Former AEW Talent Thinks Some People Had Way Too Much Stroke In The Company

It’s an inevitable fact in all walks of life; some people will have more say in certain situations than others, even if they’re technically on the same page. We see it in all facets of everyday life, and that too includes professional wrestling.

There are numerous examples of certain wrestlers having the booker’s ear or having a greater say on the culture and workings of any particular promotion, and according to Bobby Fish on K100 w/ Konnan and Disco, some within AEW had ‘way too much stroke’:

"Quite a lot less structure. Quite a bit more freedom, which at first, I think a lot of the boys kind of welcome it, but then you experience it for a little while and it gets a little frustrating to be totally honest,” said Fish on the jump from NXT to AEW. “I think some people did have way too much stroke, for sure, but I think some of those people, that's how they operate and that's how they get over. Those people are just gonna be who they're gonna be. I'm not one of them. You know, I couldn't tell you the difference between a Democrat and a Republican. I don't play that game. I always let my physical speak for itself because I've been doing athletics my whole life.”

Fish continued;

“I do think that there's a middle ground where there's too much structure, there's not enough structure, and there's a sweet spot in the middle, and I think they're closer to maybe too much freedom, and the boys sometimes need to be saved from the boys. They're their own worst enemy.

"The inmates cannot run the asylum. There has to be a governor put on. The creativity is great, but like I said, there has to be a governor for it, something that funnels it into something constructive, as opposed to, you know, I mean, how many times are people just trying to get their sh*t in or suspicious of like, ‘Oh, well, this guy's just trying to get his sh*t in.' That creates dissension. That doesn't create unity in the locker room. That's where I think a company can be successful is when it feels like, okay, well, you know, we're going out there to put on the best goddamn show we can put on, and I'll say this. I mean, that's what NXT Black and Gold felt like, the TakeOvers. It felt like it was seven to eight matches and everybody was getting a decent amount of time and stories the fans were invested in, so we're all gonna go out there and just try to have a great show."

Fish was part of AEW from October 2021 until August 2022.

H/T: WrestlingNews.co