Backstage issues with certain AEW talent have some fans wondering what is going on with the company’s leadership, with some comparing it to the toxic WCW locker room.
Wade Keller stated in an audio update on PWTorch.com that three names have stepped up as backstage leaders, that everything is fine backstage, and that rumors that things are in disarray are overblown.
Keller stated, “One thing that I am hearing from people I talk to in AEW, active wrestlers and otherwise, is that one good thing that came out of this Punk, Kenny, Bucks situation is that the leadership void or the leadership slots have been firmly filled by Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson. None of the three is a perfect leader. But the three collectively are stabilizing to that locker room. And I’m not going to do a long thing about the shortcomings of each of them as leaders. Like I said, not one of them is the perfect leader for this moment in time in that locker room. But all three are good leaders. And collectively, they can help steer the ship. This locker room and AEW is not in disarray. And I’ve been reporting this too the last couple of months even before the Punk thing. I was told it’s not as bad as the headlines make it seem.”
Keller did mention that there have been issues between certain groups of people, but nothing out of the ordinary, and that things are generally fine backstage.
Keller said, “You have what’s going on with Britt Baker’s camp and Thunder Rosa’s camp. You have Sammy Guevara being immature and a lightning rod for controversy and making bad decisions. People like Sammy, but they groan at Sammy’s decision-making. You had Andrade doing what he did for whatever purposes he did it. Maybe he wanted to be part of Legado Del Fantasma and he was trying to play that card. Maybe not. Maybe he just got irritated by Sammy and needed to do what he did. But whatever that was, that was another incident, and then also the Sammy and Eddie Kingston thing, of course. And you had the MJF controversy. And then you had the Punk, Kenny, Bucks thing. The Thunder Rosa-Britt Baker thing is not solved. I don’t know how the Sammy situation will be addressed going forward. But I think there’s been two high profile situations with Sammy that its sort of like two strikes. So I think he’s going to have to grow up and mature a little bit. And I think there’s going to be some leadership steering him in that direction now.”
Keller also reiterated what he said weeks ago – CM Punk is unlikely to return and is likely to work out a contract buyout. Keller also stated that he believes The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega will make a comeback at some point.
