Brandi Rhodes became quite the controversial figure in AEW during her run with the company. In fact, it could be argued she became one of AEW’s most hated performers of all time... But for what reason?

Brandi At An AEW Press Event

RELATED: 10 Pictures Of Brandi Rhodes Like You've Never Seen Her Before

Is It Nepotism?

Brandi Rhodes was one of AEW’s founding members along with her husband Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega. In AEW’s original press conference she was announced to be AEW’s Chief Brand Officer, or “Chief Brandi Officer.” Of AEW’s founding members, it is quite clear that Brandi didn’t have the experience in wrestling that the others had, with many fans commenting that she only got her place among AEW’s founding “elite” because she was married to Cody Rhodes.

In AEW’s founding year, Brandi was featured on TV in higher positions than most of the female roster, including the AEW Women’s Champion of the time, Riho. She was the first female star to get an action figure, and she was regularly featured in high-profile storylines when some fans argued other female talent deserved those spots (Though, AEW has rarely been consistent with the booking of the women’s division). Brandi also managed to get roles outside AEW that other AEW female talent has not, like a TNT reality show, and a YouTube series as well as top billing with AEW's male talent while most other female performers were left off advertising, posters, etc.

Cody Rhodes Brandi Rhodes

There are also more uncomfortable aspects that could answer why some fans don’t like Brandi Rhodes…

RELATED: 10 Things You Should Know About Brandi Rhodes

Is It Racism?

It is no secret that black talent gets a lot more scrutiny (to be polite) compared to other wrestlers. Jade Cargill and Big Swole among other black wrestlers have commented on the racist messages they receive on social media. This obviously isn’t confined to just wrestling, this is a problem in the wider world, recently Ewan McGregor had to release a statement when his Obi-Wan Kenobi co-star Moses Ingram was receiving a lot of racist backlash for her performance in the Star Wars show.

A lot of Brandi Rhodes' AEW storylines have been panned. While that can be a cause of fan backlash, there are many other wrestlers who have been a part of bad storylines who don’t receive half the backlash that Brandi Rhodes gets.

Brandi Rhodes Vs. Allie - Fight For The Fallen

Speaking of those storylines…

Is It Bad Performances?

None of Brandi Rhodes' on-screen performances have been particularly well received. Her first big storyline was with the faction, The Nightmare Collective, a supernatural group with Brandi as the figurehead. It was a nightmare all around, Brandi’s spooky promos were panned, the members of the faction were laughed at, and the whole thing clashed with her husband Cody Rhodes’ mega babyface character. The Nightmare Collective was dropped without any kind of payoff and Brandi returned to being Cody’s valet the following week like nothing happened. Considering AEW is usually pretty consistent with their storylines and continuity, for this to be dropped without mention shows how badly the storyline was received.

AEW's Nightmare Collective: Awesome Kong, Mel, and Brandi Rhodes

Brandi’s other character decisions have also been questioned, in her promo battles with Dan Lambert, she was bizarrely cast as the heel. Brandi was insulting the crowd before a promo with American Top Team, leaving fans to awkwardly cheer for Dan Lambert’s slut-shaming, misogynistic insults.

The funny thing is that outside of wrestling, Brandi Rhodes comes across as such a likable person. Her YouTube series “A Shot of Brandi” is a great watch for anybody interested in AEW talent behind the scenes. She also comes across well in her reality show Rhodes to the Top as well as in behind-the-scenes interviews. For some reason, that has never translated to on-screen performances, which is a huge shame, as she seems to be such a nice person.

Brandi Rhodes left AEW along with her husband Cody. Cody Rhodes, who was also getting a lot of fan backlash in his later AEW days has become an inspiration in WWE and became one of WWE’s top babyfaces. Brandi has hinted she may follow her husband to WWE and perhaps the same could be true of her. Brandi certainly deserves more chances to win the fans over, and while she didn’t have the best performances in AEW, she is very much worthy of another shot.