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As you’re likely aware if you’ve spent much time on this or any other wrestling website lately, TNA has decided its stars will no longer be facing AEW talent on independent shows. This has resulted in the cancelation of two announced matches, and become a major talking point for anyone who’s been concerned about TKO/WWE’s efforts to control the entire business of pro wrestling.
AEW sees itself as a big part of holding the line against a WWE-run industry. And while they seem to have largely opted to focus on their own product instead of lobbing verbal grenades at the opposition lately, they’re still a “challenger brand” and see this as an opportunity to grow at their rival’s expense.
President and head of creative Tony Khan has thus far taken the high road, but his World champ Maxwell Jacob Friedman (whose announced match with TNA’s Nic Nemeth for Create A Pro was one of those cut by TNA president Carlos Silva’s new policy) hasn’t held back with his criticism. And AEW exec and Create A Pro owner Pat Buck followed suit, albeit with fewer curse words.
Now, two more big AEW names have offered their thoughts.
Kenny Omega discussed the issue with SI.com’s The Takedown. The EVP talked more generally about the issue of wrestlers contracted to one company facing wrestlers contracted to another, admitting it’s a challenge — but not an insurmountable one.
“If you’re in a bubble for too long and you failed to realize what exists outside your bubble and how small your bubble is, and in this case, we’re talking about professional wrestling, I think you start to run into problems like this where someone will think that they’re better than somebody else, and that there is no reason to work together, and they don’t see the upside.
“They can only look at the negatives and the downsides. And I still think that we’re in a place where professional wrestling can still be more than what it is. And I do think that if there were situations where we could all play nice with each other, then I really do think that business as a whole would move in towards more of a positive direction, we’d see more of a positive trend.
“I do think that at the end of the day, if everyone were to really just sit down and figure out a way to make it happen, it’s more than doable. We’ve seen it in other sports, other forms of media. This isn’t just a thing that’s unique to professional wrestling…
“I really do think that with how passionately I do feel about working together with everybody and anybody, that I think Tony would hear me out and also entertain the idea as well. I think it’d be great for fans, and I think at the end of the day, too, it’s only a net-positive for all of professional wrestling.”
Former New Japan now AEW star Will Ospreay was much more direct. The long-time TNA fan’s quote to Josh Martinez starts by remembered when WWE and NJPW worked together so he could wrestlers Pete Dunne:
“I remember New Japan were a little bit like, ‘Hey, you can do the match but we’re a little bit like wanting to know what’s going to be happening in the match, if you know what I mean. And we had to get a lot of things ironed out and sorted. Pete’s always a cool guy.
“But the fact that WWE and New Japan let that match happen and TNA out of all people, like who the fuck do you think you guys are? I’m sorry but it’s like all the shit talk that they were giving about being a number two and it’s like you want to give permission for these guys to do that match and then pull them? I think that’s cowardly shit, I’ll be honest with you.
“I think that says everything about what you view your talent as. You view them less than AEW talent and that they don’t want to grow and that they don’t want to develop and that they don’t want to give back to fans. So that’s my kind of standpoint on it. And that’s me being a hard TNA fan. Those beginning years that I watched, that 04 to 05 era will always be my favorite era in wrestling especially.”
Will these arguments resonate with fans? Or are Omega and Opsreay just preaching to the choir?
