Top AEW Star “The Exalted One” Mr. Brodie Lee was recently a guest on AEW’s Unrestricted podcast with Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone to talk about a number of topics, including how the idea to have a Dog-Collar Match with “The American Nightmare” Cody came about, how he’s happy with the Dog-Collar Match even though it took a physical toll on him and having creative freedom in AEW.
Below are the highlights:
On how the idea to have a Dog-Collar Match with “The American Nightmare” Cody came about:
“One of my favorite matches of all-time is Piper vs. Valentine in 1983 – the Dog Collar Match, which I’ve watched tons of times. So, in the discussion of what should be the big match that we do, I almost jokingly threw out ‘Let’s do a Dog Collar Match’ and everyone goes ‘Yeah, that’s a great idea’.
I was like ‘Oh my god’. So then, the day of, they say ‘Hey, Valentine is coming and he wants to talk to you’. It was unreal. After the match, he pulled us aside, put the match over, and said how impressed he was and how much he loved it. It was crazy. Then they had the great shot of him at the end of him just applauding. I haven’t watched the match back – I’ve only seen clips because I just want to leave it as it because it feels very special to me. It also sucks – the result – so I’m gonna leave it where it is for a little while. I’ll get vodka drunk at some point and watch it back late at night.”
On how he’s happy with the Dog-Collar Match even though it took a physical toll on him:
“We were presented a couple of different chains and options, and we went with what you saw on TV mainly because it looked good on TV. That was not beneficial to my neck to have that strapped around me and have to carry it around for 20 minutes while another man is trying to kill me……[the chain] was bigger and makes better sound, which in turn, hurts more.
So, I did this for the fans. I just want them to know that. I talked to a few people a few days after the match – I ride Pelaton a lot and I don’t know if it was Thursday or Friday, but I quit a ride for the first time. I was about 20 minutes in and I said I can’t do this – my body was just not proper. I’m two weeks out now and I’m slowly getting normal again, but I think I left a piece of me in there. But I’m happy with it.”
On having creative freedom in AEW:
“It’s unreal. It’s nerve-wracking – the anxiety and stuff like that of now there’s nobody to blame. There’s nobody to say ‘Hey, you weren’t good because someone wrote this for you’. It’s now ‘Hey, you wrote this, you performed it and it sucked or it was amazing’. You now have to be prepared to deal with that type of stuff and I am, I’m ready for it. That’s what I’ve always wanted.
I talked about the Dog Collar Match – these are the moments and the kinds of things I yearned for for years. I wanted to be a professional wrestler, I wanted to be a successful professional wrestler, and I wanted to get into these gritty and grimy feuds that have these crazy matches that mean something. I was never given that opportunity at the other place and I’ve already been given that opportunity several times here.”
