One All Elite Wrestling star is hoping to see less tribalism among wrestling fans, following the recent furor over the booking of Jinder Mahal. 

On this week’s WWE Monday Night Raw, Mahal confronted World Heavyweight Champion Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. After a verbal back-and-forth, the pair brawled. It was later confirmed that a title match would take place between the pair on next week’s episode of the Red brand. 

AEW star Wants Less Tribalism

The booking of Mahal hasn’t gone unnoticed by AEW President Tony Khan, who has had some choice words for the use of the Modern-Day Maharajah. Khan took aim at Mahal, the USA Network, and Eric Bischoff in his latest Twitter outburst. In response, Mahal questioned as to who FTW Champion Hook is in a post that has since been deleted. 

Now, AEW star Dustin Rhodes has weighed into the matter. While not addressing Khan’s comments of the various responses, Rhodes asked for fans to just enjoy wrestling, and to “lighten up on the tribalism.”

Guys……Just enjoy wrestling. We love to do it for you. Lighten up on the tribalism. #KeepSteppin

— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) January 9, 2024

WWE commentator Corey Graves would have his own response to the controversy.

Jinder rules.

— Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) January 9, 2024

Tony Khan’s Twitter

This is hardly the first time that Tony Khan has run his mouth on social media. When AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT went head-to-head last October, Khan took aim at WWE and dubbed Triple H and Shawn Michaels “bald a**holes.” Khan did a lot of talking in the run-up to the head-to-head, so it was pretty embarrassing when NXT comfortably beat Dynamite. While NXT scored one of its highest ratings of all time, AEW Dynamite scored its worst score in close to two years. 

One really couldn’t think of a greater moral compass for a wrestling company than Bryan Danielson. He by all accounts, has the perfect balance of life – one that exists outside of wrestling (which is pretty key if we’re being honest – wrestlers and fans alike). He’s got a family to keep him grounded, causes to be an advocate for and plenty of books to read. He can disassociate from pro wrestling, a career he’s still absolutely passionate about, but bring in out of the ring elements for better synergy.

Even that considered, he’s a team player, extremely considerate and a modern wrestling oracle to pick the brain of. You factor in Jerry Lynn, those two are the ultimate good cops.

You need a bad cop.

A heavy. Someone who doesn’t take any kind of nonsense, looks at the bottom line for what it is. Does “they” or “their actions” or what they’re doing help the growth of the company? If they don’t do such, cut whatever fat there may be. There should be two credible sheriffs in town and that “bad cop” onus should not be burdened upon one of your top on-air talents.

That’s also not saying Tony Khan should recruit a “yes man, either. Being a billionaire, he’s probably got a few already and they’re certainly not helping to grow the product. However, if Tony could take himself out of the equation, and put the trust in the team he’s assembled, he would do wonders for his company. A company that quite frankly, is failing to hit its mark in certain ways.

In addition to a heavy, there’s so many established names who could help better the promotion if he gave them full autonomy to regulate like Nate Dogg and Warren G. And instead of just one, why not make it two? Here are some “tag teams” behind the scenes that Tony Khan could utilize (two of which who currently aren’t under contract).

Jake Roberts & Arn Anderson

Who was equally excited and intrigued at the possibility of Jake Roberts back with a pro wrestling company? Who was also equally disappointed that Arn wasn’t made the most of during his tenure here? Both he and his son Brock were not re-signed when their contracts expired and it feels like a missed opportunity by Tony Khan on both names, who seemed to only associate them with Cody Rhodes’ time here.

How much could that young talent learn from “The Snake” or “The Enforcer”when it comes to promo skills, ring psychology and real life problems?

Re-sign the Andersons and designate Arn and Jake as your Dusty Rhodes to your NXT. Let them filter through the good and the bad before they’re Dynamite ready and don’t let anybody tell them “no” either.

Jeff Jarrett & Jim Ross

Tony Khan admittedly says he overworks himself and that’s why Bryan Danielson appointed Jimmy Jacobs to help as an assistant. Khan did tap into wrestling history when he signed Jeff Jarrett, first as a talent and then as the Senior Vice President of Live Events, but Double J wears a lot of hats. Khan has shown the capability of laying out a great (albeit very long) PPV, but weekly television programming is another story. Actually sometimes there’s so many stories it’s hard to pin good ones down, especially if you’re a casual viewer.

Allowing Jarrett and JR (who currently is away from television), to be your ultimate booking brain trust lends your company to the old school booking mindset, a structure AEW truly needs. Paring two names who learned from the best in the territory days is really only going to help a show that’s too fast-paced and too cluttered.

Karen Jarrett & Mickie James

If you watch the AEW women’s division, you know it feels neglected. Major names and pinnacle storytellers like Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker are currently not competing, and the announcements of any women’s match feels sudden without any pomp, circumstance or substance (with the exception of “Timeless” Toni Storm, of course.)

She may not be under contract with AEW, but Mickie James knows how to book an all-women’s wrestling show. She did that with NWA Empowerrr and she’s doing it again in 2024 in Australia as a part of Starrcast VI.

Karen Jarrett knows how to make the most of her on camera without even doing a hip-toss. Unfortunately for the women, many don’t receive the experience or the opportunity to let their personalities shine. Both these veterans tagging up would do wonders for bringing the AEW women back to relevancy.

Paul Wight & Mark Henry

Remember the aforementioned “heavy”? Taking it figuratively and literally with this these two. Both legends are currently signed with AEW, but not much is being done with either and it’s unfortunate. Wight is someone who’s main-evented and worked with main-eventers his entire career while Henry has been someone who’s wrestled all throughout the card.

You think a talent is going to go off-script or do a dangerous move for a forgettable pop if they have to answer to Wight or Henry afterwards? If they did it would most likely be their last time and that’s not even considering the name cache they. Make these two your “bad cops” and they would know how to maintain a healthy relationship in the locker room.

Matt Hardy & Chris Jericho

From how it sounds, AEW has its fair share of locker room leaders behind the scenes, but what about having two primary checkpoints who have shown the ability to adapt, innovate and sympathize?

Jericho and Hardy have formed friendships with anybody and everybody of whatever status or age, including the AEW EVPs. Maybe they already are, but making them the go-to mediators for any issues between boots and management could cultivate a solid structure within AEW’s loaded ecosystem of stars.

Jerry Lynn & Dustin Rhodes

Nobody should ever have a bad word to say about Jerry Lynn and if you do, you’re likely part of the problem. It’s been too awesome to have Lynn and Dustin Rhodes be a vital part of AEW’s growth and if there’s been chaos backstage, you can guarantee neither have been apart of it.

Giving them the opportunity to harness and harmonize your roster from an in-ring standpoint is likely something that has happened on several occasions. Both have an old-school upbringing, but very different styles, Make them have the final say as to what goes down between the ropes every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Appreciate The Past & Look Forward To The Future

With all these legendary names behind the curtain or in the ring, it’s easy to say so many are being under-utilized, but the presentation of the current AEW product speaks to the notion that they’re standing on the apron. 

Give them the hot tag and let them take you home. That’s teamwork.

Comments, questions … complaints? Email Dominic at dpdeangelo@gmail.com

Cody Rhodes thinks he may never share the ring with Dustin Rhodes again.

The two brothers had a highly praised match at Double or Nothing 2019. It was one of the matches that helped put AEW on the map which was won by Cody. Though this wasn’t the first time the two wrestling stars went up against each other, as they previously shared the ring in WWE as well. The bout happened at Fastlane 2015 where Dustin, then known as Goldust picked up the win.

With both the Rhodes family members having a win over the other, fans often wonder if we will ever get a third bout to cap things off. When asked about it on the AJ Awesome Show, Cody explained why he may never want to face his brother in a match again:

“Great question. I could say 100% it would happen because that’s how families work. You find each other again. Or I could also say 0%.” said Cody Rhodes, “The reason I can say 0% is because Double or Nothing was such a difficult match for both of us. It was widely respected by the industry. It was really special to us both [and] very hard to top as far as against one another.

‘He Has Earned The Right To Walk Away’: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes mentioned how Dustin has earned the right to walk away on his own terms. According to him, he wouldn’t want to hamper that by trying to get another match out of his brother:

“Also I again, he has earned the right as a wrestler – who is a Hall of Fame level wrestler – He has earned the right to walk away. I wouldn’t want to hamper that or handicap it in any sense trying to get one last one out of him. So really, it’ll definitely happen or definitely won’t happen Because there’s nowhere in the middle on a repeat of something with us. I myself, I love what he’s doing now. I’m very proud of him and Dakota his daughter [who is a] photographer in the industry now. She’s in the family biz too. So very proud of what he’s been able to do and just unbelievable legacies left.

I don’t cite him or credit him enough as one of my favorites growing up because he’s my brother, but absolutely one of my favorites. One of the highest honors I ever had was Double or Nothing. Because it meant a lot not just to each other, but it’s very important for what was starting there. That needed to happen for it to exist and it happened.”

You can check out Cody Rhodes’ full interview below:

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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

The emotional in-ring war of words between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman has got everybody talking, including a member of the AEW roster.

During Raw, Cody Rhodes’ address to the WWE Universe was interrupted by Heyman, who spoke about the close bond he had with Cody’s father Dusty.

After some heartwarming reminiscing, Heyman spoke about the names Dusty trained, including Roman Reigns (Rhodes’ WrestleMania 39 opponent), and noted that the American Dream did not train his son.

Heyman (fighting back tears) recalled his final talk with Dusty, who said that Cody was his favorite son, but Roman Reigns is the son he always wished he had.

In response, Cody said that since Heyman has made this personal, he vows to dethrone Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania

Reaction

Cody may have been Dusty’s favorite son (according to Heyman) but the American Nightmare isn’t the only son of the American Dream.

Dustin Rhodes now works in AEW, and in a tweet, showed his support for his brother, and had a piece of advice for what Cody should do to Heyman.

Dustin and Dusty

Dustin Rhodes and his father would share the screen throughout the respective careers of both men.

As part of Dusty’s feud with the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase, the father and son teamed at the 1991 Royal Rumble in a losing effort to DiBiase and Virgil.

After making appearances together in WCW and outside televised wrestling, the two reunited for Goldust’s green card wedding to Aksana on NXT in 2010.

The American Dream would also be present for his son’s tag-team match against The Shield (Reigns and Seth Rollins) at Battleground 2013, which earned a Match of the Year nomination at that year’s Slammy Awards.

AEW’s Dustin Rhodes is ready to call it a career after announcing that next year will be his last as a wrestler.

Rhodes joined the wrestling industry in 1998 as part of Championship Wrestling from Florida but would debut for WCW in December of that same year.

Rhodes has also competed for WWE, where is best known for his envelope-pushing role as Goldust, and currently competes for All Elite Wrestling.

Retirement

At the recent Blizzard Brawl tapings, Rhodes announced that 2023 will be his last year in wrestling.

This news comes after Rhodes teased his retirement in October, saying that time comes for all of us.

Last month, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion stated that he has about a year left on his contract with AEW.

Dustin Rhodes: A Retrospective

Years before becoming Goldust in the WWF, Rhodes worked for the promotion under his real name from 1990 to 1991, where he was aligned on-screen with his father Dusty.

It wouldn’t be until 1995 that Rhodes would don his iconic face paint, wig, and bodysuit, but would occasionally ditch the persona in the promotion.

In 1999, Rhodes would return to WCW, this time as ‘Seven’ but would immediately break character to bash the character.

Returning to the WWF in 2002, Rhodes would remain for a few more years before joining TNA Wrestling as ‘Black Reign.’

It was Rhodes’ final return to WWE in 2013 that would see him team with his brother Cody, winning the WWE Tag Team Championships from The Shield in October of that year.

In addition to competing for AEW, Rhodes also works as a coach backstage for the promotion.

Dustin Rhodes will be staying with AEW for at least the next year despite recently teasing an exit from wrestling.

The former Goldust has been one of AEW’s longest-tenured stars, joining in early 2019 but has made fewer appearances in the ring in recent years.

Rhodes’ most recent match for AEW saw him challenge then-ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli on the August 24, episode of Rampage.

Rhodes’ Contract

Last month, Rhodes seemingly teased his retirement, saying he will have to do “heavy thinking” about his future and that “time comes for us all.”

Speaking this week on the Sports Guys Talk Wrestling podcast, Rhodes gave an update on his status with the promotion.

“I still have a year under contract, a little less than a year, and I’m gonna try to do the best I can and entertain as much as I can because I still love it and am pretty passionate about it.”

Dustin Rhodes.

In addition to being an on-screen performer, Rhodes also works as a trainer and coach for the company and has been praised for his efforts.

Retirement?

The former WWE Superstar had a lot of people believing his time was up with his post last month.

Addressing his health issues and possible retirement, Rhodes said he is doing much better now but realizes his time in the ring will be over soon.

“Knee is great. I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go back. I’ll be back very very soon, probably two weeks. Right now, I feel good.

“I am getting older and that kind of weighs on my mind a little bit… I’m getting older, they’re getting younger and faster. I know my time is short.”

h/t – NoDQ.com

AEW star Dustin Rhodes has hinted that his time in the squared circle may be coming to an end in the near future.

The 53-year-old took to Twitter today and revealed that he’s started to think about what is next for him. He stated that his old age has caught up to him and he’s been doing some “heavy thinking” about his next step.

Dustin Rhodes In All Elite Wrestling

Dustin is the only Rhodes remaining in AEW after former EVP Cody Rhodes and his wife Brandi exited the company earlier this year. Cody went on to debut at WrestleMania 38 as former CEO Vince McMahon’s handpicked opponent for Seth Rollins.

The American Nightmare picked up three victories in a row over The Visionary before being sidelined with a torn triceps. Many have argued that Cody’s best match in AEW was against his brother Dustin at Double or Nothing 2019.

Cody famously destroyed the throne with a sledgehammer during his entrance before defeating his brother at the PPV. After the match, The American Nightmare emotionally asked Dustin to team up with him against The Young Bucks.

Dustin has wrestled sporadically for AEW over the past few years, with many of the matches happening on Dark or Dark Elevation. He lost to former AEW Champion CM Punk on the April 20th episode of Dynamite. His last match for the company was on August 26th.

Rhodes battled Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship on an episode of Rampage but came up short. Claudio dropped the ROH Championship to Chris Jericho at Dynamite: Grand Slam. Jericho will defend the title on tonight’s Dynamite against Bryan Danielson.

Since launching in 2019, AEW has been home to several wrestlers, with many coming from WWE, and others making it elsewhere. 

The company also boasts some home-grown talent, but not everyone is happy with AEW at this time. 

Disgruntled Talent

In recent weeks, it’s been reported that multiple AEW wrestlers are unhappy with their positions in the company. 

in June, MJF was pulled from programming after a scathing promo in which he addressed his own frustrations, culminating in begging Tony Khan to fire him. 

While it is believed that MJF’s promo was in character, it’s also believed it touched on many real issues he has with AEW. 

More recently, Miro and Andrade El Idolo have liked tweets suggesting they had things better as part of WWE.

• Miro Suggests He ‘Had It Better’ In WWE

• Another Big AEW Star Seemingly Unhappy With The Company

Dustin’s Advice

One name who knows about working in WWE, and has been with AEW since the early days is Dustin Rhodes. 

The brother of AEW co-founder Cody Rhodes, Dustin also has a backstage role as a coach in addition to being a wrestler. 

Speaking at Terrificon 2022, Rhodes spoke about wrestlers being unhappy in AEW and advised those who want to leave to do just that (via POST Wrestling)

“If you don’t like the current atmosphere, that’s a personal issue. You need to move on. Maybe they’ll do something different with you over there, you know what I mean? I think it’s going to be a change slowly with Triple H at the helm but it’s gonna be a good change… If your contract’s up and you’ve had enough with AEW, go, get the f*ck out.”

“If your contract’s up and you’ve had enough with AEW, go, get the f*ck out.”

Dustin Rhodes shares advice for AEW stars unhappy with the company.

Rhodes did not directly name anyone who is reportedly unhappy with AEW. 

WWE in the attitude era was filled with many unexpected storylines and characters. One such unique character was Goldust which caused a lot of controversies but brought in ratings as well. Though the man behind the gold paint himself, Dustin Rhodes believes that a character like that would not work in the current times.

The AEW star recently talked to Renee Paquette on The Sessions podcast. When Renee asked if a character like Goldust would work today, Rhodes explained why it wouldn’t:

“It absolutely would not work. The way Goldust was portrayed back in the 90s. He was very androgynous. We would never say the word gay. I don’t think he will work because those things back then were way, way ahead of its time.” said Dustin Rhodes,

He continued, “They got lots of letters saying that they weren’t gonna let their kids watch this shit anymore. Moms were upset. But the ratings kept getting bigger and better. So we were doing something right. But it was just very pushing the envelope as far as you could possibly do it. Stepping over that line. Today trying to do something like that? No.”

Apart from this, Dustin Rhodes also talked about his Double or Nothing 2019 match with Cody Rhodes. He vowed to never wrestle his brother again.

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If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Dustin Rhodes has no plans of ever wrestling his brother Cody Rhodes again.

Back in May 2019 at the inaugural AEW Double or Nothing PPV, Dustin and Cody put on an instant classic. Ultimately, Cody picked up the pinfall and the two embraced. The match took a lot out of the two.

It’s enough to where Dustin promises not to have another singles match with Cody.

Dustin Rhodes Dismisses Cody Rematch

During a chat with Renee Paquette on The Sessions, Dustin Rhodes said that he won’t ever share the ring with Cody for a one-on-one match again (h/t Fightful).

“I’ve talked about this a lot over the last couple of years.

“Having an opportunity to work with my brother, and not knowing what to expect with the AEW audience and no idea if I’m gonna get any reaction at all, and just the fact that we went out there, and I got a reaction, and the match was like, just for me and him, perfect.

“It was a long time coming that we weren’t allowed in WWE to do. Not Stardust vs. Goldust, I mean just serious brother versus brother.

“It’s hard to do.

“It’s hard to do as you look at all the brothers versus brothers. There’s nothing good to come from them, right? I’ll never do it again. I’ll never wrestle him again. It did a lot to me that night.”

Cody is currently back with WWE, while Dustin remains on the AEW roster. Dustin has said he’s committed to AEW as he believes in the direction the company is heading in.

Dustin has said that he and Cody had pitched the idea of facing each other at WrestleMania directly to Vince McMahon before AEW was even a thought. He claimed McMahon told him the match wasn’t good enough for the event.

CM Punk and Dustin Rhodes will finally meet inside a wrestling ring.

Dustin Rhodes threw out the challenge on tonight’s episode of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Rampage after defeating Lance Archer. Rhodes noted, he acknowledges that his feud with Archer likely isn’t over, but in the meantime, he wants to cross a name off his dream list in Punk next week on Dynamite.

Shortly after the segment, the broadcast team confirmed the matchup for Dynamite this Wednesday. Check out Rhodes’ challenge here below:

This certainly works out for both men, as Rhodes looks to prove he’s still got it with a potential win over CM Punk. As for Punk, he’s currently chasing an AEW World Title opportunity, so a win over Rhodes should do him well in the rankings.

Rhodes will be a great matchup for Punk, but if he truly wants to work his way up to a World Title shot, there’s no shortage of fellow AEW stars who’d like to test themselves inside the squared circle against the “Best In The World.”

You can check out the updated lineup for Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite below:

• Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Qualifier: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Danielle Kamela

• Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Qualifier: Jungle Boy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

• Coffin Match: Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin

• Tony Khan makes “huge announcement”

• HOOK makes in-ring debut for AEW Dynamite

• Wardlow vs. The Butcher

• CM Punk vs. Dustin Rhodes

We’ll keep you updated as more matches/segments are announced for Dynamite this Wednesday.

Sasha Banks would love to see AEW stars Jon Moxley, Dustin Rhodes and Ruby Soho back in WWE some day.

The Legit Boss appeared on NBC Sports Boston’s Ten Count podcast to promote Friday’s SmackDown from her hometown at the DCU Center.

During her chat with host Steve Fall, Banks spoke about Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE, her history-making win at WrestleMania 38, her role on Star Wars: The Mandalorian and much more.

Sasha Banks Invites Jon Moxley Back to WWE

While discussing Cody Rhodes returning “home” to WWE, Banks said she’d like to see several other AEW stars join him. She specifically named Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley), Goldust (Dustin Rhodes) and Ruby Riot (Ruby Soho).

“It’s good to see the Rhodes’ back in WWE, you know.. Next, let’s bring back Goldust,” said Banks. “Let’s bring them all back. Dean Ambrose, you want to come? Let’s go! The more the merrier. Let’s do it!”

Banks wasn’t done name-dropping AEW talent. She’d also like to see Ruby Soho back on the WWE roster.

“I would love to see Ruby Riot back in the WWE Universe, yes,” she added. “Yes, absolutely. That’s one of them.”

It remains to be seen if Jon Moxley, Dustin Rhodes and Ruby Riot have any interest in going back to WWE. However, it’s interesting to see Sasha Banks at least extend the invite.

Check out Sasha Banks’ interview with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston:

Dustin Rhodes worked a match against Lance Archer this week on AEW Rampage, and Rhodes revealed on Saturday that he did not walk away from the match unscathed.

Rhodes won the match but was attacked by Archer after the final bell. In a post to social media on Saturday, Rhodes revealed that he had to get five stitches and also suffered a ruptured eardrum.

“Hey guys, rough night, told you all I’d give you an update,” Rhodes said. “Got five stitches in the head. Pretty sore. The main thing is that I have a busted eardrum. Cannot hear out of it at all. But guess what? I’m in good spirits and I’m not going anywhere.”

You can view Rhodes’ video addressing the injury below.

Archer then responded to the tweet, writing, “That’s what you think.”

Below is some footage from the Rampage segment. The blood loss from Rhodes is quite evident in the video.

Rhodes looks to remain a member of the AEW roster for the immediate future as his brother, Cody Rhodes, prepares to return to WWE this week as part of WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas. This is likely what he was referring to with the “I’m not going anywhere” comment, at least tongue-in-cheek. It’s unknown how long the injury will keep Dustin out of action.

At the first-ever AEW event back in 2019, the Double or Nothing PPV event in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the Rhodes brothers had what is still arguably one of the top matches in the history of AEW. Dustin walked away bloody from that encounter as well.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

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Wrestling legend Dustin Rhodes has seen it all since his debut in 1988. On Thursday, he went on social media and vented about “too many egos” and “too much bullsh-t.”

It’s unclear exactly what he is referencing, but the timing is curious in light of his brother Cody’s shocking departure from All Elite Wrestling.

Rhodes warned about the need to keep your ego in check and focus on lifting other people up.

“Too many egos and too much bullshit,” said Rhodes. “Work hard, keep your nose out of trouble, lift other up instead of treating them as they’re below you. Do these things and succeed at anything. I’ll beat ego every time.”

Fans immediately began wondering if he was referencing backstage politics that may have been a factor in Cody’s decision to leave AEW. However, Dustin quickly set the record straight and let everybody know he couldn’t be happier working for Tony Khan.

Just a few minutes after the first tweet, Dustin Rhodes followed up with another tweet encouraging people to get on board with AEW. “We are ever growing and making big moves.”

“The Natural” has been with AEW since the company’s first pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019. His all-time record in AEW is 32-14. He’s 0-1 so far this year.

“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes reconfirms he is still with All Elite Wrestling.

His employers shocked the professional wrestling community with the announcement of Cody and Brandi Rhodes’s departure from the company. Both Cody and Brandi signed a multi-year contract with AEW before the the start of the promotion on Jan. 1, 2019. The “American Nightmare” confirmed reports on Jan. 26 that he didn’t have a contract with the company.

Cody’s lost his last match against Sammy Guevara at Beach Break on Jan. 26. The company teased a feud between Brandi and former UFC star Paige VanZant at AEW Dynamite on Feb. 2. It’s unclear what the company had planned for Brandi and Van Zant. However after failed contract negotiations, both Cody and Brandi decided to test free agency.

Now that both his brother and sister in law aren’t with AEW, fans have started to wonder if Dustin would leave the company. However, he shared on Twitter that he is still with his employer and doesn’t plan on leaving.

Why Did Dustin Rhodes Join AEW?

Before joining AEW, Dustin felt that he lost his passion for wrestling with WWE. Under the persona Goldust, he has wrestled for and left WWE on different occasions over the years. His his last stint with the company lasted for six years. After feeling underutilzed with his former employers, he requested his release. While not immediate, WWE granted Dustin’s release on Apr. 21, 2019.

In an interview with AEW Unrestricted on Apr. 23, 2020, Dustin shared why he lost his passion for wrestling in WWE.

“When you’re sitting at home for a couple of months with another company who doesn’t value you at all, and you’re sitting there knowing you have so much more to offer. You kind of lose your passion, and for the first time in my 31 years, I lost my passion for the wrestling business,” said Dustin(h/t Anutosh Bajpai).

He also discussed the moment he decided to ask for his release in the interview.

“They just will not give me the time of day, and I had enough.” said Rhodes,” I said enough was enough, and for the first time, I kind of stood up for myself in a big way and said, ‘I am quitting. I am asking you for my release. I am done. I’m not happy here anymore, said Dustin(h/t Anutosh Bajpai).

Dustin signed a multi-year contract with AEW on Aug. 30, 2019. While he has no interest in leaving, it’s unclear if AEW will renew his contact when it’s up.

Dustin Rhodes plays an important role backstage working as a coach with AEW’s women’s division. He recently sat down with Renee Paquette on “Throwing Down” and spoke about wanting to help the division get to a point where they are having multiple matches each episode of Dynamite and Rampage.

“I want to get them to where they have two matches on Dynamite or Rampage,” Rhodes said. “It’s not fair, but we’re getting there and making leaps and bounds. The female talent coming in are very athletic and in some cases they are just as good, if not better, than some of the guys, and that’s awesome.”

“I want them to get to the level that all the guys are at,” Rhodes continued. “They deserve that. Sometimes, it’s not fair that they don’t get those chances and now they are starting to get those chances.”

“They are not there yet, but they’re getting there, and they want it now. When I teach them how to do something and they do it and you see this smile on their face, that’s the payoff for me,” Rhodes said.

On last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, the TBS tournament final match between Ruby Soho and Jade Cargill was the highest rated segment. It beat out even the AEW World Championship match between Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson.

Cargill defeated Soho to win the inaugural TBS Championship. She is still undefeated in her AEW career. This week on AEW Dynamite, the scheduled match in the women’s division sees Hikaru Shida take on Serena Deeb. Shida leads the head-to-head series between the two 2-1.

H/T to Fightful for the above transcriptions.

Cody Rhodes has been pulled from his scheduled title defense against Sammy Guevara at the upcoming Battle Of The Belts event due to a medical issue.

AEW announced during this week’s episode of Rampage that the current TNT champion has been pulled from the upcoming show because he is not medically cleared to compete.

The company confirmed that his brother Dustin Rhodes will be replacing Cody in the match against Guevara at Battle Of The Belts. The winner will be crowned the Interim TNT champion:

AEW did not provide any further detail on the matter. So it’s hard to say what’s the exact issue Cody is facing or how long he will be out of action.

This leaves the fate of the interim TNT champion in question as well. We will have to see when the winner of this match gets to face Cody Rhodes.

Dustin Rhodes has not wrestled a singles match since the October 23 episode of Dynamite. Bryan Danielson defeated him in the first round of the AEW title eliminator tournament during the show.

AEW Battle Of The Belts is the first of the four Saturday Night Specials the company will be producing this year. It will be taking place from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 8.

At Double or Nothing 2019, Cody and Dustin Rhodes clashed in a classic match. According to comments Dustin made recently on the Way of the Blade podcast, it was a match that both had frequently pitched to have at WrestleMania.

“I had fought so hard every single year to get to work my brother at WrestleMania,” Dustin said. “And point-blank, Vince (McMahon) would always tell me, ‘This match is not good enough to be on WrestleMania’. That pissed me off, that pissed me off bad. And it was hurtful, and it did something to me. It really depleted every ounce of passion that I had. I fought for it every single year, Cody too. We both fought for it every year.”

Dustin also spoke about not being permitted by WWE to work the All In show. He spoke about thinking his wrestling career was over until he was given the chance to face his brother at Double or Nothing.

“So to get offered this with Cody and Tony Khan, to this new fanbase and this upstart company AEW, on this PPV? And I watched All In on PPV at home. It was like ‘Okay, here we go.’”

While the match is widely considered one of if not the best match in both their careers, Dustin said he was not feeling confident going into it.

“I’m very excited about this but not confident at all. I was very lost in my confidence and passion, like I said. And very unsure about my ability to step into the ring with my brother and deliver a very explosive match for him.”

The match received a 5-star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions.

This week’s AEW Dynamite: Brodie Lee Celebration Of Life featured multiple video tributes to the late star from the various members of the AEW roster.

The show opened with a ten bell salute to the former TNT Champion followed by a video tribute from the former AEW Champion Jon Moxley who said that he will never forget Brodie.

Multiple other wrestlers shared their memories of the former WWE star throughout the show and the episode featured videos from people like Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, Chris Jericho and more.

The company later posted several additional unaired tribute videos for the Exalted One on their YouTube channel.

Brodie Lee Tributes

Brodie Lee passed away due to a lung ailment on December 26 and since then the wrestling world has come together to honor the memory of the late star.

Companies like WWE and Impact Wrestling have also paid tribute to the former Luke Harper in various ways and AEW dedicated this week’s episode of Dynamite to the former champion.

The episode featured matches involving the members of Lee’s Dark Order faction and the company has announced that they are retiring the current design of the TNT championship to honor Brodie Lee.

• Erick Rowan Appears On Dynamite To Pay Tribute To Brodie Lee

AEW star QT Marshall recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. The Nightmare Family member discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including teaming with Dustin Rhodes in All Elite Wrestling.

“There’s a lot of nepotism and stuff that goes along with that, being friends with Cody” QT Marshall began on the podcast. “I always feel like I just, I need to prove myself. Even though like I’ve been training in wrestling for 16 years and I don’t really need to prove myself? But to certain fans? I feel like I always do. I always have to justify why I’m here.”

• Young Bucks Talk About AEW Working With Impact & Other Companies

QT Marshall also discussed the Bunkhouse match that he took part in recently. The Natural Nightmares took on The Butcher and The Blade on Dynamite in a bloody affair. Marshall hit a massive elbow drop during the match from the top of a ladder, something he discussed on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.

QT Marshall on The Bunkhouse Match

“What could I do…that if I never wrestle again? What could I do that would live forever? The night before I was just at the building looking over stuff, you know as I do for the production side of things. I saw a humongous ladder and I was like, ‘what if I jump off this ladder?’ And then I climbed up when no one was here, I just climbed up and I looked down. I literally yelled to one of the production guys and was like, ‘hide this ladder, because this one is way too big!”‘

Did you watch the Bunkhouse match on Dynamite? Are you impressed with the tag team of QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes? Let us know in the comments

Dustin Rhodes was one of the first stars to leave WWE to join AEW and he paved the path for a number of stars to leave the company and reignite their passion for pro wrestling.

The former WWE star recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, where he talked about things like his responsibilities in AEW, training young stars and more.

Talking about his final days with WWE, Dustin said that sitting at home and doing nothing made him lose his passion for wrestling for the first time in 31 years:

“When you’re sitting at home for a couple of months with another company who doesn’t value you at all, and you’re sitting there knowing you have so much more to offer. You kind of lose your passion, and for the first time in my 31 years, I lost my passion for the wrestling business,”

Explaining his decision to quit the company, the former Goldust said that he had enough. So for the first time, he stood up for himself in a big way and asked for his release:

“They just will not give me the time of day, and I had enough.” said Rhodes,” I said enough was enough, and for the first time, I kind of stood up for myself in a big way and said, ‘I am quitting. I am asking you for my release. I am done. I’m not happy here anymore,'”

• Also Read: Renee Young Got Heat For Recent WWE Backstage Incident

However, the company didn’t grant his request right away and they stalled the former Champion for a while before finally approving his release in March 2019.

A month later in April, it was announced that Dustin Rhodes will be facing his brother Cody Rhodes in a match at Double or Nothing. Since then he has signed a contract with the company to work with them as a performer as well as a coach.

Last week’s edition of Dynamite was headlined by Dustin Rhodes vs Kip Sabian in the 1st round of the TNT title tournament. Rhodes put his career on the line in the match as well. Rhodes defeated Sabian and will now face Jake Roberts’ client Lance Archer in the semi-finals.

AEW published a promo from Roberts recently where the legend talks about the upcoming match between Archer and Rhodes.

“Let me think about this, Dustin,” Roberts begins the promo. “Last week, you were talking about retiring if you couldn’t beat Kip Sabian. Christ, you squeaked by that. My friend, it’s not a good thing because now you’re set to go against Lance Archer.”

Dustin Rhodes is also shown in the video. Rhodes noted that he now understands he has the support of the AEW fan base.

“Lance Archer doesn’t need the fans, he feeds off his own anger,” Jake Roberts continued. “He wants to hurt somebody and you happen to be a Rhodes, that makes it even better.”

“I’m laying it out there plain and simple, Lance will F you up!”

“It’s better to acknowledge the fear and the truth and walk away,” Roberts continued. “If you don’t walk away from this, you’ll be carried away from this. Goodbye, old friend.”

• Cody Q&A Tuesday Night, AEW Dark Preview, Latest Road To TNT Championship

Roberts’ comments can be heard in the Tweet below:

All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes recently participated in an online Q&A session via Twitter. Some of the questions he answered regarded his interest in being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was also asked whether he missed portraying Goldust at all.

Although his father, Dusty Rhodes, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2007, an induction isn’t something that Dustin is overtly concerned about.

Despite this confession, he remains open-minded to the idea. He shared that “If it comes, it comes.” Until then, however, he remains focused on AEW and helping to grow and develop their “talented kids.”

Does Dustin Rhodes Miss Goldust?

Having first portrayed WWE’s Goldust back in 1995, Dustin has an undeniably long history with the character. When asked if he missed Goldust at all, he admitted that he didn’t.

That being said, he remains thankful for the years he was able to bring Goldust to life through his various iterations.

Dustin Rhodes recently defeated Kip Sabian to advance in the AEW TNT Championship Tournament. He is scheduled to face off against Lance Archer on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in the semi-finals. If successful, Dustin would advance to vie for the championship against either Darby Allin or his brother Cody Rhodes.

Dustin Rhodes will take on Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite. The match will be in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament. Rhodes has also said that if he fails to defeat Sabian tonight, he’ll retire from wrestling. He spoke with TV Insider recently about his time in AEW so far. During the conversation, Dustin opened up about his relationship with his brother Cody.

“There is a huge age difference between my brother and myself,” Dustin said about his brother who is 17-years younger than him. “We don’t have a lot in common. He has grown up his way, and we were blessed to tag with each other in WWE. He went off on his own and left. I was stuck there, which is exactly what it was.”

Dustin went on to praise Cody’s creative ability. He also noted that much of Cody’s hunger and desire he’s shown in the business can be attributed to their shared family lineage.

“He was hungry and had it in him because he is a Rhodes. Our legacy is strong,” Dustin continued. “He has that creative ability and insight not a lot of people know or see. What he does backstage, before the show, and what he puts together before the show – it’s incredible.”

Dustin would continue to say that he’s enjoyed being able to reconnect with Cody and Brandi in addition to all the others at AEW.

“He has my dad in him 150 percent. For me to come on the scene and reconnect, even though he lives in Georgia and I live in Texas, [and] for me to reconnect with him and Brandi and all these people, it’s great.”

AEW Dynamite Lineup

This week’s edition of Dyanmiate features 2 TNT title tournament matches. Dustin Rhodes vs Kip Sabian will take place in addition to Sammy Guevara vs Darby Allin. The winner of Rhodes vs Sabian will meet Jake Roberts’ client Lance Archer in the semi-finals. The winner of Guevara vs Allin tonight will face Cody in the 2nd-round. It’s possible the two Rhodes brothers could meet each other in the finals of this tournament, though there are 4 other wrestlers still alive in the tournament who will be looking to prevent that from happening.

Dustin covers many other subjects during the interview. The full discussion can be read here.

Dustin Rhodes will face Kip Sabian in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament this Wednesday on Dynamite. In a clip from AEW’s “Road to the TNT Championship” set to air on Monday, Dustin tells his brother Cody that if he doesn’t beat Kip Sabian then he’ll retire.

“As you know, I soul-search every single week,” Dustin says to Cody in a voicemail during the video. “I’m always asking the question can I still do this? So my soul-searching has led me to this: This TNT tournament is the most important thing I’ve done since wrestling (Cody) at Double or Nothing, hands down. To be the first TNT champion means every frickin thing you can possibly imagine to me. So one of the things that I really want to discuss with you – and I would really like to talk to you instead of texting you this or voicemailing you this – Look, this guy Kip Sabian is no joke. If I cannot beat that son of a b**ch, I will retire.”

If Dustin loses on Wednesday, it would be the end of a very long and accomplished career that dates all the way back to the 1980s. Dustin made his debut in Championship Wrestling from Florida in the fall of 1988.

Reactions To Dustin Rhodes Putting His Career On The Line

Several people from AEW have reacted to Dustin’s statement.

Tony Khan posted the following:

Brandi Rhodes posted the following: