Cody Rhodes did all he could to make sure that a wrestler was able to compete at All In.
Prior to AEW becoming established at the start of 2019, Rhodes and The Young Bucks took over the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Held under the Ring of Honor banner, the show sold 11,263 tickets and was marketed as the biggest independent wrestling show ever.
Current AEW star Ethan Page competed at the All In pay-per-view, being a part of the Over Budget Battle Royale on the pre-show. Looking back at the event, Page believes that he was hand-picked by The American Nightmare to compete at the marquee event.
Speaking on The Bragman Breakdown podcast, Page recalled how he was paid for the appearance and how Rhodes backed him back in 2018:
“Ultimately, my payment came from his name to my PayPal, so I’m pretty sure I was hand-selected by my friend to get this opportunity. He also put me in the media scrum… he was definitely looking out. I’ll always deliver on my end to make sure whoever puts their neck out for me is not doing it in a way that is going to get them in trouble. He definitely put his foot forward for me.”
Page, who was still signed with Impact Wrestling at the time, did not sign with the promotion until March 2021 after appearing at the Revolution pay-per-view. Continuing the interview and discussing his signing, Page stated that Rhodes would not hire him in the early days of AEW due to their close association at that time:
“Ironically, when I was signing with AEW, he told me that he wouldn’t [sign me] because he didn’t want me to be a friend hire, and that’s how I started my career. So I actually respected that. He’s always had my back, and I appreciate him putting me in that because it was such a huge spotlight.”
Cody Rhodes Makes Dreams Come True In Extremely Generous Act
Repeatedly giving back to the fans, Rhodes has been helping wrestlers and fans wherever possible for many years. When The Wrestling Club in Brooklyn, New York started a pledge to get to WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes responded to the drive and made the WWE fans’ dream come true.
H/t to Wrestling Inc.