Brandi Rhodes is retired as an ‘active competitor’

Brandi Rhodes isn’t doing quite as much press as her husband in support of American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes ahead of the documentary’s premiere on Peacock next Monday (July 31), but several interviewers caught up with her at new special’s red carpet debut.

A question that came up repeatedly for Mrs. Rhodes was, “Will we see you back in the ring?” Brandi was involved in numerous stories during her time in AEW, and wrestled 20 matches for the company from 2019 until she & Cody left in January of last year. She was also spotted training at the Performance Center last summer.

In the past when asked about her wrestling career, Brandi’s indicated that’s not one of her current priorities but kept a little “never say never” in her answers. There’s still an element of that to her latest replies, but it sounds like it would have to be a pretty special occasion.

She told Chris Van Vliet she won’t be back as “an active competitor”:

“For sure [I’m retired as a wrestler]. Yeah, I mean, it was really anticlimactic. But yes, I did. I just said you know what? Okay, well, we are either gonna do this the Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins way. And they are amazing for doing it, because I can’t. It just was too hard, well not too hard, but just something that I just didn’t think would be the best for the family.”

In talking to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Brandi went into a little more detail about the Rhodes’ attempt at the “Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins way”. She also said realizing she & Cody didn’t want to live on the road with their daughter Liberty just sped up a retirement timeline she already had in mind:

“So yeah, we did a little trial to say, you know, how does this whole thing work with a baby and a bus and traveling, and Becky Lynch can do it. Well, let me just say, Guys, Becky Lynch can do anything. Brandi, however, kind of kind of threw in the towel after that.

“It was really fun. It was really great, but I could tell pretty quickly, it wasn’t going to work for this family to travel together and be on the road. I’ve got a little girl who’s extremely social and active and like was itching to start doing school and things like that. I was just like, ‘You know what? I was planning on throwing in the towel like a year from now anyway. So what’s one year, really?’”

That “never say never” component? Brandi told Sapp she has a model in mind should Cody ever need back-up:

“I always joke and play around on social and stuff, saying things like, you know, ‘If Cody ever really needs me, I’ll be there,’ and that’s really just in that capacity. I mean, if Hunter [Triple H] ever needs Steph [Stephanie McMahon], I’m sure she’ll show up, but is she gonna go for the Women’s Title? Probably not.”

Probably the right call for a 40 year old raising a child who is also, as she told Denise Salcedo, launching a yoga & pilates business. We could definitely still see her making like another former Chief Brand Officer during one of Cody’s future WrestleMania appearances, though.