TNT just premiered its new reality TV series Rhodes to the Top, starring AEW executives-slash-wrestling stars Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
The format is similar to Miz and Mrs on USA Network, where the show takes fans into the life of two professional wrestling stars. In this case, it is Cody Rhodes, the son of the legendary American Dream Dusty Rhodes, and his wife, Brandi Rhodes.
Not only do we go into their home and see their lives as Brandi prepares to give birth to their first child, but the show also takes fans behind the curtain with AEW events.
That is what makes this show different from others, as Cody and Brandi are onscreen talents, but they are also executives in the company.
Cody Rhodes is an executive vice president of AEW in charge of talent relations, and Brandi Rhodes is the Chief Brand Officer.
Monsters & Critics sat down to talk to Cody and Brandi Rhodes about their new TNT reality show, Rhodes to the Top.
From the start, the power couple said this differs from other wrestling reality shows because they take fans behind the curtain to the inner workings of AEW as Cody and Brandi work with talents to put on the shows.
When asked what makes Rhodes to the Top different from other wrestling-related reality shows, Cody firstly gave a lot of credit to Total Divas for bringing new fans to wrestling, something he said the show doesn’t get enough credit for.
He then went on to explain the differences with Rhodes to the Top.
“We were producers on this show,” Cody explained. “Something that was incredibly important to us is that it is not a staged reality show. It’s going to be a reality show.
“I don’t know how many times I told our showrunner – and he obliged – was put a mic on me and turn the camera on. We don’t need to have any scenarios. This current lifestyle is wild enough.”
The show has Cody and Brandi not only navigating their roles in AEW, but they are also preparing for Brandi to give birth to a baby girl. This was a big part of the premiere as well, with Brandi in pain and going to the doctor twice a week during the later stages of her pregnancy because she was a woman over 35.
At the same time, the show did something no other wrestling reality show has done to this extent.
It showed Cody talking to wrestlers behind the scenes about their promos, their storylines, their hopes and fears, and in one case, working with a wrestler who had just suffered an injury.
“The unprecedented access behind the scenes, which for a hardcore wrestling fan, it might scare them a little bit, but we have fully pulled the curtain back,” Cody said. “For those who stay tuned after Dynamite, you will definitely learn something.”
Brandi then revealed the biggest difference.
“The biggest difference is that we’ve never had key executive members of the team. Key decision-makers pull the curtain back,” Brandi said. “We’ve had talent pull the curtain back, which has been super fun and cool. But this has been a big, big step higher in an industry that has never done this before.”
