Nick Piccone
Cody Rhodes joined a conference call Thursday afternoon to discuss the upcoming All Elite Wrestling Double or Nothing pay-per-view this weekend, and also a few other topics.
You can listen to the full audio of the call below.
Some highlights:
• 90% of the card follows the same direction the company had since the coronavirus pandemic began
• It’s harder to gauge what people like/dislike due to no fans in attendance
• TNT wanted their own championship; Cody said he’s never seen a network wanting its own title and said he was honored about that
• TNT Champion will not be ranked; the top five ranked individuals will be non-champions
• Cody won’t say if the TNT Championship is a mid-card or “workhorse” title because he’s never seen it in action yet
• This is a “proving ground” for Brodie Lee in the main event, calls him a leader in the locker room
• Everyone is tested for coronavirus – AEW’s medical team always the first to be tested, testing is done in blocks to prevent cross-pollination
• Met Mike Tyson at Double or Nothing last year; respects him as a huge fan as Tyson loves what they do [called him a hardcore AEW fan]
• Next current mid-card breakout main eventers? Says MJF, Shida, Wardlow, Darby Allin, Trent Beretta
• Cody hates silence in the crowd, called it a wrestler’s worst nightmare. That’s why they have people in the crowd social distancing while cheering and booing
AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view airs Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m. with their Buy-In preshow, with the main card kicking off at 8 p.m. You can order it on BR Live here, or on Fite TV here for $49.99, or on traditional cable ($59.99).
The card:
– AEW World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brodie Lee
– Inaugural AEW TNT Championship: Cody vs. Lance Archer
– AEW Women’s Championship (No DQ, No Count-out): Nyla Rose (c) vs. Hikaru Shida
– Stadium Stampede: Matt Hardy/The Elite vs. The Inner Circle
– Casino Ladder Match for a future AEW World Title shot: Darby Allin vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Kip Sabian vs. – Frankie Kazarian vs. Luchasaurus vs. mystery competitor
– MJF vs. Jungle Boy
– Dr. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
– Dustin Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears
– Buy-In Preshow: Private Party vs. Best Friends
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and e-mail him at [email protected]. You can read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice here.
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