Yesterday, Cody Rhodes took part in a media call, promoting tonight’s debut episode of Dynamite on TNT, and live on FITE for UK fans. Dynamite will be the first wrestling show to air on TNT since the demise of WCW in 2001, and in this monumental week for professional wrestling, it will also be the first week of Dynamite vs. NXT, which now airs on the USA Network, challenging the newly formed wrestling promotion.
SteelChair Magazine had the good fortune of joining yesterday’s media call where Cody touched on a variety of topics such as Kenny Omega’s recent comments about NXT being full of developmental talent, building young talent with their new weekly television show, having a number in mind for the first rating of Dynamite, and for UK fans there was some exciting news that AEW will “for sure” be producing a show in the UK in 2020.
Going head to head with NXT has been a major talking point for wrestling fans heading into Dynamite’s debut episode, and while Kenny Omega took some shots at the rival promotion while he was in character, Cody refused to do so. “Well, I know that my father was rather instrumental in bringing the developmental brand up from the OVW or FCW situation that I was in, and making it more of a brand,” he said when asked about Omega’s comments. “You’ll never hear me disparage NXT. There’s a locker room full of my friends over there. I mean, literally, if any of you have done the Performance Center tour, you’re gonna pass in front of my dad’s boots.”
However, when asked if AEW will focus on the other program at all, he did say that they are focused on themselves, and it was WWE who put NXT on the USA Network because of AEW. “We were always going to be on TNT, on a major cable network like this, so this was always in our plans. Their move to USA and this is not meant as a negative, so WWE diehards, please do not freak out, was a reactionary move towards us. So they can watch us. We’ll be taking care of our own business.”
As far as the much talked about, and somewhat controversial UK TV deal goes, Cody did say all the details about their partnership with FITE and ITV have yet to come out: “That partnership is just in its gestation. It’s not all that was announced. There’s more to it. It’s slowly all coming to the surface, thankfully.”
But Cody did announce that AEW will be coming to the UK in 2020, and when they do, he would like to feature a lot of home-grown talent as well. “At a certain point in 2020, AEW is gonna come to the UK, for sure,” he said. “And when we do, I would really like the show to feature a great deal of home-grown UK talent.”
AEW Dynamite debuts tonight on TNT, and as of right now, UK fans can watch it live by purchasing a subscription on FITE.