AEW superstar and Executive VP Cody Rhodes recently spoke with Comic Book about a variety of topics, including how he feels about the promotion moving their flagship show, Dynamite, to TBS, and how they don’t plan on changing the name of the TNT championship. Highlights from the interview are below.
Confirms that AEW will not be changing the name of the TNT championship:
I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but I mean, I’ll drop a spoiler. I don’t think we’re going to change the title’s name one bit. TNT is the place that the first alternative challenger brand in two decades appeared on. Their excitement, our partners at WarnerMedia, and the TNT title, as I’ve stated, I think it is, if not the most important title in wrestling, the second most important title in wrestling. I don’t see us changing that name, and I think that’s kind of across the board. I don’t think you’ll find anybody in management or Tony himself who wants to change that name. We’ll always roll with the punches and we’ll always pivot, but I’m 99% sure the TNT title stays the TNT title.
Comments on AEW Dynamite’s move to TBS and AEW Rampage:
Tony [Khan] was able to facilitate the best possible deal for All Elite Wrestling, and that means more money for the content, and then more importantly, the term that Brett [Weitz] at WarnerMedia used is the best term, it truly is an expansion. We’re just expanding our brand on to TBS, that being Rampage, coming over to TBS, Dynamite itself, four specials, a la Clash of the Champions, our Saturday Night’s Main Event. Those were kind of comparable. Having those on TNT, we’re really all over, and just watching the upfronts for WarnerMedia to see our penetration and presentation, made me really proud that we’ve been such a nice success story.
How he’s personally ecstatic for the move:
So for me, I was excited. I’m always kind of the eternal … I’m very reserved in what I think, and so we put it out there on the medium, but it would be remiss if I didn’t think of the fact that TBS has been a part of my life since I was a little kid. Tony Schiavone texted me that morning, and of course he said, “We’re going back to the mothership.” And the mothership is what my father used to call TBS, for good reason, because they took that first chance on WCW and Jim Crockett Promotions. And now they’ll have all of the wrestling and some familiar names, and a very unique bell-to-bell product. So I’m ecstatic. Plus I’m a psycho American Dad fan. Just to share the space with them and perhaps to do a little cross-promotion would be a really fun thing to do.