"Not going to change who I'm as a wrestler" – Cody Rhodes on fans turning on him in AEW
Former two-time TNT Champion Cody Rhodes recently addressed the negative reactions he has been receiving from AEW fans.
Cody culminated his months-long rivalry with Malakai Black with a win on last week's AEW Dynamite. While the performers wrestled three matches, the rivalry was more notable for fans turning on Cody Rhodes.
📸 💛 twitter.com/dakotarunnels2…
On the contrary, the former NXT Champion was cheered even though he employed underhanded tactics throughout the feud. Speaking on K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan, Cody shared his honest thoughts about not being a universally liked babyface anymore.
He pointed out that though he was booed in New York and Charlotte, he was cheered by Miami fans at last week's AEW Rampage. Furthermore, the AEW EVP stated that, despite the fluctuating crowd reactions, he doesn't intend to change his character in AEW.
“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,” Cody noted.
“And I thought, okay, okay, I think that’s the route I’m going to be going on 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 boos," added Cody. (H/T - WrestlingInc)
Cody Rhodes debuted a new gimmick recently on AEW Dark
At the October 24th tapings of AEW Dark, the former TNT Champion surprised the fans at the Universal Studio, Florida, by debuting his new character. Though he had recently teased the debut of a masked wrestler, not many expected Cody Rhodes to himself appear under a mask.
Making his @AEW debut, Fuego 2 - Son of Fuego!
@FuegoDelSol will teach 'em the ropes. I hope Cody Rhodes can give them some pointers when he sees this match.
#AEWDark https://t.co/b9WZI4f3Nv
The former WWE Star teamed up with Fuego Del Sol going by the name "Fast 2 Fuego." The duo defeated the team of Kid Bandin and Dean Alexander at the tapings of the YouTube-exclusive show.
It'll be interesting to see if Cody Rhodes continues to appear under a mask, or was it just a one-off thing.
Do you want Cody Rhodes to listen to fans and embrace his dark side in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.