Dustin Rhodes Acknowledges Criticisms From LuFisto

In a recent interview with Fightful, LuFisto candidly shared her challenging experiences while working with AEW, leaving no stone unturned. Her initial involvement came about when QT Marshall invited her for a possible coaching position, but things took a turn behind the scenes, particularly within the women's division. LuFisto openly labeled the AEW locker room as "toxic," shedding light on the issues she faced.

During her time with the company, LuFisto encountered tensions with several individuals, including Ruby Soho and The Bunny. These conflicts added to the difficult atmosphere she experienced within the promotion. However, it's worth mentioning that Dustin Rhodes, who has played a significant role in supporting the women's division, also found himself entangled in some of these incidents.

“It’s a little chaotic, people are running around. I go into the ladies locker room, and silence. There is Ruby, Bunny, and Toni (Storm) sitting together on one side. They look at me, no words, and it feels really weird. I see Mercedes Martinez, happy to see me. Jade (Cargill) is doing her thing. The young girls…everyone is separated.

“I get the same question, ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I got called to be an extra and meet with Tony.’ From there, I don’t know. It doesn’t feel good right away. I see QT, ‘when am I going to meet [Tony]?’ ‘I don’t know, he’s busy. Walk around, mingle.’ I’m walking around, I’m watching Bryan Danielson teach Jade.”

LuFisto recounts walking in on Soho and Rhodes:

“As I open the door, I hear, ‘She something something.’ I open the door and on the table, Ruby Soho is sitting with Dustin [Rhodes] and they just shut (up) and they look at me. ‘Okay, they were talking about me, that’s for sure.’ [Ruby is] like, ‘I have to go.’

“I go to Dustin and he goes, ‘So, all French Canadian people are fucking assholes eh?’ I’m like, ‘Excuse me, what?’ He was nice to me five minutes ago. He’s like, ‘Yeah, apparently that’s the way it goes.’ I have a very bad relationship with Jacques Rougeau. I can say he was even abusive to me, calling me to tell me I was fat and to lose weight. I’m like, ‘maybe he had a bad experience with Jacques too?'”

Following her initial experiences, LuFisto later found herself in a six-person tag match with Ruby Soho. During the match, Soho instructed LuFisto to remain on the apron while all their partners were knocked off, as she believed LuFisto's involvement would lead to their team's defeat. LuFisto agreed to follow the directive.

“Dustin is right there and is like, ‘What did you do?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘You made all those girls that are signed when you’re not look really bad. It was terrible.’ ‘Okay, details?’ ‘You should have bumped on everything they did.'”

Following the article's release, Rhodes took the initiative to approach LuFisto directly, seeking to address the issues raised in the interview. Instead of refuting any of the criticisms he expressed, Rhodes acknowledged the validity of his concerns and feedback.

“Hey LuFisto, read your story and sometimes as a coach I have to be very honest and won’t ever tell you a lie about how good or bad it was. Sometimes hard love comes out and wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope you find what you’re looking for. #KeepSteppin”

Hey @LuFisto , read your story and sometimes as a coach I have to be very honest and won't ever tell you a lie about how good or bad it was. Sometimes hard love comes out and wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope you find what you're looking for. #KeepSteppin❤️

— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) August 3, 2023