Dustin Rhodes Discusses AEW Opening Up The Forbidden Door To CMLL & NJPW

In 2019, Dustin Rhodes was thinking about hanging up his boots. Then, he joined AEW, where he's not only been able to compete against some of the young and up-and-coming stars of the company but also brush shoulders with some of the top international competitors that come through the "Forbidden Door" between AEW, NJPW, CMLL, and any of the company's other partners.

"These guys are special, they have perfected their craft down there in Mexico," Rhodes told "Sports Guys Talking Wrestling" on the recent influx of CMLL talent. He is excited to see how the AEW wrestlers stack up to the stars of Mexico's oldest pro wrestling promotion. "I love it here and everybody's doing such a good job."

Rhodes says that he's been to Mexico with WWE, as well as South America, but his main time in Japan was spent in the early '90s in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

"Going to Japan is just probably one of my funnest places to go to," Rhodes said, praising the Japanese for their clean and honorable culture. "Everybody treats you like a king over there." Rhodes also appreciated having to work a different style for the quiet, respectful audiences.

"It's a lot harder to get that energy from them," Rhodes said. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion says that America has so many different kinds of crowds, singling out the state of Texas where AEW is heading soon. "Everywhere in America where we've been has a few loud towns here and there but Texas always comes out ... They believe in it, man, and they're feeding us. We're going off their energy. It makes for better shows. When that energy's there, we're on top of the world."