AEW: Could Dustin Rhodes actually retire if he loses to Kip Sabian?

On the next episode of AEW Dynamite, Dustin Rhodes will face Kip Sabian in the quarterfinals of the TNT Championship Tournament. If he doesn’t win, he’s ready to retire.

Last year, Dustin Rhodes reminded wrestling fans why he’s still “got it” in the ring, producing one of the best matches of 2019 at AEW‘s first Pay Per View, Double or Nothing, alongside brother Cody Rhodes. Since then, Dustin has signed a contract as a wrestler and a coach, though he’s taken a backseat to the rising stars of the promotion, as he should, since.

This Wednesday, Rhodes will have an opportunity to score a major victory against te up-and-coming Kip Sabian, as the two will battle it out in the quarterfinals of the TNT Championship Tournament, AEW’s newest title.

Cody already defeated Shawn Spears in the first round to advance after a grueling, 20-minute match, while Lance Archer got the job done against Colt Cabana. Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Kip, and Dustin are all vying to join them in the semifinals.

If Dustin Rhodes can beat Kip Sabian, who will be a tough challenge for the former Goldust, then he would face Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ dominant client Lance Archer in the next round.

And it seems like Rhodes is feeling the pressure of the big match coming. AEW’s Twitter account released a clip from the upcoming “Road to the TNT Championship” special, which will air on Monday, Apr. 20 at 7 p.m. ET on the promotion’s YouTube channel.

The recently-released clip features a voicemail from Dustin to his brother Cody, where he talks about the upcoming match and his feelings of wanting to show he still has it inside the ring.

What stood out to most was his definitive statement: If he can’t beat Kip Sabian in the first round, he will retire.

It would be an absolute shock if Dustin Rhodes retired, especially on a pre-taped show where he wouldn’t be able to receive a beautiful send-off from wrestling fans for his incredible legacy in the business across multiple major promotions.

But the announcement certainly adds intrigue to the match, since you never know. Maybe Dustin believes it’s time for his body to have a rest, and retiring would allow him to focus more on helping the next generation of wrestlers as a coach in AEW. As far as the nascent promotion is concerned, getting the most out of its young talent is a primary goal.

For Sabian, the opportunity to retire Rhodes is a star-making one, so that is absolutely an angle to watch for going into this match, which suddenly feels like it has much higher stakes than the prized TNT Championship itself.