AEW’s Cody Rhodes Says Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor Inspired His Neck Tattoo

All Elite Wrestling executive vice president Cody Rhodes arrived at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view back in late February sporting a brand new tattoo of the Nightmare Family logo on the right side of his neck. Fans couldn’t believe Rhodes had made such a bold choice and it has been a talking point in interviews ever since. In a new interview this week with BroBible‘s Chris Illuminati, Rhodes revealed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Conor McGregor, both of whom have massive tattoos, were part of the inspiration behind the idea.

“This sounds silly, but I have big plans for myself. I’m real confident that I’m going to continue to climb this ladder as a wrestler, and to branch out into new worlds. And I didn’t want to hide it. I was looking at Conor McGregor and I was looking at The Rock, two marquee box office — I mean, The Rock is box office and Conor McGregor as far as combat sports — I looked at Conor’s chest and I looked at Rock’s Brahma Bull and I just, something about it was inspiring in a sense that if I did do the Nightmare Family log… I want it to be seen. I just thought the neck was the perfect spot.”

Rhodes admitted the logo is actually “a hair bigger” than he originally planned, but stated he still loves it. He said he has no intention of getting any more tattoos, and if he does wind up with another it will be of his dog Pharaoh.

This week’s AEW Dynamite has been moved to a special Saturday night time due to the ongoing NBA Playoffs. Rhodes will headline the show in an AEW TNT Championship match against Brodie Lee.

• AEW TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Brodie Lee
• The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs. The Dark Order (Five, John Silver, Alex Reynolds)
• The Nightmare Sisters vs. Ivelisse and Diamante
• FTR vs. Private Party
• Darby Allin vs. TBA
• The Lucha Bros, The Butcher & The Blade vs. The Natural Nightmares & Jurassic Express

AEW announced on Wednesday morning that next week’s Dynamite, scheduled for Aug. 27 (Thursday), will be the first event since March to feature live, ticket-paying fans.

“All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced it will host limited, ticketed crowds of 10-15 percent capacity for its live shows at the open-air Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, Fla., starting on Thursday, Aug. 27. To safely bring back the energy of a live audience to AEW’s shows — in compliance with state and local regulations and CDC guidelines — a select number of physically distanced seating pods will be available for sale in groups of two, three, four and six around the outdoor venue.

“For the first ticketed show on Aug. 27, a maximum crowd of 10 percent capacity will be permitted,” the release continued. “Going forward, as long as safety protocols are followed meticulously, a maximum crowd of 15 percent capacity will be permitted for all live events at Daily’s Place. Limited tickets to attend the Aug. 27 DYNAMITE show, airing on TNT, will go on sale tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 21, at 10 a.m. ET via AEWTIX.com and Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $30 (not including service charges or fees).”