Home

WWE

“Like Father, Like Son”: Top AEW Star Called Cody Rhodes’ ‘Son’ for Copying Him on AEW Dynamite

Published Jul 21, 2023 | 5:30 AM EDT

Follow Us

Before returning to WWE, Cody Rhodes was an essential part of AEW. There is no denying that he helped to lay the foundation of the Jacksonville-based promotion. Plus, he had a significant influence on the lives of many AEW stars, one of them being Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

Rhodes was MJF’s mentor and friend who helped to shape his AEW career. The latter’s first major storyline revolved around ‘The American Nightmare.’ Babyface Rhodes amped up heel MJF’s gimmick and played a crucial role in his character development.

Rhodes is no longer in AEW to guide MJF anymore, but the AEW World Champion still holds his mentor/friend in his utmost regard. He recently paid a special tribute to Rhodes on the AEW Dynamite, which led fans to call him his mentor’s son.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

MJF copies Cody Rhodes’ famous walk on AEW TV

On this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, MJF teamed up with Adam Cole to take on Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia in the AEW Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Finals match. MJF and Cole hit the double clothesline on Garcia to secure the victory for their team.

Trending

Was Tiffany Stratton Punished for “Black B**ch” Comment on Jade Cargill? Truth Behind Queen of the Ring Jibe Revealed

What Is “Veiledrood” From Uncle Howdy’s Latest QR Code on SmackDown?

Is Roman Reigns Behind Nike’s New Bloodline Jordan 12s?

“It Does Suck”: Ricky Starks Reveals Why Tony Khan Isn’t Putting Him on TV Despite Crowd Support

Tony Khan Set to Become “Very Profitable” With AEW, Timeline Revealed After $100 Million Investment

During the match, MJF also paid tribute to ‘The American Nightmare’ by doing his famous walk. It was pretty easy to spot because Rhodes has a special kind of walk where he stomps his foot on the ground and sways his hands back and forth while walking. The fans picked up on MJF, doing the same thing right away.

The wrestling universe reacts to MJF copying Rhodes’ walk

The AEW World Champion paying tribute to his mentor was a sight to behold for many fans. They enjoyed the segment as pretty much evident by their comments on Twitter. Let’s have a look at what the fans had to say.

Many fans regard Rhodes and MJF’s relationship as that of a father and son, as Rhodes has taught MJF a lot, just like a father teaches his son.

Some fans found the segment funny as well.

While most of the fans enjoyed the segment, a few of them criticized AEW for copying WWE once again. In the past, there have been many instances where AEW has tried to copy WWE. For instance, at the AEW Revolution that took place in March, Tony Khan‘s promotion introduced a Final Burial Match at the event.

The rules of the match were similar to that of a Buried Alive Match or a Casket/Coffin Match, which WWE introduced as trademark matches of The Undertaker. Therefore, it became a major reason for garnering a lot of heat from the fans. It looks like a similar situation is happening this time as well.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

This is not the first time MJF paid tribute to Rhodes on AEW TV. In May, he used the Double Cross (Rhodes finishing move Cross Rhodes) on Jack ‘Jungle Boy’ Perry during his match at AEW Double or Nothing. What was your reaction when you saw MJF copying Rhodes’ walk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch this story – Cody Rhodes recalls behaving arrogantly with a WWE Legend prior to the worst fight of his career: “I don’t know what I was thinking”

Written by:

Monika Thapa

1,066Articles

One take at a time

Monika Thapa is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports, who brings a unique blend of fluency in language and passion for the sport to her writing. Having been a fan of WWE since her childhood, Monika writes thought-provoking articles that offer readers deeper insights into the lives of their favorite superstars. She believes that WWE superstars present valuable life lessons that readers can learn from, as seen in her recent piece on Ronda Rousey's workout video.
Show More>

Edited by:

Amal Joyce