3 potential roles for Dustin Rhodes in AEW after his retirement

Dustin Rhodes has been a key figure in AEW since the foundation of the company in 2019. His classic and bloody singles match against his brother Cody Rhodes at the promotion's inaugural pay-per-view Double or Nothing arguably helped set the tone and aesthetic for its future television programming.

Five years on, All Elite Wrestling is thriving, armed with a new lucrative media rights deal and fresh off of its latest international debut in Australia. Throughout this time, Dustin has been featured more or less regularly on TV against numerous top stars including veterans like Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and also up-and-comers like Sammy Guevara, Jack Perry, and MJF.

Rhodes, who recently signed a new multi-year extension with the Tony Khan-led company, revealed in a social media post a few days ago his intention of hanging up his boots in All Elite Wrestling.

Assuming The Natural does retire in AEW, here are three roles that he could occupy to continue working for the promotion:

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#1: Dustin Rhodes manages The Sons of Texas in AEW-ROH

Dustin Rhodes began teaming up with Marshall and Ross von Erich in February last year. Soon afterward in July, the trio won the vacant ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship at AEW Battle Of The Belts XI. Around the same time he consented to forming an alliance with Sammy Guevara, leading to the two men winning the ROH World Tag Team Titles on Collision.

Rhodes, Guevara, and The Von Erichs have since formed a faction dubbed The Sons of Texas, alluding to the connections each of its members have to the Lone Star State. Marshall and Ross recently returned to action together after the former recovered from his pec injury. Meanwhile, Dustin and The Spanish God retained their titles in Australia at Global Wars.

It appears that Tony Khan may have plans to book The Sons of Texas as a credible group in Ring of Honor, and possibly on AEW television as well. While the stable will lose a huge asset when Rhodes retires from active competition, it could continue to benefit from his association, with Dustin potentially managing his ex-teammates.

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#2: Dustin Rhodes occupies a position of authority

General managers (and other such on-air authority roles) constitute one of pro wrestling's most enduring character archetypes. Like the in-ring talent they oversee, these figures can be heroic or villainous, and factor into a company's ongoing storylines in an important way.

WWE has presented numerous iconic kayfabe authority figures over the years. AEW, due to its distinct narrative format and production priorities, has not developed such on-screen authority figures for its own programming - besides Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who are actual EVPs, and Christopher Daniels (who worked as an "Interim-EVP" last year), Tony Khan continues to be his company's primary television head honcho.

The history of wrestling bears out the potential benefits of booking compelling on-air bosses, regardless of their heel/face status. Dustin Rhodes has both the experience and the range to play such a part memorably - as such, The Bizarre One could be appointed as a General Manager or Commissioner after his retirement, in a nod to his brother Cody Rhodes' real-life executive position in the Jacksonville-based company during his tenure there.

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#3: Dustin Rhodes becomes a full-time coach/producer

Dustin Rhodes' wrestling journey started way back in 1988. Over the following 30-plus years, the erstwhile Goldust has performed across the world, in promotions like WCW, WWE, and TNA, not to mention his stints in the indies. The veteran is a fount of knowledge and is presumably eager to pass on his wisdom to the next generation.

It should be noted that Dustin runs a wrestling school, called the Rhodes Wrestling Academy, based out of Texas. Its curriculum offers prospective students lessons on the technical aspects of the sport from fundamentals to more advanced elements, as well as on character development, promos, financial decision-making, and contract negotiations.

The veteran also reportedly does serve as a coach in AEW, and will presumably retain those duties as part of his new agreement with the company. After calling it a career in the ring, Rhodes could transition to such a role full-time, thus directing his efforts at building new stars for All Elite Wrestling.