Arn Anderson Praises Teaching Ability Of This AEW Star

Outside of his role as an in-ring performer, Arn Anderson has adopted a few non-wrestling duties in his career that's spanned four decades. Upon his arrival at AEW, "Double A" coached "The American Nightmare," Cody Rhodes, and while his time as a mentor largely diminished upon Rhodes' exit from the company, Anderson has respect for another figure who continues to coach and help shape AEW's women's division.

As his on-screen appearances lessened, Cody's brother, Dustin Rhodes, stepped into a backstage teaching role, and according to Anderson, Dustin remains one of the best to learn from. "I see him work with the girls and I see him work with the guys at TV, and he bends over backwards to help them and make it make sense," Anderson said on the "ARN" podcast. 

Rhodes recently revealed that his contract with AEW will expire in July and plans on toning down his in-ring work. His role as a coach, though, is now a priority, as Rhodes previously clarified he hopes to stay involved behind the scenes and teach the current and next generation of performers.

In discussing the attributes that make a good mentor, Anderson identified patience as being a key ingredient to success. "What I try to do is watch a match, see all the positive things that they did, or if there's just one or two positive things, but you always bring those up at first," he said. The WWE Hall of Famer explained that boosting another's confidence first motivates them to keep tuning in and forges a pathway for constructive criticism to follow.