Brandi Rhodes Training For AEW In-Ring Return
After over a year away from the squared circle, Brandi Rhodes is preparing for a comeback.
Brandi Rhodes appears to be eyeing a return to the All Elite Wrestling ring.
Speaking on Throwing Down with Renee Paquette and Miesha Tate, AEW's Chief Brand Officer stated that she is training for an in-ring comeback. Brandi, who is in the gym seven days a week, is working "harder than people think", hopeful that people will take note of her effort when she returns (h/t Fightful):-
“I’m back in the ring and been training hard. Probably a lot harder than people think. One thing that is funny, a lot of people have been critical of me in the past as far as in-ring work because they don’t know a lot about me and they just speculate. People just assume that ‘Brandi is Cody’s wife and he can just put her in whatever spot she wants to be in and she doesn’t have to work hard and she doesn’t train much.' Right now, I’m in the ring at least three days a week and in the gym seven days a week. I’m busting it as hard as I possibly can because I want to do well. I want to be an actual contender and myself, doing all the work, that makes me more confident that when I do get back in the ring, I know exactly what I’m doing and what I’m capable of. Hopefully, that translates and people will actually pay attention or watch."
Rhodes hasn't wrestled since teaming with Red Velvet to face Elayna Black (now WWE's Cora Jade) and Lelya Hirsch on 22 October 2020. Two months later, she and husband Cody announced they were expecting their first child together, hence Brandi's time away from the ring - and AEW television in general.
Liberty Iris Rhodes was born on 18 June 2021. Her mother then returned to AEW screens at Grand Slam on 22 September.
Last month, Rhodes stated that Liberty was her motivation for coming back to the ring.
The Throwing Down appearance also Brandi speak on the perception that her competing for AEW automatically means the company is taking ring time away from other wrestlers, which she rubbished:-
“I’ve seen a lot of people lately saying how I’m taking time away from other women and stuff. That shows me you don’t watch. If that’s taking time away from women that shows that maybe we have one match a year and that’s a bigger problem. That’s not the case.”
AEW is yet to confirm when Brandi will wrestle again.