In addition to his on-screen presence, Dustin Rhodes serves as one of the main coaches behind the scenes in AEW.
The company has received plenty of criticism regarding its women’s division, often featuring just one women’s match per show and failing to highlight stars who aren’t in title programs. The division suffered another setback when former champion Thunder Rosa stepped away from television due to injury and amidst reports of backstage animosity with the locker room, something Rosa has since apologized for.
However, there have been noticeable changes to the company’s programming in recent weeks, highlighting the members of the Saraya-led faction The Outcasts in addition to rising stars such as Willow Nightingale and Skye Blue. Though Britt Baker once held court as the most featured performer in the division, current champion Jamie Hayter has been getting an overwhelmingly positive reception from AEW audiences, and Jade Cargill is reigning supreme as AEW TBS Champion.
“They’re Doing An Excellent Job” – Dustin Rhodes On The AEW Women’s Division
Speaking on a recent episode of Busted Open, Dustin Rhodes spoke about working with the women behind the scenes, praising them for their work in training as well as the performances they’re putting on for crowds in attendance.
“I feel really good about it because if you look back to day one, they’ve grown so much. They’re still coming to my training practices every week, and we drill, we teach new things, we fix wrongs, things like that, and we just do it every single week, and that repetition and get them a little loose, with my talking about the audience and making people feel something.
“To me, I believe they’re doing an excellent job, and I believe our women’s division is only gonna get stronger and stronger. It’s really good right now, and I’m happy to see it because it took some time to get there, and it’s there, and we’re kind of thriving in that area.”
On the most recent episode of Dynamite, Jamie Hayter teamed with Britt Baker to take on the team of Toni Storm and Ruby Soho. The crowd in Pittsburgh, PA was vehemently behind hometown hero Baker, and in the end, Baker forced Soho to tap out to the Lockjaw.
Saraya recently opened up about wanting to face either Jamie Hayter or Mercedes Mone when AEW makes its way to Wembley Stadium in August for AEW All In.
h/t Fightful