Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes set for AEW Double or Nothing; Dustin says goodbye to Goldust

A special, Saturday edition of The Road to Double or Nothing revealed Cody’s opponent for AEW’s inaugural event.

A number of big matches for All Elite Wrestling’s May 25 inaugural event, Double or Nothing, have already been set in the previous weeks and months. Kenny Omega will be taking on Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks will face the Lucha Brothers and Hangman Page is set to take on PAC for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. But one of the company’s principals, Cody, had yet to reveal his opponent.

That announcement came on Saturday on a special edition of The Road to Double or Nothing: Cody will be facing his brother, Dustin Rhodes (known mostly for his work in WWE as Goldust) in a culmination of a very-real brother-versus-brother rivalry that has spanned many forms over the two men’s careers.

The reveal came in the form of a candid speech by Rhodes, detailing both his legacy and that of both his brother and their legendary father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

The match was long-rumored, but was shot down by Rhodes in March, Tweeting a denial that he had asked for a release from his WWE contract, something that would then open up the possibility with a match for AEW against Cody.

But on Sunday, Rhodes admitted that he had asked for and had been granted his release from WWE, for which he last appeared in 2018. He both released a statement on Twitter as well as a moody video of him retiring his longtime character.

In the statement, he only referred to his WWE career and though he mentioned moving on in his life and career, he did not make direct mention of his upcoming bout with his brother.

All Elite is advertising the match as “The Nightmare vs. The Natural,” referring to Cody’s “American Nightmare” nickname and “The Natural” nickname of Rhodes’ during his tenure in WCW. There’s no doubt that the years of tension between the two brothers will be a major storyline heading into their match and will be amplified once they are in the ring together.

Also, based on the tone of Rhodes’ statement, it would appear that May’s match will be the last of his professional wrestling career. If that’s the case, it should be an emotional night for both he and Cody as well as all the fans watching, with Goldust being such a formative part of their fandom.