouble with other VPs interestingly suggested that these stories are a result of their win over NXT in the Wednesday night wars. He explained that there is a lot of anger created by their victory and that’s why stories like these don’t surprise him:

“It is one of the things I chopped up as we’ve been very successful, AEW, and with NXT losing the Wednesday Night Wars, that created a lot of anger, and I understand there’s a lot of hardcore NXT and WWE fans out there, and that’s why those stories like that don’t surprise me. I think people need to cling to something, and as sexy as that story is, I talk to Matt and Nick every day.”

The former champion then responded to rumors about his heat with Kenny Omega and how the two are not on talking terms anymore. Cody Rhodes claimed that he talks to the AEW champion very often and all the company vice presidents support each others’ projects:

“I talk to Kenny [Omega] very often. I support their projects fully. They’ve been supportive of all my projects, and we would not be able to put this show on the air, Tony’s [Khan] the man and Tony’s the boss, but we would not be able to put this show on the air if the four of us were not functioning as one team. Unfortunately, it’s not very sexy to say, but there’s no truth to that.”

Rhodes also mentioned their upcoming expansion to TBS. He claimed that they are one team and they will remain one team in the future as the company expands. Apart from this, the AEW VP discussed things such as his current programs and more. Cody Rhodes is currently scheduled to face Anthony Ogogo at the upcoming Double Or Nothing PPV on May 30.

• Cody Rhodes Addresses The Future Of AEW’s TNT Championship

Cody Rhodes has had a long-standing relationship with Stephen Amell that goes all the way back to their first encounter in WWE in 2015. The two have interacted publically numerous times since then and Amell even wrestled a singles match at the All In event hosted by the former WWE star and his friends.

Now that Cody Rhodes is the executive vice president of a company he helped start, a lot of people wonder if we will see Amell returning to the ring and competing for the promotion down the line. During a recent interview with Comicbook.com, the AEW official was asked about the possibility.

Replying to the question, Rhodes revealed that he has had talks with Amell for a potential program but the Arrow star’s acting career has gotten in the way. Though later, the former ROH champion claimed that he can see Stephen getting in the ring at least one more time in future for sure:

“So Steven gets me excited. ‘Oh, let’s do this. Let’s do this. Let’s do this.’ And then I’ll write a little treatment out, and then it’s, “Well, I’m doing this movie.” I don’t know. I think Stephen will absolutely appear on AEW television moving forward.

I know it’s difficult, because he broke his hip wrestling for Christopher Daniels at All In, which very few people know. So I don’t know how excited he is about returning. I know he wants to do it, but he’s got a family. It’s not ballet, but I could see Stephen getting in the ring, for sure, for one more time. I could see that.”

• Cody Rhodes Says Breaking AEW Title Stipulation Would Be The “Easiest Heel Turn In Wrestling”

Stephen Amell teamed up with Neville, now known as Pac to face Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett at SummerSlam 2015. He had his first singles match against Christopher Daniels at All In. Apart from this; Cody Rhodes also revealed the fate of the TNT title after their move to TBS. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.