Cody Trademarks The AEW Version Of WarGames

A certain Match is approaching...

Cody Dynamite
Lee South/AEW

On this week's episode of Dynamite, in the midst of a fire and instantly iconic promo, Cody teased a big show-down between the Elite and the Inner Circle.

"It will be a Match Beyond, and we will eat you alive!" he roared.

The word choice was barely coded; the Match Beyond was, of course, the final phase of the WarGames match, held once all blood-soaked combatants had entered the battleground.

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Dave Meltzer reports/reminds us in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter that "Cody trademarked The Match Beyond when he decided to try and trademark as much of his father’s ideas that WWE hadn’t trademarked."

This is very, very interesting, in that it represents an exact comparison to be made between the two warring brands. While mostly positive, reactions to NXT's approach have been mixed. For your writer's money, the first WarGames match held under the NXT banner was awesome - it made stars of Killian Dain and Adam Cole, and was in general a brutal tweak on the old stip that incorporated the modern style very well - but the sequel was overlong, static, and a touch indulgent.

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AEW boasts two distinct advantages: blood and guts, and the familial connection. Dusty Rhodes invented it, Cody is bringing it to AEW, and Dustin starred in the best match of its kind. Then again, this year's men's NXT line-up is sensational.

Incidentally, AEW "can" do this even if NXT do this because they've just thought up a workaround for the trademark, and it was Cody's father's idea.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!