Arn Anderson thinks Cody Rhodes has been receiving negative reactions from a subsection of the AEW fanbase because of his recent film and television pursuits.
Anderson, Cody's manager, shared his thoughts in the wake of this week's special Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite, at which Cody was booed and jeered by a large number of fans during his match with Malakai Black.
"Wrestling fans are awesome. The reason I love them so much is they are so honest. When you're great, most of the time, they'll tell you. When you suck, they'll let you know. I can see it and hear it," Anderson said during a largely in-character appearance on Busted Open Radio. "There are rumblings, not about Cody being the flagship or the face of the company because he carries that badge and I agree that he should because he can get the word out about our product and he does a great job," he added.
The WWE Hall Of Famer said that his protege needs to start concentrating on his wrestling career if he wants to live up to his full potential.
"The fact is, without being one of, if not the best wrestler in the company, how many people are going to actually listen to him? Hollywood is a grand thing if that's all you're doing is Hollywood. Right now, he needs to concentrate on getting his wins and losses turned around and earn the fact that when he opens his mouth, people listen. Right now, I'm not too sure. Hollywood is a positive thing in a lot of cases, I'm not sure if it works for Cody in this situation," he said.
As you might recall, Cody lost to Black on Wednesday evening because he was unable to maintain focus. At one point, Rhodes accidentally knocked Arn off the ring apron and went to check on "The Enforcer" instead of concentrating on the match, much to Arn's chagrin. Arn's recent Busted Open Radio comments seem to imply that AEW is running with a storyline in which Cody's out-of-the-ring exploits and distractions will be cited as the reason for his poor run of in-ring form.
Cody's new reality show, Rhodes To The Top, will premiere on September 29th after that week's edition of AEW Dynamite.