AEW superstar and current TNT champion Cody Rhodes recently spoke with FITE in FOCUS about the promotion’s upcoming Battle of the Belts television special, and how AEW cannot afford to put on anything less than an A+ show at this point. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
On the Battle of the Belts television special and how AEW is not able to put on anything short of an A+ show at this point:
“I’m really excited that Tony named it Battle of the Belts because it’s right there in the name. I’ve really disliked — in wrestling, in the past, and this is across the board not speaking anybody specifically. I’ve disliked in wrestling when a belt has been tarnished or they’ve lost their value to a wrestler. Don’t be fooled. You talk to a lot of wrestlers, we love our belts, we really do. Most wrestlers who are worth their salt have their own display of all the belts they’ve ever won. It’s a significant thing. It’s, you know, no different than in Hollywood winning the Academy Award. It’s unique in that sense, and to name it Battle of the Belts and put the emphasis on titles, and I’m not sure if all titles will be defended in this very first TNT special, but I do know just with that in mind, it being the very first special that we’re doing as part of the new contract, you know, myself and The Bucks and Kenny, and Tony, that’s not one that we can leave — we are not capable, we are not able, at this point, to have a B+ show, everything has to be A+.”
How fans may be conditioned to think a certain way because of their years of watching WWE:
“That is something I’m really looking forward to. We can still make these new memories, and we’re going to continue to make them. Battle of the Belts will be, I’m sure, a big emphasis on the actual titles themselves, which then lean into an emphasis for the most part other than the TNT Title, lean into an emphasis on the rankings. These were all things that we, as the brand, introduced, and it’s not always easy right out of the gate to say, ‘Hey, that wrestling that you’ve been used to for 20 years, we’re changing it all up.’ You might have been conditioned to this is how things go, and this is how things go, and you might even be frustrated when you guess that we’re gonna go through this door, but we go through a different one that’s just because our brand does not share their identity or a different identity. It’s very much AEW.”
How Battle of the Belts is reminiscent of the old Clash of Champions:
“That’s the vaguest thing I’ve ever said. I’m gonna be straight with you. I’m excited about Battle of the Belts because it reminds me of Clash of the Champions. It’s a special, and big things happen on nights like that. I said we were not capable of never having a big night but we are capable of making our nights bigger. If that makes any sense and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)