In pro wrestling, nothing stings more than to have your own family standing across the ring from you as your opposition. And for Cody and Dustin Rhodes, that was their story leading into their match at AEW’s first-ever pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, in 2019. Having pitched it for years during his tenure in WWE, the Stamford-based promotion told Dustin over and over again that their brother versus brother match would never be considered a must-see spectacle, not even on “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” WrestleMania. However, AEW thought differently. Seven years later, it’s still talked about. While some might like to see these two brothers square off one more time before they retire, Dustin doesn’t think so. He’d rather leave that masterclass match and rivalry where it is.
“It was one of those lightning strike moments that you just had to grab onto the lightning bolt, as dad would say, and the stars aligned for it. And it felt like it was perfect,” “The Natural” said in his interview on “What Happened When.” “It is my number one all time favorite thing I’ve done in the wrestling industry, period…Nothing can top it. I never want to work with him again. I never want to try to top that because we won’t. It needs to be laid to rest, and let that thing just start to cycle through history, because I think it will still stand in 10 years.”
Cody’s words to Dustin after the match, “I don’t need a partner. I don’t need a friend. I need my older brother,” will remain a legacy moment in wrestling history. Not too long after their match, Cody would leave the company he helped build and return to the WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. Meanwhile, Dustin remains in AEW, and is looking forward towards making his in-ring return sometime this year.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What Happened When” with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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