Cody Rhodes Praises MJF And Over Budget Battle Royale From All In

There were many impressive performances at All In on Sept. 1. But no one caught the eye of Cody Rhodes quite like MJF.

Speaking to Jim Ross on Ringside With JR, Cody praised MJF and his opening bout against Matt Cross.

Swerve Strickland: Every Time We Try To Start Unfinished Business With Keith Lee, It Doesn't Go Anywhere

"The opening match -- MJF really stood out as somebody," said Cody. "I don't feel like I'm ever in a position to say, 'Hmmm, he's got it.' But it felt like one of those, 'Hey, there's something there.' In your mind if you're like, 'What's the card if we do it again?' If he's available, that's special. He's a young kid. An upstart. That's really important to have on a card like that."

Cross would defeat MJF with a shooting star press. 

Speaking to Fightful prior to All In, MJF detailed his friendship with Cody. "Me and Cody Rhodes -- best friends," said MJF "Sometimes we go out and do caviar tastings We do wine tasting, as well. Tremendous guy. I always enjoyed flying out to visit him. Quite frankly -- and he’ll admit it, too -- I kind of remind him of a younger him."

Along with MJF, Cody was pleased with the Zero Hour Over Budget Battle Royale. Not only did it feature young talent, but it had memorable moments as well. Cody specifically mentioned Austin Gunn and Marko Stunt as two talents who stood out in the battle royal.

"That battle royal was one of the most fun battle royals," stated the NWA World Champion. So fun. I held a little meeting -- I didn't give them many guidelines, but we wanted to have these moments. Not only did they hit the moments we wanted, they hit moments we didn't know we wanted. Jordynne Grace fit right in. Just an ass-kicker. She did so great."

Austin shared the ring with his father, Billy Gunn. Stunt eliminated Moose with a dropkick and rode the back of Bully Ray. Grace stole the show with her exchanges with Brian Cage, including eliminating the Impact X Division Champion. Flip Gordon eventually won the battle royal.

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.