Cody Rhodes On If Any AEW Plans Changed After Signing Malakai Black

On a conference call this week, AEW star Cody Rhodes was asked about the process that brought Malakai Black, Rhodes' opponent on tonight's AEW Dynamite: Homecoming, to AEW. Rhodes revealed that no plans were changed upon AEW learning that Black was available due to a 30 day noncompete clause instead of the usual 90 days. If anything, the shorter noncompete, according to Rhodes, gave AEW the opportunity to do something great.

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"From my understanding no plans have been changed," Rhodes said. "Whenever there's a free agent of that caliber, male or female, you have to jump on it. And that's not an area where I was the one who contacted or facilitated it, this is the same guy who kicked me square in the jaw on his very first night to make a statement. Tony Khan is responsible for bringing in Tommy End or Malakai Black, whatever he'd like to go by. But no plans were changed. If anything we were presented with something incredibly special. Dynamite is the heart and soul of the company and what we do. And being able to put these matches on television, this is huge.

"Today I watched Jason Isbell and various other celebrities, Paul Walter Hauser, comment on who they think is going to win. And that's so special because this is about our weekly television show. And it is not the classic old school 'let's save it for the PPV, let's stretch it out' when really we only do four PPV's a year. Again, TV is where our bread is buttered and this a massive, massive match for Homecoming. In addition to that, it's a massive card. So him not having the traditional 90 days, but having 30 days  really worked in our favor. But again, we'll all find out together, everyone on this call and myself, if the magic is there and if the passion is there. Because as AEW fans can attest, you can tell right away with a free agent, with someone new coming in, it's all about the passion."

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Rhodes was also asked about Black working with Jake Roberts to help improve his promo. While this was the first of Rhodes hearing about a connection with the two, he praised the influence Jake and other legends have had on the AEW roster, and revealed Roberts had helped him in mentoring younger talent.

"I think every, I don't want to really say heel and babyface in this setting, but everyone who has that layer of mysteriousness to them, every wrestler, they do have a little bit of Jake Roberts in them," Rhodes said. "And they're probably, actively trying to have more because he was so good at translating a story, and also presented himself so differently from the other wrestlers of his time. This is the first time I'm hearing it that there's a connection there with the two, and I'm glad to hear it. Because people like Jake Roberts, luminaries like Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, ect, ect. To have them backstage at All Elite Wrestling is like having the book right at your disposal on how to be successful in wrestling. And you'd be surprised at how many of us young yahoos argue back and forth on how we should do things when they're sitting right there. Guys who have made, no hyperbole in this statement, millions of dollars. And they're contributing now. Jim Ross is another example.

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"These luminaries, these legends, jumped on board to come to a start up wrestling company that three years ago nobody was fully thinking would become what it's become today as we really settle into this golden age of wrestling on television. So that's good to hear that Jake is inspiring talent still, and he will continue to do so. I'd personally like to thank Jake because I teach a developmental class, I don't know if we can say developmental class, but I teach a group of young wrestlers often before call time at television. And Jake has been there with me for every one of those classes, and if I'm being totally honest, he's a far better teach and far more qualified than I am. And he's been incredibly helpful with young people, people like Brock Anderson, people like Lee Johnson, who's wrestling Miro for the TNT Championship. I'm rooting for Lee for the most coveted title in wrestling at Dynamite Homecoming tomorrow. So yeah, big shout out and props to Jake."

AEW presents "Dynamite: Homecoming" tonight on TNT at 8/7c.

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