At AEW Fyter Fest in 2019, Cody Rhodes went head to head with Darby Allin in the company’s first time-limit draw.
The match itself was overshadowed by its aftermath, however, as Shawn Spears made a surprise appearance after the bout and hit Rhodes over the head with a chair. Cody’s head began bleeding profusely, and both performers and AEW were the subject of heavy criticism due to the use of an unprotected chair shot.
Speaking in a new interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Shawn Spears opened up about the incident in question, revealing that Cody Rhodes told him to “swing for the fences” and refused to put his hands up during the spot.
“Swing for the fences was the term. I said, Okay, put your hands up, and he goes, No. I was like, buddy, you gotta put your hands up. And he says, No. I was like, damn it. So again, it’s Cody, I trust him. He trusts me.”
When asked if the chair was supposed to be gimmicked in order to protect his opponent, Spears continued, noting that it’s impossible to stop the lip of the chair from doing damage if a spot doesn’t go to plan. He also recalled the intense reaction of the crowd.
“Yeah, but it’s, you can shave down a chair as much as you want. It’s not the flat part, it’s the lip of the chair that is always the most dangerous part. And that’s usually the part that catches somebody and in this case, it was. And it was just a fraction off, but he’ll take the wrap himself, I’m swinging, so I take the rap for it, and it’s my fault.
“But I hit him and it was a wonderful reaction and it got the shock value that it did and you hear the term red equals green and it’s you know, blood is money and all that kind of stuff. I just remember hitting him, listening.”
“He Starts Just Busting My Balls” – Shawn Spears On Cody Rhodes’ Reaction To Botched Chair Spot
Continuing, Shawn Spears recalled apologizing to Cody Rhodes’ wife Brandi after seeing the pool of blood form under Cody’s head.
“And I have a look at Brandi, and we have a little moment there. And I look back at Cody, and that’s when I see the pool. And I just went Oh sh*t. And I look at Brandi, and she’s kind of looking at Cody and she looks at me and I go sorry, I gotta get out of here. I got to the back and like I was, I had tears of like, tears in my eyes. I was profusely apologizing to her, because I felt so bad, I loved that guy, was like a brother.”
As for Cody Rhodes himself, he immediately began joking with Spears in the aftermath of the spot.
“And then I go to check on him and he’s on the table face down and go, I go, Hey, man, look, I’m so sorry, you okay? He’s like you are the most unsafe professional wrestler I’ve ever seen in my life. He starts just busting my balls. And I’m like, you can’t, you don’t understand where I’m at right now man. I’m having a hard time. He goes, ‘Yeah, I’d have a hard time too. I am having a hard time getting stitches put in my head.’ And I’m just like, this guy.
“But that was the night it got, business wise, it got a lot of buzz. It set us up for what would happen at All Out.”
Cody Rhodes went on to defeat Shawn Spears at AEW All Out the following August.
If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.