Cody Rhodes Explains the Purpose of the TNT Title Open Challenge in AEW

– During the latest edition of What Do You Wanna Talk About?, WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes reminisced with Ricky Saints about the TNT Championship Open Challenge in AEW and the purpose of the idea. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):

Cody Rhodes on the TNT Title Open Challenge: “We’re more than able to talk about it here but the (AEW TNT Title) open challenge. It’s so funny because when we started it, there was a whole preface conversation before we even called you (Ricky Saints) or the others, where, ‘Hey, it’s not about hiring anybody. Because right now, upstart company,’ I don’t know what this budget is. COVID just happened. It’s not about hiring anybody.”

On why he wanted to face Saints (formerly Ricky Starks) for the open challenge: “It’s just about the opportunity and the freshness. Here’s something you never see elsewhere. Bringing people in for doing promos in their backyard or in your case, a high-rise vignette that you had paid for… I didn’t buzz you for the purposes of this. I thought you would be great for the open challenge and you were.”

Saints accepted Cody’s open challenge on the June 17, 2020 edition of Dynamite. It was announced after the match that Starks had signed with AEW. Starks would later make his way to WWE, debuting in NXT earlier this year and renamed Ricky Saints.