"Not perhaps the biggest fan" - Cody Rhodes points out the one aspect of AEW he disliked
Cody Rhodes is one of the founding wrestlers of AEW and is instrumental in getting the promotion to where it is today. The second-generation star has been backstage in many different locker rooms between WWE and AEW.
Rhodes touched on the Women's division while speaking on the latest AEW Unrestricted podcast. The star also noted that he wasn't the biggest fan initially.
“I entered AEW not perhaps the biggest fan, and I am not saying I was and I wasn’t. But now, there are guarantees on our show,” Rhodes stressed. “You put Serena Deeb out there, you better have your working boots on, or she will outwork you. That’s genuine change in wrestling, and it’s great to see. I am at the school now, and we’ve got five girls in this camp. Now the pressure is on, it really is.”
The women's division has definitely changed since Rhodes first joined AEW. Currently, there are two Women's Championships and a large number of upcoming women's talent coming into the promotion.
Cody Rhodes thinks there are male wrestlers within the wrestling industry that are “rooting against” women’s wrestling
Rhodes opened up about male perceptions against women's wrestling during the same podcast.
“I think there’s a lot of male wrestlers who behind the scenes are kind of rooting against it. And I am not saying at AEW,” he pointed out. “I am saying in the general space of wrestling, and they need to hop on because it’s happening, it’s growing, and it’s really cool to see. ‘Hey, Jon Moxley doesn’t have to wrestle every week, because Jade can go out there and wrestle. Because Thunder can wrestle, Deeb can wrestle, Britt can wrestle,’ it’s endless." (H/T: Inside the Ropes)
As Cody Rhodes pointed out, the AEW women's roster is as valid as the males. This is stark in comparison to decades ago when female wrestlers were still "Divas" and not taken seriously.
While the Women's Revolution originally began in WWE, AEW seems to be taking it on into the next phase.
Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes recently participated in a TNT Championship ladder match against Sammy Guevera which received widespread praise from critics.