*Trigger warning: Controversial opinion coming.*

The pilot episode of “Rhodes to the Top” was eye-opening for many reasons, and while it would be simple enough to piece together some form of a standard review of the show, that alone would not do this show a proper disservice.  While watching this show from start to finish, I was incredibly dumbfounded with recognizing just how low the bar has been set for the standards of the wrestling business in 2021.  Perhaps, it was my ultimate revelation that my perceptions and visions as to how professional wrestling should be conducted are far removed from the reality of what modern wrestling fans crave.  In a bizarre, arbitrary sense, modern wrestling lives in an artificial dual reality where today’s fans will claim that they want “behind-the-curtain” peaks into the personal lives of the individuals behind the wrestling persona, when in actuality, we could not care less about the personal lives of those individuals.  However, this revelation of mine was roughly facilitated after watching this program, not necessarily “learned.”  These are the the three REAL things I learned from Ep. 1 of “Rhodes to the Top:”

1. Cody is the greatest “worker” in wrestling today.  

In other words, Cody has successfully “worked” everyone in the business into buying the propagandist notion that he serves more value to AEW than he truly does.  This includes, not just the fans watching the product and buying the tickets and merchandise to support the company, but also includes the people IN the business itself.  He dresses the part of the executive, he proclaims his love and passion for the wrestling business (kayfabe), but in actuality (real life), his bona fide life does not reflect this in anyway.  His primary focus is to become a TV star, plain and simple.  We see this in the current reflection of AEW’s television shows; his on and off screen absence, his perceived input on the direction of the product vs. actual input on the direction of the product (i.e. Cody’s decisions vs. Tony Khan’s decisions), and the growing fan resentment all paint the picture of what the genuine and authentic Cody Rhodes is– professional wrestling’s modern day grifter or “worker.”

2. Brandi is a product of feminized “blank slate equality.”  

The dynamics of social norms relating to gender differences and race relations in modern western culture have been at war for decades.  So in essence, I can not wholly blame Brandi Rhodes for her adopted ideologies, as her familial upbringing and education probably had a profound impact on the way she views the world.  As the title suggests though, the result of Brandi’s educational fostering is to see the world through the lens of blank slate equality (link to article on this is in the cited sources).  An example of this became apparent right out of the gate within the first two minutes of the show when we hear Cody explain that Brandi is the, “first black female executive in wrestling history.” This is something that we, the audience, are intended to view as a landmark accomplishment in the record books of professional wrestling.  However, at no point in the hour long episode does anyone explain her position as Chief Branding Officer, whether or not she is qualified for this position, or how her position significantly moves the needle of the product.  So in short, it would seem that we are supposed to adopt the notion that Brandi is qualified for this position solely based on her gender and skin tone as opposed to her qualifications and business credentials.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”  And when it comes to this subject matter, Brandi is quite ignorant of the reality she is in.  In fact, her authoritative power over individuals is quite dangerous, particularly the wrestlers.  Why is Brandi better suited or qualified to influence the female wrestlers to act or perform a certain way simply by having an artificial “label” attached to her?  Why is she qualified to govern a female wrestler that has more experience and skill than her?  The final point when it comes to my revelation about Brandi Rhodes is her mission to force women’s wrestling as a focal point of the programming and establish it on a level-playing field as the men (hence the term blank slate equality), despite the lack of fan interest or marketability with the majority of the women’s roster to warrant that decision, as well as the simple truth that historically speaking, women do not draw in wrestling to the level that the men do.  Regardless of the social propagandist notion that this is due to “sexism” or “misogyny,” we can merely pinpoint this fact down to wrestling’s targeted audience and preference for content.  Women are AN attraction in pro wrestling; they will never be THE attraction.

3. Modern wrestling LOATHES Kayfabe.

Kayfabe has been dead for over thirty (arguably forty) years, but the evolution of the internet and insider leaks about the business present modern wresting fans with a natural craving for behind-the-scenes and exclusive content that may have not been as prevalent or accessible during wrestling’s heyday.  Much of the episode is dedicated to this exclusive content realm.  There is blatant and open discussion on how promos work, heels and babyfaces mingling with one another (i.e. Brandi & Jade Cargill being bitter rivals on TV vs. coexisting friends in reality), as well as the flagrant and shameless disclosure as pro wrestling being “fiction-based,” while simultaneously trying to maintain the realness of promos and wrestling bumps.

Much of this discussion stems from David Hume’s argument that “You can not derive an ought from an is.”  It is equivalent to saying, “Just because things are a certain way, it does not mean that it should be that way.”  In the world of kayfabe, the argument is, “Kayfabe IS dead, therefore we OUGHT to have access to the inner workings of the business (i.e. terminology, character breaking, story/plot explanation, promo breakdowns, etc.).”  The incredible thing when it comes to kayfabe is that the same rule never applies to magicians, carny workers, and politicians, who are among the greatest “workers” we have in society today; they have the capacity to perfectly blur the lines between “fake” and “real” without exploiting the real truth.  It is what makes their art so appealing, and if that art is ever exposed (intentionally or not), it loses its appeal.  It is absolutely mind-boggling to see how this dynamic has drastically shifted in the world of wrestling to the point where now, modern wrestling actually craves the destruction of kayfabe.  Whether it is the dirt sheet sites, the behind-the-scenes access, and even podcasts, both the fans AND the wrestlers themselves actively destroy any and all notion that wrestling can be believable in any way, shape, or form.

Conclusion:

In many ways, “Rhodes to the Top” has given me an authentic, genuine perspective about where we are in society today, not just from the fake world of wrestling, but the real world of how divided our cultural norms and values are.  However, it is my belief that the impact of this “reality-based series” will truly reflect itself on AEW programming in the future.  For a “reality” TV show that tries to portray Cody and Brandi as the two most likable individuals on the planet, the true “reality” is the how their fan reception plays out on the wrestling show.  In essence, the argument will then be centered around Cody and Brandi’s perceived “real world” vs. the fans’ perceived “real world.”  That will probably be the most damning thing about this entire project.

Sources:

• The Blank Slate: The modern denial of human nature: Forum for the future of Higher Education. Forum for the Future of Higher Education | A community of academic leaders and scholars who explore new thinking and ideas in higher education. (2017, June 9). Retrieved October 6, 2021, from http://forum.mit.edu/articles/the-blank-slate-the-modern-denial-of-human-nature/.
• Jenkins, S. (2017, July 24). David Hume and deriving an “ought” from an “is”. The Ought. Retrieved October 6, 2021, from https://theought.com/2017/07/10/david-hume-and-deriving-an-ought-from-an-is/.