AEW News: Cody Rhodes Comments On WWE Bringing Back ‘The Great American Bash’
WWE is bringing back The Great American Bash for next week’s episode of NXT, presumably to counteract All Elite Wrestling’s Fyter Fest event. In the past, AEW executive vice president Cody Rhodes has also made no secret of his desire to retain the rights to The Great American Bash as it means a lot to his family, which is why his response to WWE bringing the event back may surprise some fans.
As noted by Ringside News, a fan on Twitter asked Rhodes to share his thoughts on the matter. This came following the news that Teil Margaret — who is the AEW executive’s sister — stated that WWE owes a check to their mother, given that the event was invented by their father, Dusty Rhodes.
According to Rhodes, there’s nothing he can do about WWE’s decision to press ahead with the show, and he’s more concerned on making Fyter Fest the best show it can be.
“It’s all good friend. I appreciate the sentiment. Although the event means a lot to my Sister and I, I don’t own the IP and ain’t holding much of a grudge on it. My focus has to be on our show and talent. Making it fun, making it violent, making it memorable.”
THE BASH. IS. BACK! ??
The tradition of the #GreatAmericanBash comes to #WWENXT NEXT WEDNESDAY on @USA_Network! #NXTGAB pic.twitter.com/XR1wHCdgt9
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 25, 2020
As The Inquisitr previously reported, WWE and AEW have been locked in a legal battle over WCW trademarks, many of which are concepts Dusty came up with. Rhodes has already obtained some historic WCW trademarks — including Bash at the Beach and Slamboree — but he really wants to own Starrcade and The Great American Bash.
WWE owns both of Rhodes’ desired trademarks, and the company will be unwilling to let their biggest rival promotion gain the rights to use them. The decision to throw a Great American Bash event on the same night as a big AEW show could also be WWE’s way of throwing shade at Rhodes and AEW.
As highlighted in The Inquisitr report, Rhodes has stated that he doesn’t know what he wants to do with the trademarks he acquires. Bash at the Beach has since been used as a special episode of Dynamite, and it’s possible that the company will use other old pay-per-view names for those types of shows.
Rhodes’ reasons for acquiring the trademarks are entirely sentimental and personal to his family. However, his latest comments suggest that he isn’t too concerned about what WWE is doing, as there’s nothing he can do about the situation for the time being.
