Cody Rhodes' candid comments about diversity in All Elite Wrestling caught the eyes of wrestling fans and beyond following the company's Double or Nothing event on Saturday night.
Rhodes drew on his own experience being in an interracial marriage with wife Brandi and explained what she has taught him. Cody is white. Brandi is African-American.
"One time, I told Brandi that 'I don't see color,'" said Rhodes. "She said, 'Well, then you don't see my experience.' I thought, 'Oh, you're right. I can't just say that.' You need to be able to see that experience and at least understand it."
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New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez retweeted footage from Sporting News' Andreas Hale and commended Rhodes for sharing his experience.
This exchange is a promising peek into what growth looks like in our national discourse on race.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 26, 2019
Thanks for sharing your experience in this powerful moment, @CodyRhodes . https://t.co/Lt8xZLHAts
Outside of what he has learned in his own marriage, Rhodes also spoke about diversity being a way of life in the newly-launched AEW and not something promoted for publicity.
"And the old [wrestling] territory system of just one [African-American wrestler] and a lot of folks may remember that - that's out, that's out," Rhodes said. "The best wrestlers, they are going to feel the game, and that's a very diverse profile and I'm really proud of it.
"We're going to promote them as wrestlers. That's all the elements of diversity. We're not going to make it a PR element for us, and that I'm really proud of. It's just about the wrestlers."
