During an interview with WrestleZone, Cody Rhodes spoke on everything AEW from his experience of working behind-the-scenes, learning on the job, the AEW roster, to the official ranking system. Cody revealed that AEW will unveil their "Top 5"' the day before Full Gear, which is set to take place on November 9th.
Who is Cody Rhodes facing at Full Gear?
Cody Rhodes is facing AEW Champion Chris Jericho at Full Fear with the championship on the line. He earned the match based on quality of wins. This includes his last victory against Sammy Guevara on the debut episode of AEW Dynamite. So far, in the promotion's short history, Cody Rhodes has beaten Dustin Rhodes and Shawn Spears in singles competition.
Based on that record, Cody Rhodes was given a title shot against Jericho. This also shows that AEW is committed to ensuring that wins and losses do matter, including quality wins, similar to College Football.
When is AEW releasing an official rankings list?
During his interview with WrestleZone, Cody Rhodes was asked when a definitive rankings list will be released.
He explained,
"On Friday, before Full Gear, I think we're going to put up our first-ever Top 5s. And the Top 5 should become a weekly thing. And this isn't just broadcast, it's also social. Just like with College Football and the A people, you get your top 20. And sometimes, a guy who is 5 and 0 is not ranked in the top three because of the quality of wins, the softness of the schedule."
"And it's fun. Because in College Football, people argue over, when we get near the playoffs, should they or should they not? Like PAC right now has great wins over Hangman Page and Kenny Omega, he's essentially Ohio State at this point, there's got to be a title shot in his future and there is, if he keeps winning and keeps going. But I believe before Full Gear, we will have our Top 5 for Women, Tags and for singles."
Cody Rhodes explains that AEW is getting more and more data each week, and this will help create the rankings system.
You can watch the segment at 9:30
What's the verdict?
Based on Cody's words, the move toward rankings is in line with the sports-like presentation they are aiming for. Moreover, this will certainly create more buzz for the product and deliver on their promise to make wins and losses matter, without making them up as they go along.