For those who tuned in to witness All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing on Saturday night, you noticed how Cody Rhodes' wife, Brandi, left her footprint all over the card.
The Chief Brand Officer of AEW not only turned the women's triple threat match into a four-way bout by adding the legendary Awesome Kong to the mix of Dr. Britt Baker, Nyla Rose and Kylie Rae, but she also made her presence felt in the match between Cody and his brother, Dustin Rhodes, by spearing Dustin and getting ejected for it. Brandi's involvement spoke for just some of the diversity on AEW's debut pay-per-view card.
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When asked about diversity in AEW, Cody vowed that it will be a way of life within the company and not ever done for the sake of publicity. He also drew on his own experience being in an interracial marriage with Brandi and explained what she has taught him.
"I'm in an interracial marriage, and I've learned a lot that I would have never known," Cody said to a pool of reporters following Double or Nothing. "One time, I told Brandi, I told her that 'I don't see color.' And she said, 'Well, then you don't see my experience.' And 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.
“I told Brandi one time that I don’t see color and she said ‘well, then you don’t see my experience,’” - @CodyRhodes on how being in an interracial marriage has helped with diversity in @AEWrestling and why diversity will be a way of life and not a publicity stunt. pic.twitter.com/bucN8KBVUM
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) May 26, 2019
"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 continued. "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."