10 Horrendous Promos Awesome Wrestlers Want You To Forget
9. Cody Rhodes Attempts To Solve Racism
Cody Rhodes has achieved more than most professional wrestlers ever will.
He was instrumental in the formation of the first viable mainstream competition in almost two decades. His vision and ambition for All In articulated and realised the thoughts of a generation: can't wrestling be so much better and bigger than it is?
It could, and Cody had much to do with that. He also proved that it was possible to play the earnest babyface in the 21st century, years and years after it was thought the fanbase was too cynical and jaded.
He solved racism, too!
He didn't, obviously, but he has become a meme for his pro-USA rah-rah speech of May 12, 2021, and while he acknowledged that it wasn't a perfect country, it was rather a lot worse than that in 2021.
Heart in the right place, swelling head in the clouds: this might well be the moment Cody distanced himself from the AEW base. He once articulated their voice perfectly; here, it was impossible to get any one fan on his side even if a pro wrestler was capable of delivering a nuanced political message.
Wrestling simply isn't the medium to tackle subjects of such weight. With the exception of mental health, which AEW has handled with a remarkable elegance, it's best to leave everything else - politics, religion, supernatural lore bullsh*t - well alone.
To his credit, he regrets cutting the thing.