It takes a lot for anyone to ask for help. It shows when someone is serious about what they want to do and that they want to grow. Given Cody Rhodes’ history, it’s not a surprise that legendary Arn Anderson of Four Horsemen and Brainbusters fame joined AEW.
Anderson will be Rhodes’ personal advisor and head coach for 2020, and is expected to be in Rhodes’ corner when he faces Darby Alin on Dynamite’s January 1 episode.In a press release (special thanks to prowrestlingsheet.com for the transcript), Cody Rhodes said:
“2019 was the most successful year I’ve had in pro-wrestling. Beyond the superfluous financial, it’s been incredibly rewarding on a spiritual level to be able to engage so many fans with a like-minded place in their hearts for the sport.
“That said, one of my greatest fears came true as I lost the opportunity to wrestle for the World Championship again. But, on the other side of that fear is freedom to chase every other accolade outside of that title.
“I still want to collect all the accolades I can and dominate the singles division. That’s why I’m bringing in Arn Anderson as my personal advisor and head coach. He has been in business with my family for over three decades. Having been a wrestler throughout so many different generations of talent, he understands what ingredients it takes to look beyond the horizon and produce the best content and results.”
Arn Anderson Joins AEW as Cody Rhodes’ Head Coach
Arn Anderson’s added value
There is the question of whether Anderson will have a role to play besides being on television.
As far as behind the scenes, Anderson has a lengthy history of working as a booker in various territories, so that with his personal experience in the ring can give Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and the rest of AEW creative plenty of insight that, as Rhodes, said, covers several generations.
It’s an interesting perspective as AEW has long billed themselves (paraphrasing) as a wrestling promotion by wrestlers for wrestlers. There are five people at the top that work on the creative side and then go with what they agree on is the best storyline for everyone involved.
It’s also a different approach from the WWE where Vince McMahon has a strong creative team, but makes all the final decision himself. As much as McMahon has earned the right to be called a sports entertainment genius, multiple heads are often better than one.
One thing for sure is, Cody Rhodes and AEW are in this for the long term. With any luck, we’ll have plenty of entertainment for years to come.
