10 Times AEW's Cody Rhodes Broke The Internet
4. The Chair Shot Heard Round The World
AEW's premiere edition of Fyter Fest boasted several great matches, including Darby Allin pushing Cody to a time limit draw, but it was what happened following the bell that shocked fans. Arriving after the match to cement himself as a heel, Shawn Spears nailed Cody with an unprotected chair shot to the head.
The damage was brutally swift. Cody bled profusely from the back of the head and required 12 staples to close his wound. We're just grateful he didn't suffer a concussion.
The outcry? Well, that was also swift, yet well deserved. Given longstanding concerns over CTE and head trauma in wrestling, fans were outraged to see AEW pull a stunt that many deemed far too risky, though the blow itself was an accident. As clarified after the show, this was a gimmicked chair shot gone wrong.
It was terrifying to watch, and one of AEW's first moments shrouded in controversy. For some, it forever shattered the new promotion's aura of purity. It was nothing less than AEW's end of innocence.