Cody Rhodes has confirmed that the “second most important title in wrestling’ won’t be undergoing a makeover when AEW programming shifts to TBS early next year.
Rhodes was All Elite Wrestling’s inaugural TNT Champion when he defeated Lance Archer in a tournament final for the belt at Double Or Nothing 2020. Now Rhodes says that the championship will retain its name despite AEW Dynamite heading from TNT to TBS in January 2022.
In conversation with ComicBook.com, Cody Rhodes dropped a ‘spoiler’ about the title:
“I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but I mean, I’ll drop a spoiler. I don’t think we’re going to change the title’s name one bit. TNT is the place that the first alternative challenger brand in two decades appeared on. Their excitement, our partners at WarnerMedia, and the TNT title, as I’ve stated, I think it is, if not the most important title in wrestling, the second most important title in wrestling.”
“I don’t see us changing that name, and I think that’s kind of across the board. I don’t think you’ll find anybody in management or Tony [Khan] himself who wants to change that name. We’ll always roll with the punches and we’ll always pivot, but I’m 99 percent sure the TNT title stays the TNT title.”
All Elite Wrestling recently announced a new one-hour show, AEW Rampage, that will begin airing on TBS come August 2021. For Rhodes, the new show will give more opportunities to those on the AEW roster.
Rhodes explained:
“I think having Rampage will help considerably. That way we can share the wealth. However, Dynamite’s a very hard show to get on. The best wrestlers in the world are on Dynamite. We have a very full locker room, and on the way to the ring, you walk by a lot of people who are on the bench that week.”
“I think you’ll see a lot of that bench get unloaded for Rampage, and that’s very, very exciting. And the two shows will have their own identities surrounding the AEW championships that kind of tether us all together. But other than the logo for Rampage, the details are all still forthcoming, other than I think it will be really great for our locker room.”
Wrestling will not be leaving TNT’s schedules permanently with the switch to TBS. As part of AEW’s deal with WarnerMedia, TNT will house four specials each year which Rhodes compared to the old Clash Of The Champions which were first promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s.
For one night only, Rhodes will adopt the moniker of his father Dusty Rhodes at AEW Double Or Nothing. ‘The American Dream’ Cody Rhodes will look to put hard times on his opponent, ‘The Guv’nor of AEW’ and Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer, Anthony Ogogo.