Cody (and Brandi) act like heels (and pyromaniacs) in Atlanta Street Fight

Cody Rhodes and Andrade El Ídolo’s Street Fight was the main event of the Dec. 1 episode of Dynamite. Given that the show was coming our way from the Atlanta area, there was a lot of interest in how the crowd would react to the American Nightmare.

It was probably more favorable than what he’d been getting in the Northeast, but Georgia wasn’t completely in his corner, either. In fact, the biggest ovation Cody probably got during this hardcore back-and-forth was when he teased using Triple H’s signature weapon. And he didn’t even give them that, instead opting for his own weapon — and one that’s a bit more on the nose when it comes to toying with a reputation for burials...

It was a different kind of plunder that gave us the finish, though. From the time he dropped his robe, fans wondered why it looked like Rhodes’ back was peeling. The answer came when he and Andrade were battling on the top over a table, and Cody’s wife Brandi hit the ring to douse it in lighter fluid.

After she set it on fire, her husband hit the superplex. His back was protected by whatever was smeared on it at the start, but El Ídolo’s chest caught fire a bit. After referee Paul Turner put that out, he counted three, and the Rhodes family was victorious.

The finish makes it seem that, while Cody continues to insist he won’t turn heel, AEW will be leaning into the fans belief that his is one anyway. This was a no disqualification match, so nothing he did was illegal. But it sure isn’t going to convince crowds to start cheering him.

Get complete results and coverage of everything that happened on tonight’s edition of Dynamite here.