Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV | Tagged: aew, Cody Rhodes, racism, wrestling

Cody Rhodes: "I'm Not Trying to Mansplain Racism to Anyone"

Published Fri, 28 May 2021 13:07:06 -0500

Cody Rhodes is "not trying to mansplain racism to anyone." Let's get that out of the way right now. But on a media call for this weekend's AEW Double or Nothing, the former TNT Champion and AEW EVP discussed his "American Dream" promo from AEW Dynamite that's proven polarizing for wrestling fans. Rhodes responded to a question about the promo during a media conference call for Double or Nothing, clarifying that he does see flaws in America, but that he's proud that people are trying to fix them, and he's proud of his wife, Brandi, and unborn daughter, Codylina. He also had his words for his opponent on Sunday, former UK boxing star turned Nightmare Family Wolfpac member Anthony Ogogo.

Cody Rhodes not mansplaining racism on AEW Dynamite.

"Well, again, with the interview, because that's kind of what we're discussing here, which this interview I felt like it was a month ago, and I've been shocked at how much attention it's gotten," said Rhodes. "But with that in mind, I very much am proud to be an American. I do think hope outweighs we have tons of problems here, which was the first thing I said when I started speaking. We have tons of problems, but I still genuinely believe hope outweighs. I'm not trying to mansplain racism to anyone. All I was trying to say was that I'm very proud of my wife, I'm proud of the city I'm in, and I'm proud of this baby girl that's on the way."

"When it comes to Anthony's opinions on the United States, those are his opinions," Rhodes continued, turning his attention to his opponent at Double or Nothing. "That's the beautiful thing about being here, is you can say whatever you like, and he has chosen to say a lot and to a degree pointing out flaws and things that we do wrong as a country. I think you're remiss if you only point them out and don't point out that people are functionally and actively trying to fix them. That's one of the things I'm most proud of. And I'm excited for Memorial Day weekend as we honor our fallen. To just always reiterate, yeah, we've got a lot of messy spots, but everyone does their part, at least I believe, and I'm a hopeful person in terms of trying to clean that up."

"Anthony is here living the American dream, as were many professional wrestlers in their time," added Rhodes. "I cited Bruno Sammartino in my promo, an Italian immigrant who just changed our industry forever. I think the way Anthony's done is a little crude. And I think punching a man when his back is turned, you know, and then draping them under your flag is crass, I suppose. But again, that's the beautiful thing about fans, the beautiful thing about wrestling. You pay your money, you're allowed to do whatever you want as a fan. So people who think he might be the good guy or I'm the good guy or I'm the bad guy or he's the bad guy, that's fine. That's fine by me. It's more interest for the match and more interest for the outcome of the match. But with all that said, when it's said and done, I really hope to say, whether I like him personally or not, that I'm proud of Anthony as far as him being AEW's first developmental talent and what that looks like in a major pay per view spot."

AEW Double or Nothing takes place on Sunday, May 30th, and will feature a full capacity crowd at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Headlining the card will be a triple threat match, with Kenny Omega defending the AEW Championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy. Also at the show, The Inner Circle will face The Pinnacle in the second Stadium Stampede match. Dr. Britt Baker will challenge champion Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women's Championship. The Young Bucks will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. TNT Champion Miro will defend his belt against Lance Archer. Sting and Darby Allin will team up against Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky in Sting's first in-ring match in AEW. Cody Rhodes will take on Anthony Ogogo. Hangman Page will face Brian Cage in a one-on-one match. Multiple AEW stars (including at least one surprise) will compete in a Casino Battle Royale to win a future shot at the AEW Championship. And on the Buy-In pre-show, NWA Women's Champion Serena Deeb will defend her title against the first AEW Women's Champion, Riho. You can find more info about how to watch the show here.

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