Since officially joining All Elite Wrestling in August of 2019, Dustin Rhodes has been one of the company’s biggest supporters for women’s wrestling, serving as a lead coach and public advocate for the division.
Many of AEW’s top female stars credited Rhodes for helping them both in the ring and out, with one of these being current AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa.
Rhodes recently featured on Thunder Rosa’s Taco Vlog and explained how he wants to help women succeed in AEW.
“You girls, there are a lot of people that do reach out to me here and want help and knowledge, but from day one, it started with Britt and Bea Priestley, they had a hell of a match. We started hiring more girls, I was diving in with them, and I started having training sessions just because I wanted to. i wanted the women’s division to get somewhere other than where it was at. WWE has done a good job at that, but I want to see AEW do that. It’s not because I don’t like the guys. I truly see the desire in you ladies and how you want to make it to that next step. That means a lot to me because I like the challenge to get you guys there, in any way possible. I want to lead you there because I care. A lot of people may think that’s weird, but I truly do. I found a calling and I love to train with you girls, talk to you, mentor you, listen to your problems, hug you if you’re crying. It means a lot to me,”
-Dustin Rhodes
Rhodes continued, citing some of the steps forward the division has taken since its inception.
“Some more than others, like you, you’re all working hard and you all deserve a chance. That’s important for women today. We’re always talking equality. I think it’s important. Now we have a match on Dynamite and Rampage every single week. Slowly but surely. There have been lots of main events. There have been steps forward. I appreciate that as a fan of women’s wrestling. I can sit and watch men wrestle all day long, but if it’s a women’s match, I want to see what they do, pick it apart, and fix it if it’s fixable. I’m very protective of the group. Even when we were practicing during the pandemic, someone yelled at and it was, ‘I can’t believe they did that to you, I was so mad.’ I’m like, ‘it’s okay, it’s fine,’ but y’all were taking up for me and that makes me feel good and makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile.”
-Dustin Rhodes
Rhodes balances his roles behind the scenes with being an in-ring performer, most recently facing off against CM Punk on last Wednesday’s Dynamite.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
