Cody Rhodes recently shared his thoughts on AEW Rampage beating SmackDown in a head-to-head competition last Friday. Rather than focusing on any excitement on AEW’s behalf, he shifted the focus on the notion that it’s more of a big deal for WWE.
During an interview with Kevin and Cory, Cody Rhodes also argued that some figures behind the scenes are perhaps erroneously leading WWE down a business path.
“It’s a bigger deal for them, I think,” Rhodes said. “And I don’t mean to sound bullish or anything like that. But if they were under the impression they were going to win in that key demo — there are plenty of people at WWE behind the scenes who are brilliant and great people. But I think there are people in the industry, non-wrestlers, who have never even stepped in a ring, who are leading them down a business path while the business isn’t there.”
Cody Rhodes went on to note that for many, All Elite Wrestling feels like a bit of an alternative to the more established, “juggernaut” company that is WWE. For them, he said, it’s just about making sure to continue living up to their standard and giving the fans what they’ve been tuning in for.
“We’re an alternative; they’re the juggernaut in this space,” said Rhodes. “We’re the alternative brand. But if you’re looking at metrics and you work in the offices of that company, you do have to be aware that there’s a seismic, seismic earth-shattering shift in the wrestling business. And the last time there was this kind of shift was in the mid-80s when WWE was taking everybody’s territory because he had the TV and they were making a better product so they deserved to get all the praise that they did. But it’s definitely an unreal time. Someone who’s an executive in the company that’s making these moves, you’re asking when I’m standing in the ring with a microphone in my hand and I’m gonna give a competent answer.
“But it is also very overwhelming to be sitting in my home right now talking to you guys because that’s a responsibility. Great power, great responsibility. If the fans are choosing us and not the others, we gotta make sure that we give them everything that they want and we’ve gotta continue to give them the promise of a wrestling company led by wrestlers, and Tony has done such a great job in terms of doing that, really leading the ship in a great way.”
Cody Rhodes also spoke about how he’s learning to walk the line of getting a varied reaction each week; you can read his full remarks at this link.
RELATED: Tony Khan: ‘I Am Focused On The Wrestling’, Eric Bischoff’s Comments Are ‘Laughable’
