Watch: Cody Rhodes Gives His Honest Thoughts on Casual Fans Watching AEW

All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes appeared on Busted Open Radio this week to hype up tickets for AEW’s first live TNT show going on sale this Friday.

During the interview Rhodes was asked about the company’s television product and how it can bring in “casual fans” on a weekly basis. Rhodes turned the question on its head, saying that he can’t stand that term.

“You guys have heard the term ‘casual fan’, right? ‘Oh, how are they gonna get the casual fan?’ The term ‘casual fan’ — honestly, I think I throw up a little in my mouth every time I hear it,” Rhdoes said. “Because it’s this vernacular to describe wrestling that is based on the Monday Night Wars. When the Monday Night Wars are over, they’re not a thing, as in they’re not happening here and now in the present. What’s happening right here and now in the present – we can’t determine what it is. It’s something that only history will be able to tell us.

“So my focus is always the base that built AEW. And that base, if you’ve seen it, you get it. And if you haven’t seen it, it’s just something that you have to see and feel. Bully [Ray] knows what I’m talking about. Because there’s a lot of confidence, that sometimes can get misplaced for arrogance on my half or The Elite’s behalf, but I’ve seen the power. I’ve seen it. And that’s why I want to focus on them first and foremost.”

Rhodes stated flat-out that he’d rather have a core fanbase of dedicated fans rather than fans who hate-watch the product.

“You know, there’s people who are plenty critical of what AEW does and instead of signal boosting that, I’d rather a hundred of the fans that we have in that base than that one sulky son of a bitch that’s not coming on-board anyways, if that makes any sense,” he said. “You guys know that first way to fail is to try and please everybody. But I gotta take care of the people who brought us to the dance in the first place, and I think that will be appealing on a global level.”

AEW’s TNT premiere will take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Oct. 2. On top of an appearance form Jon Moxley, two matches have already been announced — Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara and a six-man tag match with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho and two mystery partners.

H/T Cageside Seats