Brandi Rhodes finally clears the air regarding the Nightmare Collective.
Last week, the Chief Brand Officer shocked many when she returned to television during the Cody Rhodes segment without any sign of the Nightmare Collective members Mel and Luther. Lately, the company has strongly indicated a different direction for the faction as recent videos have showcased Brandi doing Therapy sessions implying that she’s currently dealing with some mental issues.
Also last week, Mel and Luther attacked Awesome Kong on AEW Dark. In the beginning, The Nightmare Collective seemed to be a huge part of the promotion going forward; however, fans and critics alike weren’t too keen of the ongoing story. Brandi herself didn’t like where the direction was going as well as she revealed her unhappiness with the story during her interview on Wrestling Observer Live (Transcript courtesy of
Fightful.com):
"What then happened was a greater group discussion of 'what do we do here?' And the Nightmare Collective came to be. There were great ideas coming from various directions from various people I respect, wanting to help. One of the things we claim at AEW is we let the artists play their music the way they want to play it. I'm one of the artists that's part of the Nightmare Collective and I started to see the music was not playing how I liked it. I didn't feel it. Audience members were on the same page as me.”
“I was starting to feel like, 'I'm not really understanding this' or things were happening too quickly. A big misconception is AEW made changes. Not at all. I did. 100%. If I'm going to do something, I want to be happy with it and I was not happy with it. I wasn't happy with me in it, how other people were being perceived and portrayed. I made the decision to do the therapist series. People loved it and it was cool and that was just me. I didn't want to take TV time, I wanted to do it on my own," she said.
While the faction seems to be dead at this point, Brandi does ensure during the interview that it won’t be the end of Mel and Luther. Brandi never reveals the plans for Kong when she returns to AEW television. For the time being, it appears that the Chief Brand Officer will be a face alongside her husband Cody Rhodes.