Cody Rhodes Believes WWE SmackDown Vs. AEW Rampage Ratings Means More For WWE

AEW EVP Cody Rhodes recently made an appearance on K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan ahead of the season finale of Rhodes to the Top. Cody revealed how he and Brandi were approached with this opportunity for a reality show.

"Well, everything was all happening at once. AEW is doing insane, insane business," Cody stated. "It's one of the executive vice presidents and Brandi's chief brand officer. On top of that, I go to do a show on TBS with Rosario Dawson, and T-Pain, and Jennifer Nettles, that being Go Big Show. On top of that, while that's all happening, Brandi gets pregnant, so now Brandi's pregnant, AEW is gonna get a second show that's on WarnerMedia networks, and then that's when TNT said, okay, peak professional life, peak personal life, it's happening. She's pregnant.

"We've got to get this show. I was not hard to sell on it because I get a whole movie of Liberty being born, forever based on this show. More than anything, it wasn't about money. It wasn't about their strategies when it comes to a peripheral content show about bringing in casual viewers. Of course, that's part of it, but more than anything, I wanted to have this whole movie of my daughter being born, and I do. I just think Rhodes to the Top is great, and I'm so glad that fans kind of came out in droves for it because it's authentic, and it's my wife. The good, bad, or ugly, it's our life."

Cody has received mixed reactions from fans as of late. Many fans have come up with their own theories as to why that is the case, and Rhodes talked about whether he would change his approach or not.

"I've been asked this a lot lately, and I feel almost terrible in all my responses because one day I said I feel like Woody from Toy Story because New York booed a lot, Charlotte booed a lot, but then this past week in Miami, all sudden you got this giant positive reception," Rhodes noted. "And I thought, okay, okay, I think that's the route I'm going to be going on is is walking that line right in the middle. I'm not going to change who I am as a wrestler, and I think years and years that people assuming we're going to do kind of something WWE-light style or soap opera-y with those boots.

"I think the route we're going on is probably the route that's most challenging, but we can't give people what they've already seen before. So if that means New York is going to boo me and then that means Miami is going to cheer me, or Atlanta is going to cheer me, Boston might boo me, then I can walk that line. I really can. It's like playing a home and playing an away game. It's different. In wrestling, sometimes it's good and profitable just to play checkers, but I think what I do on screen has been a lot of chess, and I'm just living it. As long as they're the loudest, the longest, whether it's positive or negative. I have no complaints."

The big talk as of late was centered around Rampage beating SmackDown in the key demo when the two shows went head-to-head for 30 minutes. Rhodes explained why this is a bigger deal for WWE than for AEW.

"It's a bigger deal for them, I think. And I don't mean to sound bullish or anything like that, but if they were under the impression they were going to win in that key demo– there are plenty of people at WWE behind the scenes who are brilliant and great people, but I think there's people in the industry, non wrestlers, people who have never even stepped in a ring, who are leading them down a business path while the business isn't there," Rhodes explained. "We are an alternative. They're the juggernaut in this space.

"We're the alternative brand, but if you're looking at metrics and you work in the offices of that company, you do have to be aware that there is a seismic, seismic, earth-shattering shift in the wrestling business. And the last time there was this type of shift was in the mid '80s when WWE was taking everybody's territories because they had the TV and they were making a better product. So they deserve to get all the praise that they did, but it's definitely an unreal time.

"Someone who's an executive in the company that's making these moves, you asked me when I'm standing in the ring with a microphone in my hand and I'm going to give you the most competent answer. But it is also very overwhelming to me sitting here in my home right now talking to you guys because that's a responsibility. Great power, great responsibility. If the fans are choosing us and not the others, well, we got to make sure we give them everything that they want. We've got to continue to give them a promise of a wrestling company led by wrestlers, and Tony [Khan] has done such a great job in terms of doing that really led to shift in a great way.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.