Cody Rhodes Discusses AEW's Relationship With ROH, Who Owns The "All In" PPV

The genesis of AEW was All In even though All In wasn't technically an AEW event. All In was created by AEW's current brain trust who were employed at ROH at the time and Cody Rhodes discussed his relationship with Ring of Honor during a media call this week that Wrestling Inc. was a part of.

"We ? me, Matt and Nick ? have such a great relationship with Joe Koff and ROH. Originally, it was kinda complicated but they did so much to help All In," said Cody. "From loaning us Gary Juster to helping us handle backup house arrangements. The fact that they let us breach contract to do it ? they're a huge part of it."

The name "All In" isn't owned by AEW but Cody says during the event he was so caught up in the moment that he forgot the business side of it and how they needed to own it. He says that both AEW and ROH are men of their word and he's sure they could work together to find a solution regarding the All In name.

"The name All In does not belong to ROH. The name All In belongs to Killing The Business which is Matt and Nick and Dana Massey," stated Cody.

AEW will be returning to Las Vegas this spring for Double or Nothing and Cody revealed that they plan on holding more than just one event in Sin City.

"The MGM Grand is a magical place and we'll be back not only for Double or Nothing but for an encore with Dynamite that Wednesday," said Cody. "It's really special. I hope I don't spoil this but going from Saturday to Wednesday, we're going to load those days up with AEW as well. We want the entire wrestling world to come to Vegas for Memorial Day Weekend and our return to MGM Grand."

Cody added that they have a good relationship with the MGM Grand and he foresees them there for years to come with Double or Nothing. He added that Double or Nothing in Vegas and All Out in Chicago seem at home in the venues they've been presented in.

Along those lines, Cody was asked to discuss more about AEW's relationship with Chicago.

"Chicago was the first place for me Matt and Nick with All In. We wanted the best chance to succeed and we thought Chicago would be the city for it," Cody said before adding that there's something unique about Chicago even though it hasn't always been the hottest spot for wrestling.

"I'm not sure where it started or if it started with that WrestleMania they did at All-State where the crowd level of involvement had its own identity. Just like a Philly wrestling crowd always had its own identity, Chicago all of a sudden has its own identity as a crowd which is so much fun as a competitor," stated Cody.

"I'm one of the most loyal people on earth ? it's my best trait ? and I'm gonna be loyal to Chicago for the entire future of AEW. That's the place where we got started and was the spark for something people still are arguing isn't real for how popular wrestling is across the globe. That means Chicago is always gonna have our flag in the sand and we hope to give Chicago the best possible shows."

AEW has yet to head north of the border but it appears that's imminent and Cody was asked about AEW's Canadian distribution.

"TSN has been an incredible partner. They let us lead and they plug in for us and scream us across The North. I, for sure, would hope we're coming to Canada. I've had some wonderful memories in the Bell Centre in Montreal," Cody said before talking about other places in Canada he's worked.

"I would hope there's a strong presence in 2020 as far as a live show. I think the first one will likely be in Toronto but I'm a big fan of the Pacific Northwest as well."

He added that he can see Canada having multiple AEW shows this year but also admitted that their schedule for 2020 isn't totally mapped out yet.

"I would hope Canada and I have a great love for the type of fan they are. Plus, Chris Jericho being from Winnipeg ? you can't miss there," said Cody.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. Cody's full conference call was included on Tuesday's edition of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here. The full interview can be heard via the embedded audio player below: