"We were crying holding each other" - Dustin Rhodes almost retired following famous moment with Cody Rhodes
AEW's Dustin Rhodes witnessed his younger brother, Cody Rhodes, win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL this past weekend. Now, Dustin is gearing up to potentially finish his own story, and he's looking back on some of the memorable moments from his career.
Dustin Rhodes joined AEW shortly after it was founded in 2019. His in-ring debut came at the company's inaugural pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, that same year. That night, he and Cody Rhodes slugged it out in a 22-minute classic. The Natural was busted open early in the bout but managed to hang on as he, his brother, and the ring itself became stained with his blood.
The American Nightmare won the brutal bout but surprised his brother with a hug afterward. The two would go on to team up, and years later, Dustin has become Cody's biggest supporter.
Speaking on the most recent episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Dustin Rhodes revealed that he almost retired after his match against Cody. However, his younger brother's unexpected plea and their emotional embrace kept him going.
"I was actually [thinking of retiring]. So that, I didn't have any idea about what Cody was doing. I thought ok, he was leaving the ring, this is my time right now just to go okay, I've had a great career. And, you know, he surprised me with his throwback – with, you know, the promo, 'I need my older brother.' And it was very emotional. That's when people started squalling and then there wasn’t a dry eye in the place and it was just both of us. We were crying holding each other, you know, hugging. It was just a very strong, strong feeling. So it was really good."
Dustin Rhodes is set for the fight of his life this week on AEW Dynamite
Cody Rhodes' inspirational journey in WWE has seemingly sparked a fire in his older brother, and Dustin Rhodes is determined to take one final trip to the top of the mountain. This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, he will face Samoa Joe in an Eliminator match.
If The Natural wins, he'll leapfrog the current rankings to receive a shot at the AEW World Championship. However, Samoa Joe has proven to be a brutal and merciless champion, and it's likely going to take everything Rhodes has to claim his opportunity.
Dustin Rhodes took to X ahead of the highly anticipated match and confirmed that he is determined to get his hands on the gold:
"Under appreciated and Hungry! As much as the odds are stacked against me.....and how double tough Joe is, I will not falter....I will not fail......I will not quit!! Like I said, on any given Wednesday, anything can happen! #AEWDymamite WEDNESDAY NIGHT in #CharlestonWV!!! @TBSNetwork #KeepSteppin," Dustin shared.
Samoa Joe's opponent for AEW Dynasty on April 21 has already been locked in, with Swerve Strickland getting his second shot at The Samoan Submission Machine's title. It remains to be seen whether Dustin Rhodes will be able to throw a wrench in those plans.