In one of the most emotional moments of the night, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes captured the TNT Championship at AEW All In: Texas. Following the victory, a tearful Rhodes addressed the media, discussing what the win meant to him, the significance of the title, and his family’s legacy. (Scroll down to watch the video)
An Unexpected Opportunity
The TNT Championship was vacated earlier in the night due to an unfortunate injury to the previous champion, Adam Cole. Rhodes was subsequently added to a four-way match to crown a new champion, an opportunity he did not take for granted. “It’s a very emotional night for everybody,” Rhodes said. “Tony said, ‘Dustin step up,’ and I did, and happy to do so. And very shocked, very honored. I’m sure there was nobody in the building that thought I was going to win this title, and it’s just a blessing.”
Winning the title in his home state of Texas, with his family present, made the moment even more special. “I don’t really have the words for that, man, I’m still kind of shocked,” he admitted. “My nephews came out there, their mom came out there. It was just a really special moment.”
The Significance of the TNT Championship
For Rhodes, winning this specific title brings his long and storied career full circle. He was one of the top rising stars on the Turner networks (TNT and TBS) in the early days of his WCW career over 30 years ago.
“Some of the funnest times I had in my career were in WCW… when I was killing it, and I was right on the cusp of getting there, you know, maybe entering the world title spot,” he recalled. “To be back working on the network like this, TNT and TBS, is just very special… Now they’ve already put it on their homepage that I’m the face of the company now. It’s really, really… that means the world to me, man.”
The Future of the Rhodes Legacy
The new champion also spoke about the next generation of his family, his nephews Wyatt and Wayne Rhodes, who are beginning their own wrestling careers. While he had originally wanted them to use the classic “Texas Outlaws” team name, he supports their decision to be “The Rhodes Brothers.” “The future’s bright,” he said. “And it’s, I hope to and I’m sure they’re going to kill it, no matter what, where they go.”
As the new TNT Champion, Dustin Rhodes has no plans of slowing down. “I want to carry this thing with pride and do my very best with my work ethic, like I always have,” he declared. “I want to be a defending champion, and I want to work hard like I always have. And now it’s time for me to step up.”
