AEW Executive Vice President and TNT Champion Cody Rhodes hosted a media call today to promote Saturday’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view. Below are more highlights from the call:
* Regarding Allysin Kay facing AEW star Serena Deeb for Deeb’s NWA World Women’s Title on the Full Gear pre-show, Cody said this shows that AEW means it when they say they are “open for business” right now. He said it’s unlikely that we see a duel-branded super show with AEW and NWA. He likely would not want to have a third match against NWA’s Nick Aldis
* Cody said the relationship between bosses Tony Khan and Billy Corgan is strong. Khan wanted another women’s match on the Full Gear card, so he got with Corgan to make Kay vs. Deeb happen this weekend
* Cody also praised Deeb in a major way. He said she stepped up a few weeks back and is a very special talent. He also had praise for Kay and her reputation
* He was asked about AEW previously promising to be a sports-based product. He said it’s like AEW serving different flavors of ice cream, such as MJF or Chris Jericho. Nothing works if everything is the same. He prefers the sports-centric pro wrestling and we can always expect his stories to be like that, and he tries to pull that off when he’s in the ring
* Cody looks at talent recruitment as an important piece of the puzzle. He had praise for Ricky Starks and Eddie Kingston, especially Kingston’s ability to connect with people. Cody pointed to Kingston’s segment on Dynamite this week with AEW World Champion Jon Moxley to promote the Full Gear match.
The education he’s picked up in his career is important when it comes to recruiting talent, and if Cody puts his name behind you for a shot, he expects you to succeed. Cody especially takes talent recruitment seriously when he steps in the ring with a wrestler. He’s always happy to open the door for a wrestler, but it’s up to them to run with the ball
Stay tuned for more from Cody and more on Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view. You can click here for Cody’s earlier comments on his name.
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