Well that makes things more interesting for AEW. In the current wrestling climate, or any wrestling climate for that matter, the promotion’s job is to get as much attention on their product as possible. That can be done in a variety of ways, with some of them being more successful than others. One of the best ways is to put something on the line in a match. So why not put two things on the same match?
AEW has not been around for a long time so they have been trying their hands at a bunch of different ways to grow their audience. At the moment, they are trying their hand at a new championship with the TNT Title. The championship seems to be serving as the company’s first ever midcard title and now we are seeing where things are going with the tournament. If that isn’t enough though, AEW is adding something new to one of its matches.
AEW has released a video showing Dustin Rhodes announcing that he will retire if he does not defeat Kip Sabian in his upcoming tournament match. The announcement has caused a lot of reactions from various AEW wrestlers and personalities, all of whom have responded to the video on Twitter. Rhodes’ first round match with Sabian will take place on the upcoming episode of Dynamite.
1 week ago we celebrated @dustinrhodes’ birthday + his amazing career spanning 5 decades. There is hyperbole in wrestling but it’s no stretch to say Dustin’s better than ever today; I hope he’ll reconsider. @TheKipSabian carries a 2020 record of 6-3, same as Dustin. This is crazy https://t.co/yTfAM1vNmN
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) April 18, 2020
I think you still have it in you @dustinrhodes. You’re in the best shape of your life. Yes @TheKipSabian is a top contender. Yes @thePenelopeFord is crafty. But I’m in your corner Chicken. I’m not letting you go down without the fight of your life. Let’s go!
— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) April 18, 2020
.@dustinrhodes we need you in @AEWrestling and you’ve never been a smarter, more skilled in ring psychologist.
Your Dad told me once that when we turn in our jerseys we’re no longer in the game that we love. Think this thru. https://t.co/zprNJsuMee— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) April 18, 2020
Lets be honest, @dustinrhodes is currently in his prime. Theres no taking that away.
I’m yet to enter mine. The @AEWrestling TNT championship is the beginning of that.
Fear the man with nothing to lose, and everything to gain…… See you Wednesday.
As you were,#Superbad https://t.co/AuNTzxz7w0
— Kip Sabian ???? (@TheKipSabian) April 17, 2020
Thank god.
Good riddance. https://t.co/mcgxd1h4jN
— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) April 18, 2020
Looking forward to commentating the last match in the stellar career of @dustinrhodes this week on @AEWonTNT! pic.twitter.com/T7zCgeSnL2
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) April 18, 2020
It’s a big deal. Check out the announcement, plus Rhodes’ work in AEW:
Opinion: This is about as much as you can ask for from the match. Rhodes is an interesting case as he has wrestled at a high level in five decades now. Would it be shocking to see him retire after so many matches and years in the ring? He can still go in the ring, but maybe he is ready to hang up the boots. Or maybe it’s a heck of a tease for a match and it will draw in some attention.
Do you like the stipulation? How do you see the match going? Let us know in the comments below.
Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!