In the internet wrestling community, Brandi Rhodes receives a lot of criticism that isn’t well-deserved. Cody Rhodes’ wife is frequently mistaken for the AEW’s Chief Branding Officer since she is married to him. The fact is that Brandi is a journeywoman who has worked in and out of the ring for WWE, AEW, Impact, and ROH throughout the course of her long career in professional wrestling.
Whoever you are, you have to admit that Brandi is a pioneer. For others of color, she led the path as the first African-American announcer in a major North American promotion. She joined the WWE’s announcement and broadcasting crew.
As AEW’s Chief Branding Officer, Brandi is the first-ever Black woman to occupy an executive role in any North American wrestling organization. There can be no understatement in the significance of this issue. It’s unfortunate that, despite their claims of diversity and inclusion, very few corporations have actually hired women of color to senior positions in leadership roles inside their organizations. It is from the top that change is brought about. How can significant change be implemented if there is no diversity at the top of the ladder? You’re sending a coded but plain message when you don’t include women of all races and sexual orientations in these roles. These folks don’t have the qualifications to be in these positions.
Aware of her clout, Brandi is determined to use it to her advantage. Rather than waiting for someone to come and ask you for your aid, she recognizes that you can’t just sit back and do nothing. No. You must be the change you want to see in the world. AEW heels, a safe haven for female wrestling fans online, was created with this concept in mind, and it shows. During the program’s initial debut, it was incorrectly marketed as having a $50 monthly membership fee (the $50 price tag is for a year’s subscription). To be fair, there is a good argument in favor of charging female wrestling enthusiasts to avoid being trolled while discussing the sport. Troll-free environments may be easily maintained for as little as $50 per year thanks to paywalls. In spite of this, Brandi has worked hard to create a friendly environment for female wrestlers and non-binary wrestlers. That’s more than anybody else has done to counteract the toxicity of wrestling fans, to my knowledge.
As a mother and a successful businesswoman outside of the ring, Brandi is a role model for other working mothers everywhere. One can only imagine how mentally and physically draining such a lifestyle must be. Even so, it shows that women can have a profession and be a mother at the same time without having to sacrifice one for the other.
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