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Dustin Rhodes may be signed to AEW at the moment, but he often speaks up about issues in the wider wrestling industry. The veteran recently defended real-life Bloodline member Zilla Fatu on social media.
Zilla Fatu is the son of the late Umaga, making him a first cousin of Jacob Fatu, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa. The 25-year-old hasn't signed with WWE yet, but he's been making waves on the independent scene, and many believe that it's only a matter of time before he joins his family in the Stamford-based company.
Naturally, some believe that Zilla is unfairly benefiting from his lineage and that he doesn't deserve the hype he's built. An X/Twitter user, DailyOoze, addressed this today, praising the young star's work ethic and defending him against online trolls. AEW's Dustin Rhodes also chimed in and claimed that Zilla's critics need to worry about themselves:
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"Those 'other wrestlers' need to worry about themselves instead of being jealous of someone else's achievements," Dustin wrote.
Brock Lesnar changed major Royal Rumble plans? More details HERE.
Former AEW World Champion reveals Dustin Rhodes has helped him achieve success
One man who can't be accused of nepotism is AEW's Swerve Strickland. The former WWE Superstar has proven himself to be one of the hardest workers in the industry after clawing his way to the top of Tony Khan's promotion.
Swerve Strickland has captured fans' imaginations with his promos and in-ring work, and he recently revealed that he has Dustin Rhodes to thank for some of that. In a conversation on The Bootleg Kev Podcast, he explained that The Natural had been giving him advice on how to structure his matches:
"Dustin, in general, he’s been the guy behind a lot of my great matches. He doesn’t tell me what to do, but he suggests things and where they should go. And he always puts a perspective on it where I’m like, ‘Oh, now you got me really thinking.’ And then I’m like, ‘How would you do it?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, I would go this way with it,’ but he never tells me what to do," Swerve Strickland said.
Dustin Rhodes has proven himself to be an irreplaceable asset to Tony Khan, but many are predicting that he might hang up his boots after this year's All In pay-per-view in Arlington, TX. Whether The Natural continues his run beyond 2025 remains to be seen.
