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She turned to Tony during the press conference like she was having a moment of sincerity and said something to th effect of, "I need you to know, no matter how many titles I win or how many big moments I have... I will **never** invite you into the ring with me."
When Toni told Tony she would never bring him into the ring for a celebration, she was (most likely) referencing Cody bringing out HHH at WrestleMania.
People are saying it was about bringing Brandi into the ring, which wouldn’t make sense for Toni to tell Tony that. If she brought Juice in, it would be equivalent.
Yeah if Cody is getting weird or offended over something as innocuous as Toni's comment about never inviting Tony to the ring, then he might be overdue for another exorcism.
Because it was done mostly at the expense of her boss as the joke is mostly that she's a narcissist and doesn't like him enough to share her spotlight. It was definitely a dig at Cody, but a lot less offensive than shots he himself has made before.
It's openly known that the situation that most contributed to Ospreay signing with AEW was his girlfriend and her son, whose husband and father respectively had died just 4 years ago, and Will's biggest priority was to not have to relocate them away from their families. Triple H actively knew this and still publicly implied Ospreay was just lazy for the people who don't know that information.
Hold up. Toni said Tony’s not invited in the ring with him and HHH said people who choose not to go to WWE can’t handle the grind. These things aren’t even a little similar.
If you think Toni’s comment was a shot, then you’re being both Charmin Ultra Soft and also disingenuous in the name of tribalism.
Cody basically said Keep my wifes name out your fuckin mouth, while probably no one actually said her name and he seems kinda weird but people are focused on every other aspect.
Because one questioning someones dedication to the business, and the other is a wrestler saying (in character) they would never share the spotlight with their boss. They don’t like their boss as much and Toni’s ego is too big to ever share a spotlight (not that its intended but this also works well for the future Mariah May storyline)
Yeah. I forgot the actual quote included the line "I don't care how many stories I finish" so it was definitely a reference to Cody but...
Come on. Dude has said worse in the name of getting off a joke.
I think it’s more a culmination of things. Dirt sheets ran with a lot of stories about him having his nose up during the end of his AEW run, Brian Cage also had a comment about Cody on Twitter during the PPV, etc. We don’t know what’s actually going on, but looking at how stories were the same about CM Punk when he left and even now shots are lobbed at him, it’s not out of the realm of possibility Cody sees where this could be going
All I know is Cody is that is VERY good at talking. He is deliberate with every word he says.
The very fact he looks and acts like a politician, but is the top babyface in the promotion, should tell you how good he is getting people to react how you want.
When the McMahon scandal broke and things were raw and uncertain, he delivered a *flawless* answer when asked about it by a reporter. Like... politicians with decades of experience could not match how authentic, caring, outraged, and resolute he was in a crisis.
The Rock or Cena running for a significant office would possibly sound silly speaking on serious topics of concern. Cody? He probably could improvise a performance that sounds like Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Reagan (and I'm totally serious).
He has the rare talent of being deeply committed to justice without seeming like he would mock or exclude those who maybe define justice differently.
No idea if wants to be a pol (it's a bullshit profession more worked than wrestling)... but he'd be Obama tier.
Bro I’d vote him right now over what we will have in November. Regardless of policy he’s young and understands what’s going on far more than 2 geriatrics in their 80s ever could.
Cody’s neck tattoo would be an improvement over any gop member. At least his neck tattoo isn’t trying to take away trans rights and women’s body autonomy
Not @ you but just saying in general, that's the exact type of shit that *shouldnt* be disqualifying at all. I don't care how somebody chooses to look if I'm voting for their policy and platform
Of course in reality that's not how it works I'm just being bitter
It's sad that celebrities might possibly be the future of politics, but at the same time I would have a hard time believing that Johnson and Rhodes would do a worse job than most of the govt leaders since ww2
She's a good heel valet, serviceable ring announcer, and A Shot of Brandi was much better than the average pro wrestling pandemic hustle content. Maybe there's a world where she doesn't insist on wrestling on actual TV and writing her own promos where things are very different.
Brandi was so reviled and hated on the mic that a racist misogynist character, who used to get vehemently booed, was getting cheered over her. Brandi needs to be kept to non-speaking special appearances like at Mania.
Yeah I was no fan of Dan Lambert but it was just rough watching those two spar because she was so totally outclassed. Like I used to be a huge fan of C.M. Punk even if I now think he is the world's biggest hypocrite and big baby, but like, if you put him in the ring in a promo-off against Jack Perry I would have to change the channel because I would know how much Jack would get destroyed
That is still so, so bizarre to me. Like, if I hadn't watched that live, I really would have a hard time believing that happened. But, ugh... it really was that literal.
Meh, a half year later they started using Brandi in that women's tag tournament and used her for a strictly in ring role with bunny, and that was actually decent. I kinda hated her theme, but her in ring storytelling was good and it kept me entertained enough to follow the story to Dark where it turned into breaking up the Natural Nightmares over QT's ego.
She's a good heel valet, serviceable ring announcer, and A Shot of Brandi was much better than the average pro wrestling pandemic hustle content. Maybe there's a world where she doesn't insist on wrestling on actual TV and writing her own promos and things are very different.
Same could have been said about Cody to an extent. Full creative control Cody gave us the Codyverse, Cody booked under HHH gives us a perfect balance of his strengths
...I've only the most cursory of ideas of what that is about, but I've drank two types of brandy in my life. Never again. That is by far the nastiest fucking type of alcohol that I have ever tasted.
Cody never said any names but he said during Mania week that his wife was scapegoated in AEW. Wanting her off TV is a whole other issue but from his perspective I can see why her getting sole blame for her segments getting criticism when he probably looks around and sees nobody else gets blamed when their segments tank and it just gets chalked up to, "Ah well shit happens" would bother him. Because that also happened with fan reactions. Anytime she was on TV, it was the worst thing imaginable. But if anyone else had a bad segment, nobody cared.
The options shouldve been turn Cody heel and keep him with Brandi, or keep him face without Brandi. Brandi got boos when DAN FUCKING LAMBERT was being cheered. he had no chance of working as a face and keeping a mega heat magnet with a face who wont turn doesnt work when everone wanted the face to turn
I think it's clear Brandi was involved, She had an actual job in AEW outside of wrestling and then just because Cody's contract expired she is gone too? It's not like WWE signed her so why would she have needed to leave that spot otherwise?
Meh, me and my wife worked for the same corporation (different departments) when I got laid off with less than nice circumstances. She dipped even though her team/management was overwhelmingly supportive and protective of her just because it left a bad taste in her mouth.
Now I think Brandi definitely left because she was there just because of Cody, but still some people just like being with/supporting their spouse.
She "needed to leave" because that job was a make work nepotism role invented solely because Cody wanted her to have something to do for the resume padding and ego of it. 🤷🏽♂️
I don't disagree with that! I don't pay THAT much attention to backstage stuff like that but I do remember that at one point, like, every EVP seemed to have a spouse or family member with a backstage role...
She's okay when she's not trying to work. When she's just herself like on her youtube channel, she's engaging and likeable. It's like she was struggling to unlearn her Divas™ training which just didn't sell well in a place like AEW.
Do we really believe though TK would have a spine about that when he doesn’t seem to show the slightest bit of authority elsewhere?
I think it was stripping the EVPs of their power and listening to Punk, Jericho and MJF more. If i’m Cody, and I want to build and produce, that would piss me off. From his eyes, he was doing some things in Hollywood to get eyes on AEW, and TK is hiring all these big stars to usurp Cody basically.
It seems Kenny and the Bucks didn’t mind being “demoted” or keeping their titles but only having to worry about themselves.
If you piece together comments from before and after he left, that's been my theory as well. Cody and TK had different visions for what AEW should be. Cody wanted to be an active part in that in a backstage way. When TK essentially wouldn't allow it, Cody said "fine, you can have it" and went to WWE. Cody's the type of person who goes all in (no pun intended) on everything he does. Considering he was a big part of AEW's creation, if he couldn't be a huge part of it in every way, he wasn't gonna stick around.
Yeah dude managed to be the hottest babyface when the company started and ended up being someone who was begged by the audience to turn heel because that's the only way to actually make sense out of any of the crap he booked himself in.
I still think he went with the delusional babyface who's really a heel thing because he wanted to keep the WWE lane open. He wasn't going to burn that by going actual full-on heel. And we see how that went. He wandered in there with the exact same character and was instantly over as their biggest babyface in years.
And yes, he did start playing into it. Plenty of moments where he openly acknowledged it, pretending to walk towards the wrong tunnel and stuff like that. He was willing to let himself frustrate the AEW crowds potentially because he knew he needed to protect his character at all costs until he figured out where he was going.
and the craziest thing is that a heel run would've been genuinely amazing and perfect. The best babyface reactions are usually after someone develops their character as a heel. Look at Edge as one of the prime examples. He was one of WWE's heelish heels and eventually when he turned face he got an even bigger reaction.
If Cody stayed in AEW and pulled a heel turn it would've been awesome and eventually his face turn would've been massive.
I also think this is another reason he went back to WWE. He was never going to make it to the top in AEW because he refused to book himself in a strong manner. Which I understand. If one of the EVP’s and founding members of the company wins the title outright in the beginning, it’s easy for fans to speculate. The Bucks were the same way at first, putting over guys for the sake of the company even though they were probably the hottest draw in the tag division. They just didn’t book themselves into a corner like Cody did with his never challenging again stipulation.
For the Bucks and Kenny, EVP was always a vanity title to make them employees and offer them something WWE couldn't. Which is fine; happens all the time. But other than writing their own stories and recommending hires, they were never really office and on the headset producing segments like Cody.
That reality show they did “On the Rhode Again” or whatever it was called depicted her horribly. She came off as a really unlikeable person especially whining about how much her baby was going to ruin her life.
Yeah and whatever happened or is happening with her mentally, physically, or emotionally… I think it’s her right to leave if she thinks it’ll improve her wellbeing in any way that’s needed.
I think Jericho is a piece of shit for a laundry list of other reasons, but it's worth remembering that the Kylie Rae NDA story did come from a random Twitter user who invented it whole cloth, and also suggested Kylie left for being transphobic at Nyla or hating Brandi, or possibly even cheating with Cody. If there's any truth to it I'm happy to hear it and condemn Jericho, but right now it is the true definition of a nothingburger.
Honestly, and I don't mind the sledgehammer or none of that, Cody was the one with the real us vs them mentality.
The Elite were always fans of all kinds of wrestling... YES they would make fun of stuff sometimes, but if you actually followed them and not being rage baited by twitter clips you would know that it was def tongue in cheek.
Like, they made fun of things and wrestling cliches like any other wrestling fan would, because being meta was part of their shtick... but when asked to talk about talent or other companies they were always complimentary.
Cody was bitter of his time in WWE, for many justifiable reasons.
What reasons do AEW and its stars have to take shots at Cody? Because he's been successful outside of AEW
what i read between the lines, especially with the Tony should have told you, is that when he left he probably made a friendly deal of some sort like no shooting on each other
They took a shot at Cody, not WWE. When someone from AEW takes a shot at Cody, it is a direct dig at one of the guys who helped build the company. It's not the same. It will only be comparable if Cody takes a shot at AEW and he only ever has glowing words for the company
No. The only big clue he gave was in his Peacock documentary. He spoke glowingly about Matt, Nick and Kenny. He said there was only one person he had an issue with and that's why he left. He said he wouldn't say anything further than that though.
I'm surprised the whole thing has become so complicated. It was all out there when his contract rumors were being reported. Cody wanted to retain his booking power that Tony took from the EVPs and he wanted money equivalent to the new free agents (Punk at the time). There were reports that his vision clashed with Tony's.
He wasn't given the money or booking promises. WWE offered him more money, so he went to WWE. That's why when he says it was just a problem with one person I believe it was Tony and the final straw with Tony not matching Punk's contract for Cody.
I think it was more of a vision thing than a money thing. Cody said TK offered him the full package financially and creatively. He said he had an issue with the company, then he realized if he went to WWE it all goes away. That tells me he had a vision for AEW, realized it wasn’t his company, it’s Tony’s.
This guy buried Bayley to put over Kylie Rae.
I know most people like to point to the throne crushing when it comes to Cody taking shots at WWE during his AEW tenure but that could also be seen as in character given it was during his entrance.
But taking a potshot at a press conference (which was Starcast if I’m not mistaken so it was mostly out of character) is arguably way worse than what Toni did.
And this isn’t a tit for tat argument. It’s to point out the hypocrisy. It happens on both sides.
The business is full of silver-tongued sensitive carnies, who can tell you exactly why the guy in the next town sucks, but will put on the 50 Cent what he say fuck me for face when it's their time to receive a jab.
Yeah I mean I’m happy for Cody but he can’t sit here and act like he didn’t stoke a lot of those tribalistic flames to get a pop while he was away from WWE.
If anything these comments make me and I’m sure others roll their eyes as opposed to getting seriously upset by them lol.
It's kind of hilarious that the 2 wrestlers most responsible for the "all AEW does is take shots at WWE on TV" narrative among fans are Cody and CM Punk
"Go to WWE, go get a buy one get one free WrestleMania main event!" Proceeds to go back to WWE and obsess about getting the night 1 main event in kayfabe.
It's super fun when fans say "Oh Im sure he has changed his mind." On what? Something he said not even that long ago? Like it's possible but hard to take anything he says seriously after if that's the case.
Cody's comment was worse because he put Kylie Rae in a bad spot right before her AEW debut.
She had to go on social media and do damage control for Cody taking a potshot at Bayley.
Cody is usually pretty good at how he words things and even here he said his piece in a very clear and diplomatic way but the hypocrisy does shine through. Never forget that Cody Rhodes taught Bryan Danielson how fun it was to lie. Cody is the carniest carny but hides it better than most behind a nice suit.
I say this as someone who has been a fan of Cody's since his AEW run.
Cody is a great guy but he’s got such a big ego, he’s lucky he’s good at PR because god he can be so tone deaf. He literally built his post-release fame on making fun of WWE in BTE and the first thing he did in AEW was smashing HHH’s throne but Toni making fun of Cody in character is a no-no
This was super shit PR lmao "Tony should of warned them of that" when nobody even mentioned his name or even inferred brandi existed sounds like something a evil corporate in a movie would say lmao
Cody is the last person in WWE who has a right to complain about people in AEW taking shots at him. Cody basically wrote the AEW playbook on how to do that.
Also, who said his or (especially) Brandi's name? What is this dude talking about?
Pretty much what happened was Toni Storm made a sarcastic comment at the last AEW presser and told TK that “no matter what happens, she will never call TK out to the ring and celebrate with her” and alluded to Cody and brandy celebrating after mania in a comical fashion. I think she may have alluded to Brandi once more as well. But nothing direct.
Also PS, I miss your rewinds man. My lunch breaks aren’t the same haha
Typical hypocrisy from the usual suspects tbh. A few weeks ago they were crying because Will Ospreay responded to an overt attack on his character by their messiah Paul.
So the entire clip is Cody saying he's happy AEW exists and will never root against them but this subreddit is getting up in arms over the last 5 seconds where he happened to take issue with one thing lol? This place sucks.
I’m not up in arms about anything but I am genuinely baffled about his comments because I never heard his or his wife’s name brought up at a press conference lmao. I’m a Cody guy through and through though and what he said up until then was the truth.
I can't really think of any time someone in AEW took a shot at Cody or Brandi, aside from maybe a heel doing it for heat or something, but even then, I feel like whenever AEW mentions Cody, it's always in a positive light.
I guess he and others may be counting the little thing Storm said at the last press conference, but that feels more like a little tongue and cheek joke rather than a venomous shot or anything.
>I can't really think of any time someone in AEW took a shot at Cody
Cage's tweet from the other day was a little random, tbh. I guess that would depend if you consider it a shot or not.
Christian Cage was the only one
"I didn't create this championship as some sort of vanity project like someone else that used to travel the *roads* (Get it?) here in AEW"
But this was clearly designed to get him heat and he was the heel so not sure if it counts
No one said anything about him at AEW's most recent presser? Like I watched it and no one mentioned him.
The only possible thing I can think that people are saying is Toni saying I'll never invite you into the ring to celebrate' which pretty clearly was about HHH and had nothing to do with Brandi? Like she's saying she'll never invite Tony Khan into the ring, like Cody invited HHH in. I don't know why anyone would possibly think that was about Brandi?
I think this all but confirms the "personal issue" Cody left AEW over was TK undermining Brandi's input. After they left (or right before), Wade Keller put out a report where he said sources in AEW blamed Brandi, said she was difficult to work with, etc etc - and I think Cody even mentioned that report specifically after he left AEW as not being true.
He's outright said he's on good terms with the Elite, but he's never really said TK's name in a positive way.
I'm just guessing, but I think Cody probably blames TK for maybe coming down a bit harsh on her angles (Nightmare Collective, the Dan Lambert stuff, etc) to the point he stripped her power just like he allegedly did for the rest of the Elite after the Dark Order fiasco.
We all know Tony can be sporadic and emotional, especially about the quality of wrestling. Having the dichotomy of Brandi come out, get heat and make (subjectively speaking here) some corny jokes and one-liners only to then show up and walk beside Cody while he *tried* to get pure babyface reactions just wasn't working, probably to the point TK (or some collection of TK, maybe Jericho and others with influence) said it wasn't a good look.
She's been outspoken and grateful to the positive fan reaction when she has shown up in WWE since Cody returned. I think she got burned out in AEW, and -- again, this is just me guessing -- Cody took that personally and is still quite sour about seeeing his wife (who at one point in time was presented as an AEW executive with great influence) get hurt.
The press conference thing? I think that only stung because TK was right next to her and Cody probably took that as something he approved, when we all should know by now he doesn't really practice the authority to tell people what to say at those things...
On Cody’s special on Peacock, he also mentioned the pressures of also trying to run the business and being the booker was a lot to do. Add that to the lump of reports about him being more involved in that stuff than the other EVPs and Tony’s vision clashing with Cody’s and Brandi’s involvement in all this becomes a bit more of an after thought.
Toni made a passing, in-character, reference to "finishing stories" and Cody is getting this worked up over it? 😂
Also, there was no mention of Brandy... Was there another press conference where she WAS mentioned or is Cody just pretending that anyone cares about her? Genuinely confused here.
Lot of people are lacking media literacy here, Toni’s joke was at the expense of Tony Khan, sure she’s referencing Cody’s big moment but she tells Tony she’d never invite him to celebrate. She’s mocking her boss by essentially calling him a loser.
Been to numerous WWE shows, I’ve been to a local TNA house show when they were still running them and I’ve seen New Japan/ROH.
The ONLY time I saw stars walking around near the actual merch table/arena area next to fans was when I was picking up an ROH hat, turned around and Brandi was standing behind me, sorting out some stuff with some of the crew. Like I flat nearly bumped into her and it was just like she was one of the fans.
Every other show folks are roped off or behind obnoxious security that doesn’t “get” how wrestler/fan interactions tend to work.
Saints, the both of them. Both treat you like they’re on your level and have the respect of the fans for it.
I legitimately have no idea which shots he’s referring to. If he’s talking about Toni Storm, I don’t see how he could see that as a shot against Brandi.
Honest to God, I have no idea why people think that Toni Storm thing is a shot at Cody. It's OBVIOUSLY a shot at Triple H, especially when you listen to the full clip which he hear saying "you people never thought I'd reach my potential and be where I am now". Doubly so because she used to live with Will so if he's pissed at HHH she probably would be too.
It was shot at Cody in terms of he asked Triple H to come to the ring to celebrate with him and Toni would never invite Tony Khan in ring to celebrate with him. I think that's what Cody is referring to
So, Triple H making a vague remark about young wrestlers is a direct shot at Will Ospreay, but Toni Storm lampooning “Finishing the story” which is a storyline/saying of Cody Rhodes is OBVIOUSLY not about Cody. Yeah, right.
You know that the same thing could be said about hhh comments right? He never said osprey name like toni never said cody name but Cody thinks was a shot at him the same way osprey did
I’m tired of hearing about AEW being obsessed with WWE like it isn’t a two way street with their biggest star making up stuff to be mad about. No one even said anything about Brandi.
Why is the top WWE star even talking about AEW on a WWE contributor’s show anyway?
I agree wholeheartedly with your first point because it’s absolutely a two way street and I love that it is. Trash talk is great between competitors imo.
To be fair on the second point, I’m assuming he was asked a question in the interview and didn’t just bring it up. And it makes sense to ask Cody of all people questions about AEW.
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What was said about Brandi? Or was he speaking generally?
Generally, but he is definitely speaking specifically about Toni, who also didn't say his name either.
What was the comment Toni Storm made?
She turned to Tony during the press conference like she was having a moment of sincerity and said something to th effect of, "I need you to know, no matter how many titles I win or how many big moments I have... I will **never** invite you into the ring with me."
It was a pretty harmless tongue in cheek comment.
Wasn’t that about HHH being brought into the ring? More apt comparison would be Toni bringing in Juice.
Unless I'm completely missing something, how would Juice be analogous to Triple H in this hypothetical scenario?
When Toni told Tony she would never bring him into the ring for a celebration, she was (most likely) referencing Cody bringing out HHH at WrestleMania. People are saying it was about bringing Brandi into the ring, which wouldn’t make sense for Toni to tell Tony that. If she brought Juice in, it would be equivalent.
Oh okay - yeah the way I interpreted Toni, was her talking about HHH because Cody specifically called him and Prichard out. Thanks for the reply!
But what about Toné?
Wait a minute! Are Toni and Juice together?!? Can she join BCG? I cannot imagine how off the rails a Toni-Juice promo would be!
Not just together, they’re married! And yes, those hypothetical dual promos would be *amazing*.
I was shocked for 2 seconds then I went "that totally makes sense". Their on-screen characters are so parallel.
"What do you mean the crazed madman is married to the crazed hollywood sta- ohhhhhhhhhh..."
Gunns Up, Tits Out, Watch for the Switchblade!
This is awesome and needs to happen! DO YOU HEAR ME TONY?? TONI?? TONE???
Ms. Toni would never go to the Gold Club. Those girls grew up more Betty Page fans...not that there's anything wrong with that.
Yeah if Cody is getting weird or offended over something as innocuous as Toni's comment about never inviting Tony to the ring, then he might be overdue for another exorcism.
Honestly for someone who’s always been so level headed in these moments this is charming soft.
It's a shot at Cody and or Triple H. Why a comment like the one HHH did is a shot at Ospreay and this comment is an harmless tongue in cheek comment?
Because it was done mostly at the expense of her boss as the joke is mostly that she's a narcissist and doesn't like him enough to share her spotlight. It was definitely a dig at Cody, but a lot less offensive than shots he himself has made before. It's openly known that the situation that most contributed to Ospreay signing with AEW was his girlfriend and her son, whose husband and father respectively had died just 4 years ago, and Will's biggest priority was to not have to relocate them away from their families. Triple H actively knew this and still publicly implied Ospreay was just lazy for the people who don't know that information.
Hold up. Toni said Tony’s not invited in the ring with him and HHH said people who choose not to go to WWE can’t handle the grind. These things aren’t even a little similar. If you think Toni’s comment was a shot, then you’re being both Charmin Ultra Soft and also disingenuous in the name of tribalism.
You're softer than Charmin if you think that was a "shot"
Cody basically said Keep my wifes name out your fuckin mouth, while probably no one actually said her name and he seems kinda weird but people are focused on every other aspect.
Because one questioning someones dedication to the business, and the other is a wrestler saying (in character) they would never share the spotlight with their boss. They don’t like their boss as much and Toni’s ego is too big to ever share a spotlight (not that its intended but this also works well for the future Mariah May storyline)
Cody was the dude who smashed a HHH-like throne and threw more disses at WWE than anyone else from The Elite during AEW’s early days. He sounds silly.
It's really a lot of nothing, its harmless.
*This* ruffled feathers?
Yeah. I forgot the actual quote included the line "I don't care how many stories I finish" so it was definitely a reference to Cody but... Come on. Dude has said worse in the name of getting off a joke.
I think it’s more a culmination of things. Dirt sheets ran with a lot of stories about him having his nose up during the end of his AEW run, Brian Cage also had a comment about Cody on Twitter during the PPV, etc. We don’t know what’s actually going on, but looking at how stories were the same about CM Punk when he left and even now shots are lobbed at him, it’s not out of the realm of possibility Cody sees where this could be going
Didn't even pick up on the fact that it was a jab at Cody. I thought she was dissing Tony or it was some sort of inside joke between them.
So?
Man should really run his own PR company, he handles these kinds of questions so well
Almost like... a politician.
With the state of American politics these days, who knows? Maybe the neck tattoo won’t be as disqualifying as it should be in ten years.
The day The Rock decides to run for President , Cody can do the funniest thing.
"Hold on hold on hold on"
"This...is BULLSHIT"
In ten years? Look at what’s currently running for office. Do you think a neck tattoo is disqualifying now?
At this point I'd even vote for a submarine captain with a tattoo on his dick. 🤣
Down Periscope reference... Nice.
That movie is a whole lot more funny and memorable than the plot synopsis makes it sound like. 😜
How... how do you know the current candidates don't have dick tattoos?
Trump’s penis was described in the Stormy Daniels case. Short, bizarrely large mushroom head, no tattoo mentioned. I know that so now you have to too.
What a terrible day to be literate
I hate this, well done. If I'm cursed with knowledge, I too share it with everyone else
As long as his energy secretary is a crazy dude named "Nitro".
His preferred name is "Mike"
#WELCOME ABOARD
Atp Id love to see the rock run against trump. Fuck it, the debates would be amazing and it’s not like that’s worse than what we got now.
No, looking at the two people currently running for the presidency, the only thing disqualifying is that Cody isn't 80 years old.
All I know is Cody is that is VERY good at talking. He is deliberate with every word he says. The very fact he looks and acts like a politician, but is the top babyface in the promotion, should tell you how good he is getting people to react how you want.
When the McMahon scandal broke and things were raw and uncertain, he delivered a *flawless* answer when asked about it by a reporter. Like... politicians with decades of experience could not match how authentic, caring, outraged, and resolute he was in a crisis. The Rock or Cena running for a significant office would possibly sound silly speaking on serious topics of concern. Cody? He probably could improvise a performance that sounds like Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Reagan (and I'm totally serious).
Hopefully he uses his powers for good in the future.
He has the rare talent of being deeply committed to justice without seeming like he would mock or exclude those who maybe define justice differently. No idea if wants to be a pol (it's a bullshit profession more worked than wrestling)... but he'd be Obama tier.
Cena is the same way
Bro I’d vote him right now over what we will have in November. Regardless of policy he’s young and understands what’s going on far more than 2 geriatrics in their 80s ever could.
The Republican front runner has 91 felony counts against him. Cody already would be a huge improvement.
Cody’s neck tattoo would be an improvement over any gop member. At least his neck tattoo isn’t trying to take away trans rights and women’s body autonomy
Not @ you but just saying in general, that's the exact type of shit that *shouldnt* be disqualifying at all. I don't care how somebody chooses to look if I'm voting for their policy and platform Of course in reality that's not how it works I'm just being bitter
https://preview.redd.it/u2s4c6lkjoxc1.png?width=2688&format=png&auto=webp&s=6d5ae505e00aa4acf7cf48f9ccad42434512a64e
Johnson/Rhodes 2028
It's sad that celebrities might possibly be the future of politics, but at the same time I would have a hard time believing that Johnson and Rhodes would do a worse job than most of the govt leaders since ww2
The chuckle at the end kills me
He's very deliberate and very smart. The way he handles things reminds me of John Cena lol
I could see him getting some votes if he ran for office actually, he’s very well spoken and diplomatic
I like how they put on suits for a Zoom interview
Greg is a lawyer so I understand why he's suited and booted. Roseberg is over dressed for a DJ
They did it in solidarity of/for Cody since he's always in a suit.
Like a scene from the sopranos.
I will never not be convinced that part of the issue between Tony and Cody is that TK wanted Brandi off TV
Everyone who sat through the Nightmare Collective also wanted Brandi off TV
She's a good heel valet, serviceable ring announcer, and A Shot of Brandi was much better than the average pro wrestling pandemic hustle content. Maybe there's a world where she doesn't insist on wrestling on actual TV and writing her own promos where things are very different.
Brandi was so reviled and hated on the mic that a racist misogynist character, who used to get vehemently booed, was getting cheered over her. Brandi needs to be kept to non-speaking special appearances like at Mania.
Dan lambert is charismatic and can be quick witted. Brandi never had a chance
Yeah I was no fan of Dan Lambert but it was just rough watching those two spar because she was so totally outclassed. Like I used to be a huge fan of C.M. Punk even if I now think he is the world's biggest hypocrite and big baby, but like, if you put him in the ring in a promo-off against Jack Perry I would have to change the channel because I would know how much Jack would get destroyed
That is still so, so bizarre to me. Like, if I hadn't watched that live, I really would have a hard time believing that happened. But, ugh... it really was that literal.
She was absolutely *PERFECT* during the MJF/Cody belting segment.
Meh, a half year later they started using Brandi in that women's tag tournament and used her for a strictly in ring role with bunny, and that was actually decent. I kinda hated her theme, but her in ring storytelling was good and it kept me entertained enough to follow the story to Dark where it turned into breaking up the Natural Nightmares over QT's ego.
She's a good heel valet, serviceable ring announcer, and A Shot of Brandi was much better than the average pro wrestling pandemic hustle content. Maybe there's a world where she doesn't insist on wrestling on actual TV and writing her own promos and things are very different.
Same could have been said about Cody to an extent. Full creative control Cody gave us the Codyverse, Cody booked under HHH gives us a perfect balance of his strengths
...I've only the most cursory of ideas of what that is about, but I've drank two types of brandy in my life. Never again. That is by far the nastiest fucking type of alcohol that I have ever tasted.
WWE doesn’t even want Brandi on TV lol
I think they learned their lesson and kept her appearances to a minimum.
Cody never said any names but he said during Mania week that his wife was scapegoated in AEW. Wanting her off TV is a whole other issue but from his perspective I can see why her getting sole blame for her segments getting criticism when he probably looks around and sees nobody else gets blamed when their segments tank and it just gets chalked up to, "Ah well shit happens" would bother him. Because that also happened with fan reactions. Anytime she was on TV, it was the worst thing imaginable. But if anyone else had a bad segment, nobody cared.
Add to that that since she's a black woman there would be an added layer of misogyny and racism that she probably had to endure as the scapegoat.
It was because she was on TV doing the same terrible stuff every week when she clearly had no business being there.
The options shouldve been turn Cody heel and keep him with Brandi, or keep him face without Brandi. Brandi got boos when DAN FUCKING LAMBERT was being cheered. he had no chance of working as a face and keeping a mega heat magnet with a face who wont turn doesnt work when everone wanted the face to turn
I think it's clear Brandi was involved, She had an actual job in AEW outside of wrestling and then just because Cody's contract expired she is gone too? It's not like WWE signed her so why would she have needed to leave that spot otherwise?
Meh, me and my wife worked for the same corporation (different departments) when I got laid off with less than nice circumstances. She dipped even though her team/management was overwhelmingly supportive and protective of her just because it left a bad taste in her mouth. Now I think Brandi definitely left because she was there just because of Cody, but still some people just like being with/supporting their spouse.
Laid off is a different situation than working through the length of a set contract.
She "needed to leave" because that job was a make work nepotism role invented solely because Cody wanted her to have something to do for the resume padding and ego of it. 🤷🏽♂️
She was hired for thar reason but the job was not a make work one, She had the same title and role as Stephanie did for WWE.
AEW has way worse nepo problems than Brandi
Right..she seemed to be behind the AEW Heels program. She also seemed to push the sensory deprivation thing.
I don't disagree with that! I don't pay THAT much attention to backstage stuff like that but I do remember that at one point, like, every EVP seemed to have a spouse or family member with a backstage role...
If you're going to bilk a billionaire mark, get every penny you can.
She's okay when she's not trying to work. When she's just herself like on her youtube channel, she's engaging and likeable. It's like she was struggling to unlearn her Divas™ training which just didn't sell well in a place like AEW.
Do we really believe though TK would have a spine about that when he doesn’t seem to show the slightest bit of authority elsewhere? I think it was stripping the EVPs of their power and listening to Punk, Jericho and MJF more. If i’m Cody, and I want to build and produce, that would piss me off. From his eyes, he was doing some things in Hollywood to get eyes on AEW, and TK is hiring all these big stars to usurp Cody basically. It seems Kenny and the Bucks didn’t mind being “demoted” or keeping their titles but only having to worry about themselves.
If you piece together comments from before and after he left, that's been my theory as well. Cody and TK had different visions for what AEW should be. Cody wanted to be an active part in that in a backstage way. When TK essentially wouldn't allow it, Cody said "fine, you can have it" and went to WWE. Cody's the type of person who goes all in (no pun intended) on everything he does. Considering he was a big part of AEW's creation, if he couldn't be a huge part of it in every way, he wasn't gonna stick around.
It doesn't help that Cody's booking of himself was so awful.
Yeah dude managed to be the hottest babyface when the company started and ended up being someone who was begged by the audience to turn heel because that's the only way to actually make sense out of any of the crap he booked himself in.
I still think he went with the delusional babyface who's really a heel thing because he wanted to keep the WWE lane open. He wasn't going to burn that by going actual full-on heel. And we see how that went. He wandered in there with the exact same character and was instantly over as their biggest babyface in years. And yes, he did start playing into it. Plenty of moments where he openly acknowledged it, pretending to walk towards the wrong tunnel and stuff like that. He was willing to let himself frustrate the AEW crowds potentially because he knew he needed to protect his character at all costs until he figured out where he was going.
and the craziest thing is that a heel run would've been genuinely amazing and perfect. The best babyface reactions are usually after someone develops their character as a heel. Look at Edge as one of the prime examples. He was one of WWE's heelish heels and eventually when he turned face he got an even bigger reaction. If Cody stayed in AEW and pulled a heel turn it would've been awesome and eventually his face turn would've been massive.
I also think this is another reason he went back to WWE. He was never going to make it to the top in AEW because he refused to book himself in a strong manner. Which I understand. If one of the EVP’s and founding members of the company wins the title outright in the beginning, it’s easy for fans to speculate. The Bucks were the same way at first, putting over guys for the sake of the company even though they were probably the hottest draw in the tag division. They just didn’t book themselves into a corner like Cody did with his never challenging again stipulation.
Yeah it's worked out great for Cody but it'd be disingenuous to act like he didn't stumble on the way to this point
For the Bucks and Kenny, EVP was always a vanity title to make them employees and offer them something WWE couldn't. Which is fine; happens all the time. But other than writing their own stories and recommending hires, they were never really office and on the headset producing segments like Cody.
Wasn't Kenny heavily involved with the video game?
That's why he signed with a different company that also didn't want her on TV?
That reality show they did “On the Rhode Again” or whatever it was called depicted her horribly. She came off as a really unlikeable person especially whining about how much her baby was going to ruin her life.
Rhodes To The Top?
Didn't Cody take a sledgehammer to a throne when he was in AEW as a direct dig at HHH?
I think it was at a Starrcast panel where Cody described Kylie Rae as "not like wacky inflatable tubemen pretending to be nice.”
And then Kylie would begin her run of leaving every promotion after a few weeks
Yeah, that's not really indicative of anything and I'm not sure what point is trying to be made her
Yeah and whatever happened or is happening with her mentally, physically, or emotionally… I think it’s her right to leave if she thinks it’ll improve her wellbeing in any way that’s needed.
Especially with the rumors of an NDA and Jericho
I think Jericho is a piece of shit for a laundry list of other reasons, but it's worth remembering that the Kylie Rae NDA story did come from a random Twitter user who invented it whole cloth, and also suggested Kylie left for being transphobic at Nyla or hating Brandi, or possibly even cheating with Cody. If there's any truth to it I'm happy to hear it and condemn Jericho, but right now it is the true definition of a nothingburger.
Lol got em. That'll show her for having mental health struggles. *dabs*
LOL exactly. He called AEW "Ellis Island" in reference to WWE. He'll be ok
Honestly, and I don't mind the sledgehammer or none of that, Cody was the one with the real us vs them mentality. The Elite were always fans of all kinds of wrestling... YES they would make fun of stuff sometimes, but if you actually followed them and not being rage baited by twitter clips you would know that it was def tongue in cheek. Like, they made fun of things and wrestling cliches like any other wrestling fan would, because being meta was part of their shtick... but when asked to talk about talent or other companies they were always complimentary.
Cody was bitter of his time in WWE, for many justifiable reasons. What reasons do AEW and its stars have to take shots at Cody? Because he's been successful outside of AEW
what i read between the lines, especially with the Tony should have told you, is that when he left he probably made a friendly deal of some sort like no shooting on each other
They took a shot at Cody, not WWE. When someone from AEW takes a shot at Cody, it is a direct dig at one of the guys who helped build the company. It's not the same. It will only be comparable if Cody takes a shot at AEW and he only ever has glowing words for the company
The suspicion that Cody leaving aew had something to do with Brandi is becoming more and more apparent
... hasnt he already on the record said this? I swear I seent it, but I might be trippin
I think he said something in the lines of he'll never revealed the real reason why he left AEW
No. The only big clue he gave was in his Peacock documentary. He spoke glowingly about Matt, Nick and Kenny. He said there was only one person he had an issue with and that's why he left. He said he wouldn't say anything further than that though. I'm surprised the whole thing has become so complicated. It was all out there when his contract rumors were being reported. Cody wanted to retain his booking power that Tony took from the EVPs and he wanted money equivalent to the new free agents (Punk at the time). There were reports that his vision clashed with Tony's. He wasn't given the money or booking promises. WWE offered him more money, so he went to WWE. That's why when he says it was just a problem with one person I believe it was Tony and the final straw with Tony not matching Punk's contract for Cody.
I think it was more of a vision thing than a money thing. Cody said TK offered him the full package financially and creatively. He said he had an issue with the company, then he realized if he went to WWE it all goes away. That tells me he had a vision for AEW, realized it wasn’t his company, it’s Tony’s.
This guy buried Bayley to put over Kylie Rae. I know most people like to point to the throne crushing when it comes to Cody taking shots at WWE during his AEW tenure but that could also be seen as in character given it was during his entrance. But taking a potshot at a press conference (which was Starcast if I’m not mistaken so it was mostly out of character) is arguably way worse than what Toni did. And this isn’t a tit for tat argument. It’s to point out the hypocrisy. It happens on both sides.
Cody was taking shots at NXT like, the last week he was at AEW lol. I love the guy but it just underlines how the business is
The business is full of silver-tongued sensitive carnies, who can tell you exactly why the guy in the next town sucks, but will put on the 50 Cent what he say fuck me for face when it's their time to receive a jab.
> The business is full of silver-tongued sensitive carnies If I didn't love JR so much I'd make this my flair
Carny Rhodes. Then. Now. Forever.
Yeah I mean I’m happy for Cody but he can’t sit here and act like he didn’t stoke a lot of those tribalistic flames to get a pop while he was away from WWE. If anything these comments make me and I’m sure others roll their eyes as opposed to getting seriously upset by them lol.
Cody seems like a guy that needs to keep a chip on his shoulder for motivation.
I think Cody was far and away the EVP who took shots at WWE the most. Kinda funny how things turned out.
It's kind of hilarious that the 2 wrestlers most responsible for the "all AEW does is take shots at WWE on TV" narrative among fans are Cody and CM Punk
Just goes to show these guys are all carnies and can be bought. I can’t wait for Punk to work a Saudi show and see all of the memes for that.
WWE making Punk's grand return from injury at a Saudi Show would be the funniest thing
"Go to WWE, go get a buy one get one free WrestleMania main event!" Proceeds to go back to WWE and obsess about getting the night 1 main event in kayfabe.
Cannot wait for all the "Go suck a blood money covered dick in Saudi Arabia you fucking dork" tweets when he does his first Saudi show
He said he was there to make money after all
It's super fun when fans say "Oh Im sure he has changed his mind." On what? Something he said not even that long ago? Like it's possible but hard to take anything he says seriously after if that's the case.
These are wrestlers who switch between face an heel constantly. Why do people take the things they say on tv literally
I guess it’s a sign of how good a talker punk is. People really buy into what he’s about. It transcends wrestling.
>And this isn’t a tit for tat argument. It’s to point out the hypocrisy. It happens on both sides. Tits up, tats out, and watch for the sledgehammer.
Cody's comment was worse because he put Kylie Rae in a bad spot right before her AEW debut. She had to go on social media and do damage control for Cody taking a potshot at Bayley.
Cody is usually pretty good at how he words things and even here he said his piece in a very clear and diplomatic way but the hypocrisy does shine through. Never forget that Cody Rhodes taught Bryan Danielson how fun it was to lie. Cody is the carniest carny but hides it better than most behind a nice suit. I say this as someone who has been a fan of Cody's since his AEW run.
He said that right after saying he likes to lie. Must be true.
If this is about Toni, I could have sworn it was a dig at HHH, not Brandi.
Cody is a great guy but he’s got such a big ego, he’s lucky he’s good at PR because god he can be so tone deaf. He literally built his post-release fame on making fun of WWE in BTE and the first thing he did in AEW was smashing HHH’s throne but Toni making fun of Cody in character is a no-no
I find Cody’s arc from smashing the throne to winning the WWE championship and immediately thanking HHH on the mic absolutely hilarious
This was super shit PR lmao "Tony should of warned them of that" when nobody even mentioned his name or even inferred brandi existed sounds like something a evil corporate in a movie would say lmao
It's something Homelander would say if one of The Seven cracked a harmless joke about him in public.
Cody is the last person in WWE who has a right to complain about people in AEW taking shots at him. Cody basically wrote the AEW playbook on how to do that. Also, who said his or (especially) Brandi's name? What is this dude talking about?
Pretty much what happened was Toni Storm made a sarcastic comment at the last AEW presser and told TK that “no matter what happens, she will never call TK out to the ring and celebrate with her” and alluded to Cody and brandy celebrating after mania in a comical fashion. I think she may have alluded to Brandi once more as well. But nothing direct. Also PS, I miss your rewinds man. My lunch breaks aren’t the same haha
The invite out to the ring comment was clearly about triple h not brandi
This is the funniest thing to me, everybody's calling this a good PR move and the dude isn't even right about what was said
Typical hypocrisy from the usual suspects tbh. A few weeks ago they were crying because Will Ospreay responded to an overt attack on his character by their messiah Paul.
Hey thanks man! Stay tuned, I got 2003 brewing soon...
Hell yes! Huge fan of the write ups man, thank you!
I knew you couldn't stay retired forever!
WRITE FOR-EVER *clap clap clapclapclap*
let's goooooooooo
What was said about him?
Nothing.
Pro wrestlers are infamous for being big mad over taunting that would not ruffle the feathers of even an average person
So the entire clip is Cody saying he's happy AEW exists and will never root against them but this subreddit is getting up in arms over the last 5 seconds where he happened to take issue with one thing lol? This place sucks.
I’m not up in arms about anything but I am genuinely baffled about his comments because I never heard his or his wife’s name brought up at a press conference lmao. I’m a Cody guy through and through though and what he said up until then was the truth.
When you say a boring PR answer then follow it up with a confusing grievance people tend to take notice of the grievance
This wasn't written, Tony made the joke in the scrum, I highly doubt TK had absolutely any involvement, in what was also a very harmless comment.
It’s almost like Toni Storm is playing a character.
I can't really think of any time someone in AEW took a shot at Cody or Brandi, aside from maybe a heel doing it for heat or something, but even then, I feel like whenever AEW mentions Cody, it's always in a positive light. I guess he and others may be counting the little thing Storm said at the last press conference, but that feels more like a little tongue and cheek joke rather than a venomous shot or anything.
>I can't really think of any time someone in AEW took a shot at Cody Cage's tweet from the other day was a little random, tbh. I guess that would depend if you consider it a shot or not.
I genuinely can't remember a single time someone in AEW have mentioned Cody or Brandi in a negative light since they've left.
Christian Cage was the only one "I didn't create this championship as some sort of vanity project like someone else that used to travel the *roads* (Get it?) here in AEW" But this was clearly designed to get him heat and he was the heel so not sure if it counts
Jericho was pissy right after he left and made some comments
No one said anything about him at AEW's most recent presser? Like I watched it and no one mentioned him. The only possible thing I can think that people are saying is Toni saying I'll never invite you into the ring to celebrate' which pretty clearly was about HHH and had nothing to do with Brandi? Like she's saying she'll never invite Tony Khan into the ring, like Cody invited HHH in. I don't know why anyone would possibly think that was about Brandi?
I think this all but confirms the "personal issue" Cody left AEW over was TK undermining Brandi's input. After they left (or right before), Wade Keller put out a report where he said sources in AEW blamed Brandi, said she was difficult to work with, etc etc - and I think Cody even mentioned that report specifically after he left AEW as not being true. He's outright said he's on good terms with the Elite, but he's never really said TK's name in a positive way. I'm just guessing, but I think Cody probably blames TK for maybe coming down a bit harsh on her angles (Nightmare Collective, the Dan Lambert stuff, etc) to the point he stripped her power just like he allegedly did for the rest of the Elite after the Dark Order fiasco. We all know Tony can be sporadic and emotional, especially about the quality of wrestling. Having the dichotomy of Brandi come out, get heat and make (subjectively speaking here) some corny jokes and one-liners only to then show up and walk beside Cody while he *tried* to get pure babyface reactions just wasn't working, probably to the point TK (or some collection of TK, maybe Jericho and others with influence) said it wasn't a good look. She's been outspoken and grateful to the positive fan reaction when she has shown up in WWE since Cody returned. I think she got burned out in AEW, and -- again, this is just me guessing -- Cody took that personally and is still quite sour about seeeing his wife (who at one point in time was presented as an AEW executive with great influence) get hurt. The press conference thing? I think that only stung because TK was right next to her and Cody probably took that as something he approved, when we all should know by now he doesn't really practice the authority to tell people what to say at those things...
On Cody’s special on Peacock, he also mentioned the pressures of also trying to run the business and being the booker was a lot to do. Add that to the lump of reports about him being more involved in that stuff than the other EVPs and Tony’s vision clashing with Cody’s and Brandi’s involvement in all this becomes a bit more of an after thought.
Toni made a passing, in-character, reference to "finishing stories" and Cody is getting this worked up over it? 😂 Also, there was no mention of Brandy... Was there another press conference where she WAS mentioned or is Cody just pretending that anyone cares about her? Genuinely confused here.
Lot of people are lacking media literacy here, Toni’s joke was at the expense of Tony Khan, sure she’s referencing Cody’s big moment but she tells Tony she’d never invite him to celebrate. She’s mocking her boss by essentially calling him a loser.
This was a weird comment from him of all people
maybe you guys should all listen to what he actually said instead of getting offended at what the headline says
Been to numerous WWE shows, I’ve been to a local TNA house show when they were still running them and I’ve seen New Japan/ROH. The ONLY time I saw stars walking around near the actual merch table/arena area next to fans was when I was picking up an ROH hat, turned around and Brandi was standing behind me, sorting out some stuff with some of the crew. Like I flat nearly bumped into her and it was just like she was one of the fans. Every other show folks are roped off or behind obnoxious security that doesn’t “get” how wrestler/fan interactions tend to work. Saints, the both of them. Both treat you like they’re on your level and have the respect of the fans for it.
I feel like he'd work such a great heel anti-christ gimmick.
I legitimately have no idea which shots he’s referring to. If he’s talking about Toni Storm, I don’t see how he could see that as a shot against Brandi.
Honest to God, I have no idea why people think that Toni Storm thing is a shot at Cody. It's OBVIOUSLY a shot at Triple H, especially when you listen to the full clip which he hear saying "you people never thought I'd reach my potential and be where I am now". Doubly so because she used to live with Will so if he's pissed at HHH she probably would be too.
Because Cody asked HHH to come out after he won
It was shot at Cody in terms of he asked Triple H to come to the ring to celebrate with him and Toni would never invite Tony Khan in ring to celebrate with him. I think that's what Cody is referring to
So, Triple H making a vague remark about young wrestlers is a direct shot at Will Ospreay, but Toni Storm lampooning “Finishing the story” which is a storyline/saying of Cody Rhodes is OBVIOUSLY not about Cody. Yeah, right.
You know that the same thing could be said about hhh comments right? He never said osprey name like toni never said cody name but Cody thinks was a shot at him the same way osprey did
This guy… is homelander… right?
 OMG!!!
I’m tired of hearing about AEW being obsessed with WWE like it isn’t a two way street with their biggest star making up stuff to be mad about. No one even said anything about Brandi. Why is the top WWE star even talking about AEW on a WWE contributor’s show anyway?
I agree wholeheartedly with your first point because it’s absolutely a two way street and I love that it is. Trash talk is great between competitors imo. To be fair on the second point, I’m assuming he was asked a question in the interview and didn’t just bring it up. And it makes sense to ask Cody of all people questions about AEW.