It has been almost one full yr since AEW fans last saw “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes in motion as the previous AEW TNT Champion needed to undergo double knee alternative surgery in the autumn of 2025. Rhodes last wrestled on the July 31, 2025 episode of “AEW Collision” where he dropped the TNT Championship to Kyle Fletcher in a Chicago Street Fight that saw Rhodes being stabbed within the leg with a screwdriver, a move that was used to jot down him off of television.
Nonetheless, Rhodes is nearing a return and is itching to get back within the ring, and through a special appearance on Tony Schiavone’s “What Happened When?” podcast, Rhodes was asked if he can be back in AEW by the top of 2026, and he gave a really excited response. “Yeah, hopefully very soon…It’s driving me crazy straight away. Idle hands man, I have to be doing something, even when it’s just a bit bit. Even when it’s just a bit but you already know? Since it’s still unknown for me. The knees, I do not know, are they going to carry up?”
When Rhodes does return to AEW, he’ll likely be on the road to retirement, which is something he has considered lately. With that said, when he was asked about what he has planned for his retirement, Rhodes said that he knows what he desires to appear like, but the remaining remains to be a secret. “I’m keeping it really near the vest,” Rhodes said. “I feel Tony [Khan] knows, I’ve said it to him a few times, and the opposite guy knows. I type of need to exit with no paint on this one, and identical to a throwback to ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes within the early 90s. Not in that gear though, in my body suit because, let’s face it, I’m 57. Though I’m highschool weight straight away, which is impressive because I’ve worked my butt off, still, no person desires to see that.”
Please credit “What Happened When?” when using quotes from this text, and provides a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.