With a new year comes new beginnings and 2018 welcomes a new location into E!’s WAGS franchise—Atlanta. Premiering January 3, 2018, WAGS: Atlanta will follow the professional and personal lives of several Atlanta based wives and girlfriends, as well as their fun-loving sisterhood. The Atlanta WAGS are a close-knit group of women living “high class” lives and juggling “careers, friendships, and the Atlanta social scene.” The show will feature nine main ladies but one talented woman to keep your eye on is Brandi Rhodes.
According to her bio via E!, Brandi is “married to current wrestling star and actor Cody Rhodes, and is the daughter-in-law of the late wrestling legend Dusty Rhodes. Brandi is a pro wrestler herself and former wrestling announcer, but struggles with being married to a famous wrestler and the challenges that entails.”
Recently, Black Talent TV had the pleasure of interviewing Brandi, who is also a style/travel blogger with her own blog, Not Another Basic B. Check out our interview with Brandi Rhodes where she discusses everything from her blog, WAGS: Atlanta, wrestling, and more below.
Black Talent TV: You have a very unique background, going from figure skating to professional wrestling. Tell us more about what inspired you to get into professional wrestling.
Brandi Rhodes: I was scouted to become a professional wrestler. I was living in Miami at the time and they reached out to my agent asking if I would ever be interested in wrestling. I absolutely was! I had a tryout and passed with flying colors. The rest was history after that!
BTTV: What is your blog, Not Another Basic B, about?
BR: Not Another Basic B is mainly a Style and Travel blog, but it has evolved into so much more over time. Sometimes I sprinkle in stories about my personal journey, my marriage, my career. It’s really become a fun place where people can read for a variety of reasons—to laugh, to cry, to be inspired and to share their own stories and inspire others. AND it’s a great place to shop. You can shop all of my looks on the blog with just a click of a button. It’s amazing!
BTTV: Is there a Brandi Rhodes fashion line possibly in the works?
BR: Let’s hope so! I used to have a swimwear line that I became too busy to manage. But I miss creating pieces and seeing them come to life! So I’m truly hoping to either start another fashion venture, or partner with one of my favorite brands on an exclusive line soon!
BTTV: How have you and Cody inspired each other in your individual careers?
BR: Cody dreams BIG. And when he sets his sights on a goal, he does everything he can to achieve it. But the most inspiring thing for me is his integrity. We both try to do everything the right way. In entertainment, there are so many easy ways to get ahead. Stepping on someone else’s spine is often one of them. Neither of us has ever stepped on another individual to get ahead. We don’t cut corners to win. We don’t lie. We don’t pretend to be anything that we are not. We just work hard and keep plugging. It’s great to have a partner with those values always in the front of his mind as well.
BTTV: If you had the chance, would you ever go back to the WWE with all the recent advancements made in the women’s division?
BR: I never say never, but it’s definitely not on my current radar.
BTTV: How did you become part of WAGS: Atlanta?
BR: I was approached by casting. They needed one more cast member to kind of glue the group together. I think they were looking for someone with a following—the Wrestling following is untouchable and unstoppable so I was a good choice. I think they were also looking for someone different—someone who wasn’t the typical image of a WAG and someone genuine, and not about the drama. That’d be me!
BTTV: The WAGS franchise showcases the glam, glitz, luxury, and drama of the WAG lifestyle. What makes WAGS: Atlanta different from WAGS: LA and WAGS: Miami?
BR: I think my being a working athlete myself makes it different. I’m not retired, I’m in the prime of my career and that’s something we’ve never seen before. Also, people are used to the Football, Baseball, and Basketball WAGS. Wrestling WAGS are WAY different—especially those of us who wrestle as well as have spouses that wrestle.
BTTV: What do you want viewers/fans to know about you after watching the show?
BR: That you don’t have to act a fool simply because someone puts a camera on you. I think people do that for ratings sometimes, and that’s cool, each to their own. But I didn’t. I love my life. I love my work, I have a healthy marriage and I’m confident. Rather than step on others for attention, I’d rather make real connections with people and just share my real life.
BTTV: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in wrestling?
BR: If you love it, don’t let anyone stop you! It’s not easy. It’s a lot of work and time spent away from family and friends but it can be so rewarding to chase your dreams! There’s nothing like getting in that ring and entertaining people. It’s just an indescribable rush!
BTTV: What is NEXT from Brandi Rhodes?
BR: Well…there is definitely a LOT on my plate. In the world of entertainment, you can’t shoot your mouth off about future opportunities until the time is right. So I’ll just say please enjoy my time on WAGS this season and we will celebrate everything else as it comes!
CHECK OUT Brandi Rhodes’ official blog, FOLLOW her on Twitter, and FOLLOW her on Instagram.
Photo Credit: Brandi Rhodes/E! Entertainment/Courtney Dailey/Jeno Uche