By Paul Hall
In TNT’s new AEW-adjacent reality series Rhodes to the Top, which premiered last week and airs Wednesdays, cameras follow powerhouse couple Cody and Brandi Rhodes as they navigate their growing family while building AEW’s global wrestling empire.
Just six weeks after the birth of their daughter Liberty Iris, Brandi shared a little more about opening up their lives to the world in their new series, and about her new baby.
Can you tell us what the series is going to cover?
Brandi Rhodes: It’s probably going to be extremely enlightening, whether you are a fan of wrestling or not. You’re going to learn a lot in a quick dosage about our version of the wrestling world — the AEW scene. There’s not just one version of the wrestling world. There are multiple versions and that’s really cool. So we kind of tell our unique story of what it’s like to work there. You get to meet a lot of our friends and colleagues that are part of the AEW roster and executive team. And then aside from that, you’re going to see a crazy, very pregnant woman.
So a nice blend of work and home?
It’s really going to be a lot of fun. There’s a lot, of course, that’s covered, in a short amount of time and, you know, the baby came a lot sooner than people thought. It’s all going to be good for the viewer. … I would say that the most difficult element is the pregnancy in that, because at that point, when you’re that pregnant and people are in your face with cameras, you can kind of [have an attitude] that you really don’t care anymore. So the reality of what it’s really like when Brandi really doesn’t care is definitely going to be out there. There will be no hiding that.
We know you are a huge Disney fan. Tell us the story of how you chose the name of your daughter.
This was well before we were pregnant, but Cody and I were at Disney and just talking about kids because, you know, we’re two adults who frequent Disney as adults. And we just started talking about kids and I said, “What would we name our kid if we had a kid?” We started with little girls and we were kind of spitballing some things and nothing was really sticking. And then I walked past Liberty Square and I said, “What about Liberty?” And he said, “That’s a fantastic name.” So we’ve held on to that for probably about two, three years now.
When is that first trip to Disney planned?
I’m putting in my head [when Liberty is] six months, because that will land us around Christmas and there is the Christmas parade. I hope I hold out that long; I doubt I will. I’ll get some really cute pictures of her looking at the castle.
What’s the first Disney movie you’ll share with Liberty?
She has been showing a real affection to particular music of Moana and a particular song of “You’re Welcome” by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That song seems to always soothe her, so it seems like maybe we should start with Moana. But she’s showing some signs for Frozen love, too, but then there’s classics like a Bambi. Maybe we make a dartboard and throw it and whatever we land on is what we start with.
Who is a celebrity you’d like to meet?
Easy, Morgan Freeman. … I really want to meet Morgan Freeman, and I’ve been saying that for a long time. … I don’t know if it’s possible, but maybe Rhodes to the Top can make that happen.
