10 Wrestlers Who Were Secretly Promo GODS
2. Brandi Rhodes
Look, it didn't really work out between AEW and Brandi Rhodes - onscreen, at least. Providing a safe space for women in the fandom and launching the KultureCity inclusiveness initiative is the real, good, important legacy she left behind.
On TV, Brandi seemed fascinated by playing heel, and it simply never worked. The Nightmare Collective was am-dram spooky theatre, "Lil' Bran Bran" was on-the-nose "I benefit from nepotism!" heel work, and the decision to spar verbally with Dan Lambert was...ill-advised. Brandi's delivery was always fantastic, but the content was often baffling.
Who was the babyface?
Brandi should have been the answer, because on the Road To All Out YouTube series, she was tremendous in the role.
She did so much in just three minutes to put over her charge - "My husband is a goddamn exemplary pro wrestler" - in a promo in which she put over the callous nature of Shawn Spears' attack at Fyter Fest in such a stunningly effective way. She balanced feelings of betrayal and disgust to perfection, as if a longtime family friend had actually assaulted him.
It was genuinely excellent, and the reckoning she foretold of was excellent too - a proper babyface promise.