10 Beautiful Moments Of Respect In Wrestling

1. Cody Needs His Older Brother

Cody Dustin Rhodes
AEW

Cody, as you might have guessed, is one of your writer's favourite wrestlers.

He's one of your writer's favourite wrestlers because he's always doing the work to build towards something. He's worth the investment; ahead of Double Or Nothing, in a superb Road To promo, he teared up as he promised to roll his fingers across the steel and put his older brother out of the apparent misery of holding on to that which was long since lost.

At the dramatic climax of the classic match itself, Cody, after surviving an ass-spanking from his vengeful, blood-soaked brother, positioned him for the Cross Rhodes. That same, trembling expression formed across his face, and then, with a perfect snap, Dustin's face splattered across the canvas. This was telegraphed wonderfully, and the grim inevitability of it informed the deep sadness behind Dustin's apparent, impending retirement.

But, in a euphoric twist, Cody stopped Dustin from leaving his boots in the ring. The ultra-spirited performance drew a new respect from the younger brother. Ahead of his tag team match with the Young Bucks at Fight For The Fallen, Cody didn't need a friend, or a tag team partner.

In the ultimate show of reverence, he needed the older brother he thought was fit for the knacker's yard.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!