AEW co-executive vice president and wrestler Cody Rhodes took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to reveal why his wife, Brandi Rhodes , decided to delete her account on the social media platform soon after announcing her AEW Heels membership club for female wrestling fans.
In a tweet that has since been deleted, Cody replied to a user who suggested that Brandi might have left the platform on Thursday because she was unhappy about the flak she had gotten following the announcement of her latest endeavor. As quoted by Wrestling Inc ., the reigning TNT Champion explained that his wife was specifically upset about the plethora of racist comments she had allegedly received.
“Leaving a social app because you open your phone to an absurd amount of n bombs is respectfully understandable,” Cody wrote. “No place for that.”
On Friday, The Sun reported on Brandi’s decision to leave Twitter, noting that she had received backlash from people who may have thought that her project was a “new feature” directly related to the company’s women’s division. Photos of the promotion’s female wrestlers were included in Heels’ promotional materials, which reportedly gave fans the idea they would be able to view more women’s wrestling.
As explained, these individuals were “outraged” when they found out that the program was more of a “fan club” and that it came with an annual fee of $49 per year. The Sun shared several tweets from people who blasted Cody and/or Brandi for a number of things, including the club’s membership fee, apparent confusion over its main purpose, and the couple’s “out of touch” and “tone deaf” approach when dealing with fan complaints and other issues.
Brandi, in particular, was criticized for her supposedly “salty” responses to the negative posts. She and her husband were also called out by one user who felt that their reactions to the backlash were not “ideal,” considering the criticism AEW has recently faced regarding the booking of its women’s division.
Despite the alleged racist remarks and negative fan feedback she received before leaving Twitter, Brandi took to Instagram on Saturday and described Heels as a “massive success” following Friday’s initial event. You can view her post here .
According to Brandi, the Posts section of her project’s website was “overwhelmed with chatter” from members who got a look at several “exclusive” merchandise items and pre-order exclusives during the debut event. She also talked about the posts from people who felt that they had gotten “more than their money’s worth” by signing up for the program.
