All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes was a guest on a recent episode of The Apter Chat where he talked about a number of topics including WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon’s comments to AEW being a blood and guts company.
As previously reported, Vince McMahon said that AEW is an overly violent “blood and guts” promotion and he can’t imagine that TNT will put up with that kind of content. Cody Rhodes didn’t take those comments lying down as he responded with the following statement: “Recently there were some very public comments made about us, where we were referred to as ‘blood and guts.’ Blood and guts… the entirety of our business is built on blood and guts. Every man or woman who ever stepped foot in the ring, regardless of race, color, creed, political affiliation, sexual identity, felt blood and guts and passion, because if we don’t care, they don’t care. So if you say we are blood and guts, I say you bet your ass we’re blood and guts.”
Cody then talked about possibly saying something of the blood and guts nature from his previous comments, but then he retracted those comments in a joking manner and said that he is excited that wrestling is going to be on TNT.
This is what Cody Rhodes said: “I don’t know, I think I said something to that nature for sure.” “I was taking back the initial blood and guts comment (from McMahon). I’m so excited that wrestling is going to be on TNT. I think it’s been 18 years, and to have a partner like that – and they’ve changed so much; the Warner Media Group has changed so much in terms of their infrastructure. Wrestling has changed so much, so it’ll be cool to kind of catch back up. You know, where is everything now?”
Cody then talked about the shock he felt in AEW’s first-ever show on TNT selling out as quickly as it did, but he said that their focus right now is the content itself of the show as he believes that if they put up high-quality matches, then their viewers will continue to tune in to their programming.
This is what Cody Rhodes said: “I think [the TNT TV premier] selling out was an honest shock to me.” “I thought it would do well, but we were so focused on the content of the show itself. Washington D.C.: the Nation’s Capital – it’s serendipity, man. And the only way it’s going to keep happening after the fact is if we keep putting on the best bell-to-bell matches that we can.”
Yes, people may tune in and expect something different as far as AEW is concerned and expect that alternative and they’ll get that.” “But they’ll also get something they’ve been familiar with for a long time and that is bell-to-bell pro wrestling at it’s best because of the roster we have, and that’s the best thing we can give them. There’s a hundred hooks, and gimmicks, and all of that in this world of sports entertainment and show business, but the stories you can tell in the ring, they’re the most sophisticated stories on Earth if you want them to be. And I’m excited to do that.”
Cody then said that he believes his scheduled match against Sammy Guevara will be the first match of AEW’s premiere episode on TNT. Cody also said that after his match with Sammy Guevara is done, he will put his headset back on and help Tony Khan, as well as the other Executive Vice Presidents, produce the rest of the show.
This is what Cody Rhodes said: “I think, as of looking at it now, I’ll probably be the very first match of the night.” “Which has a special place in my mind but also thinking from a logistic and planning standpoint, it also makes it very easy for me to go sit down, put the headset on, and help Tony Khan and the other EVPs produce the rest of the show.”
You can check out Cody Rhodes’ full comments in the video below:
Sanjay Thakur, a dedicated journalist for the Pro Wrestling News Hub brand since 2019, brings an unparalleled passion and insight to the world of professional wrestling. With his finger constantly on the pulse of WWE and AEW, Sanjay's articles offer in-depth analysis and up-to-the-minute coverage of the industry's most thrilling developments.
