Brandi Rhodes On How She Accidently Became A Ring Announcer For WWE

Brandi Rhodes, the Chief Brand Officer of AEW, recently recounted the story of how she accidently became a ring announcer for WWE while training to be an in-ring performer at FCW, which was one of WWE's developmental territories prior to the rebranding of NXT.

Brandi, who holds a master's degree in broadcast journalism, never intended to be a pro wrestler. However, she decided to give FCW a shot after moving to Florida to pursue a career in entertainment. While recalling the story in a chatwith Bleacher Report, Brandi said she became a substitute announcer for FCW after the regular announcer missed a show.

"About a week into training at FCW, I went to one of the local shows, and they were asking who could do the ring announcing since the normal guy wasn't there," said Brandi.

"All the girls were freaking out and didn't want to do it, and I was like, 'You guys know I am a broadcast journalist, right?' So I did it, and the next thing I know, [Senior Vice President of Talent Relations] John Laurinaitis called and said, 'Hey, you're on the road.' I told him I only did it one time at this little show in Florida, and he said, 'It's OK, kid. You'll be good.' The next week I went and announced in front of 10,000 people, which was pretty terrifying."

Brandi made the transition from ring announcer to wrestler during her stint in Impact Wrestling. Looking ahead to her career as a wrestler in AEW, Brandi said she's eager for a match with NWA Women's World Champion Serena Deeb.

"I would love to wrestle Serena [Deeb]," said Brandi. "I think she is amazing. Training with her here and there, she is somebody you pick things up from without knowing you're doing it. She's very fluid in the ring, and I think we could have a really nice match."

On this week's episode of AEW Dynamite, Brandi started a new angle with Jade Cargill, who made her AEW debut and teased the arrival of basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal.