Frankie Kazarian is the latest industry veteran to blast AEW for how the company is run behind the scenes.
As a guest on Busted Open Radio Kazarian had a lot to say about AEW.
First, the positives:
“The start of AEW was one of the most exciting things to happen to pro-wrestling in a while because it was the first new, viable, big budget, big business company and I was part of that. It was almost the same way I was a part of the early days of TNA but this was even different because the landscape of the business had changed so much so, that whole first year, the whole on-sale date, the announcement in Jacksonville, the press conference in Vegas, the first Double or Nothing, all of that was excitement because it was new and it was fresh.”
Next, the negatives:
“Ultimately, the lack of leadership. Inmates running the asylum in a way. No real direction. I think there’s also, at least when I was there a lot of stories that were presented ‘We’ll do this, this, this and this.’ But after that, what are you gonna do? That was always a problem. It was always, ‘Oh, I have a story for three weeks.’ Then what? That’s why I think angles are dropped so quickly and everything and I just ultimately think, you know, a lack of leadership is — in this business, you need that guy. That guy with the pencil where the buck stops and I don’t necessarily think that’s the case there.”
“It could certainly be a case of too much too soon. I was astonished that it gained popularity so quickly but at the same time that showed me that there was a portion of the wrestling audience that were looking for something different, that we’re looking for an alternative. Good, bad or indifferent, they were looking for something…Yeah, it was surprising that people took to it so quickly but at the same time I think we had a lot of goodwill. I want to say that. I think the company had a lot of goodwill and I think maybe that’s finally running out amongst even their hardcore fans. I don’t know. I’m not sure. I don’t follow it as closely as I probably should but I think that goodwill is — the sands of the hourglass are trickling away.”
Kazarian was with AEW from 2019 to 2023. Shortly after he was saddled with the sloppy and nonsensical Elite Hunter angle he went back to Impact, TNA Wrestling. He and Scorpio Sky were the first AEW World Tag Team Champions as part of SoCal Uncensored. They would hold the belts for 83 days eventually losing them to Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page on Dynamite.
Top Photo: Frankie Kazarian & Traci Brooks vs Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards at Impact 1000 on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. Photo by George Tahinos, Slam Wrestling, georgetahinos.smugmug.com
