AEW’s Matt Sydal Reveals Debut Was ‘Last Minute’

Matt Sydal recently sat down with Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone for the AEW Unrestricted Podcast where the three talked about Sydal’s AEW run to date, amongst many other things.

Sydal revealed that his debut at AEW All Out 2020 as part of the Casino Battle Royal was a last minute appearance:

He said “That was absolutely a last minute thing. I think I got the call on Friday, and the pay-per-view was Saturday. It was relatively short notice, and it sounded like a great opportunity and a good way to get the ball rolling. We got our foot in the door right there. That led to some more work. I wrestled Eddie Kingston on Dynamite, Shawn Spears on that late night Dark. So I’ve had my hands full since the All Out Battle Royal.”

Sydal initially only joined AEW for a handful of appearances on a handshake deal, but eventually signed full-time with the promotion:

“It was a little while, but I’m old school enough to be on a handshake and a ‘hey, see you next week’ kind of thing. But it was really nice. I think it was literally 11/11 of 2019 when I got the paperwork, and we were able to work out a deal.”

As for Sydal’s future as part of the AEW roster, the former Evan Bourne revealed he has his mind focused on becoming AEW TNT Champion:

“Absolutely, that’s not a New Year’s resolution. That’s part of what I’ve been meditating on and thinking on, thinking what it would feel like to be the champion, what it would feel like to have that responsibility, what it would feel like to be champion in AEW so I focus on what it would feel like, and then I’m just going to do the work and get myself there. And the only problem is guys like Cody are already doing the work extremely hard, and so it’s a new environment for me.

“I’m really acclimating myself, but I have no doubt in my ability to become that TNT Champion.”

Credit: AEW Unrestricted  H/T: Wrestling Inc. for the transcription