AEW: Cody Rhodes’ important comments on diversity and inclusion

Cody Rhodes is one of the central faces for AEW. When he speaks about diversity and inclusion in the organization, we must recognize the value of his words and hold them to the actions described.

A few hours remain before the debut of AEW Dynamite kicks off live from Washington, DC. The energy around the professional wrestling industry is palpable as many wonders what this night is going to mean for the young promotion and the industry. Cody Rhodes, one of the pillars behind AEW, spoke to media on Tuesday and made some interesting comments about diversity and inclusion that need further analysis.

In many ways, it’s important that he’s even talking about this topic. But as he mentioned, it is a long journey and this work will never be “complete.” But that means it’s even more vital for AEW to embrace applying diversity and inclusion to their product in wrestling. During the media call, there were two questions that were sent Rhodes way that hit on the makeup of AEW’s roster.

Through four shows the promotion has featured a lot of wrestlers that are expected to be mainstays on the roster. Women such as Nyla Rose and Britt Baker; along with men like Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, and PAC. There’s a wealth of talent within AEW and as the organization prepares for weekly television, there’s room for even more.

“We have a lot of roster left,” Rhodes said during the conversation. “I don’t know if I was on the nose with my 40 percent comment. There’s definitely a great deal of people we’ve held back to this point.”

There’s anticipation around who those individuals are. While WWE has a robust talent pool, it’s clear that there are multitudes of people that can prosper at the levels desired by AEW. There’s a lot of talent from around the world that AEW may investigate leveraging. But during this talk he made specific reference to the place of African American wrestlers on the AEW roster which points toward a deeper understanding of what is needed in professional wrestling.

“We wanted to put a product out that’s congruent with today’s society and a snapshot of what American and the world looks like,” Rhodes responded when asked about the lack of black wrestlers on the singles roster. “I think we’re doing a good job, but that work is never finished.”

This is an important topic that has continued to get pushed around the wrestling industry. Using the WWE as a barometer, there’s a lot left to be desired when it comes to how men and women are often used on the roster. Yes, we live in a world where Kofi Kingston is WWE champion, but this is the exact reason why his rise to the title this year impacted and attracted so many people.

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Kofi may be champion, but we are still witnessed talent like The Street Profits, Titus O’Neil, Apollo Crews, and so many others be misused. The perceived lack of African American singles wrestlers on AEW’s roster caused the same alarm for some who are interested in the product.

“One of the things my wife [Brandi Rhodes] has been a marvel at with this company is seeking out diverse superstars and wrestlers for our product and I think we will continue to do so,” Rhodes continued. “I think African American representation on our brand is huge and there are some absolute stud men and women I would love to be a part of AEW and love to be a part of Dynamite. We are doing everything we can to provide the most diverse roster and, first and foremost, the best roster.”

Words such as these matters. Rhodes is facing down a topic that shouldn’t be controversial but can bring out the worst in some people. Even though both diversity and inclusion have been proven to positively impact companies, there are those who loudly speak out against its practice as nothing more than being “politically correct.” Building a wrestling roster that is representative of the world is an important step for AEW if they are working to target many in the wrestling community that are underserved by other popular promotions. If properly implemented, there’s an opportunity that fans looking for that type of representation will follow.

While diversity within the roster is an important aspect of this conversation; inclusion is just as vital. AEW can build a roster that’s diverse in ever since of the word, but if talent that fall within the category of POCs are frequently mismanaged in booking; then their practice will be far from a success.

Using the WWE as an example again, one could easily count the number of men and women that have held the organization’s top titles; a number that’s even more depressing when compared to the number of white men and women who’ve done so. If AEW is considering itself a promotion that represents the world, then that means people that represent more of the world need to be booked higher up the roster and in ways outside of stereotypical characters or as simple tag teams. It’s a challenge that Rhodes and crew seem up to answering.

Professional wrestling is in for a big change as AEW is set to kick off Wednesday night. While there’s a lot of excitement around the inclusion of a new promotion; there’s still some apprehension from those that want to see more diversity and inclusion in wrestling. AEW claims to be taking steps to meet those complaints. The battle starts in DC.