Just a few years ago, Cody Rhodes was floundering in the WWE as Stardust, a fantastical character that, despite Rhodes’ commitment, was consistently overlooked by the company’s creative team. Rhodes, the son of legendary grappler Dusty Rhodes, left the sports entertainment juggernaut in 2016, choosing to test his luck in the independent scene, which is robust if not financially stable. It wasn’t long, though, before Rhodes linked up with the indie scene’s brightest stars—The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and others—and organized 2018's All In, an independent event encompassing wrestlers from Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and other organizations that sold out the 11,000-seat Sears Centre Arena in just 30 minutes. That turned out to be a proof of concept for All Elite Wrestling, which, amazingly, just inked a deal with WarnerMedia, Deadline reports.
AEW will kick off with Double Or Nothing, a Las Vegas event set to air on May 25, and the punches will continue to fly during primetime broadcasts on TNT beginning this fall. AEW content will also stream via Bleacher Report’s B/R Live and during select pay-per-view slots. And thank god, because, without a viable competitor, WWE’s non-NXT content has consistently grown worse and worse. Talented performers are wasted, storylines are recycled, and fans are often left with nowhere else to turn.