The genre of professional wrestling blurs the line of reality to draw money so it’s not surprising in the least that the rumor mill will lend itself to the genre that is based on not knowing where the script starts and ends. In truth, that’s fine and I’d argue in some ways how it should be, the belief in the characters on-screen is what allows for an emotional investment by the crowd, which is ultimately the key to drawing money. Otherwise, professional wrestling becomes interchangeable with any other entertainment option.
That being said, in the social media age, it becomes a very difficult balancing act, as fans inherently have more access to performers, and the modern technology that goes along with social media gives fans and contemporaries a platform to voice their opinions, regardless of how ill-informed they may or may not be.
A dirt sheet was, and in some respects still is, a niche concept for a niche audience. The vast majority of wrestling fans have no idea who Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, or others are, which is by design, as that’s the premise of the “inside scoop” on the industry. However, and this is where the modern era differs so much from the past in terms of the access to talent, the stories that are reported by those dirt sheets can make their way to more fans through the blurbs on social media. Some local yokel in Alabama has never heard of Meltzer, but reports of free agency might become known on social media.
The tough part of this for talent is, more of their personal lives away from the camera become revealed to more of the public than it would’ve been otherwise, which makes it more of a challenge to navigate a career in the public eye than it was previously. For example, if Ric Flair was dancing on a pool table in just his robe in 1986, he didn’t have to explain himself to the public because only a few dozen people in the bar would’ve seen it, and nobody had a smart phone to record it. By contrast, we’ve seen how Flair’s actions in the modern era have brought him negative publicity because of not only what can be captured on a smart phone, but how it can be distributed through social media.
That’s why the story making the rounds about Britt Baker’s status in All Elite Wrestling is perhaps something that reporters or podcasters should tread lightly when covering, especially given the personal turn the story has taken within the past week.
The Pro Wrestling Torch’s Wade Keller recently reported that the word from sources within All Elite Wrestling was that Britt Baker was essentially being kept home because she was too difficult to deal with behind the scenes. On the surface, this isn’t a shocking revelation because that’s more or less the protocol when there’s any sort or dispute or disagreement backstage. Rey Fenix, Ricky Starks, Miro, and supposedly Malakai Black are all on ice for a variety of reasons. If Baker was difficult to work with, it wouldn’t be shocking if Tony Khan decided to address the situation in a similar fashion.
However, as the story picked up traction online, the speculation increased to include the possibility that Baker might basically be done with All Elite Wrestling with the notion that she would simply be kept off of television for the duration of her AEW deal, which was said to not be close to finished, according to The Wrestling Observer.
This is where things get murky, and depending on the actual status of the scenario, could have a direct impact on Baker’s career.
The DMD was one of the original competitors added to the women’s division, and although her inexperience showed at times, it was generally thought that she had a lot of potential to develop into a star for the organization. Almost five years later, similar to many other aspects of the AEW project that were thought to have potential, there hasn’t been a major boost in Baker’s status that truly cemented her as one of the pillars of the promotion. There’s a variety of reasons for that, but one of the biggest is that she has proven to be injury prone throughout her stint in All Elite Wrestling. During the early portion of her run, she suffered a broken nose that required surgery, a fractured leg kept her out of the ring for most of the second half of 2020, but she still appeared on television, and prior to her most recent return to TV, she was on hiatus from the company for more than eight months because of two herniated discs. She also said she suffered a series of mini strokes related to injuries when she was on the sidelines for most of 2024. Speaking of her return to Dynamite, it was rather brief, as she returned in June of last year and worked only five matches until she was away from the shows again in mid-November.
During the course of the five months she was back on the active roster, she was briefly suspended for a few weeks because of a reported confrontation with MJF’s real-life girlfriend, Alica Atout backstage. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time that there were rumors of problems with her behind the scenes. Of course, you have to take some of those reports with a grain of salt because only those that were there know if there was anything to the speculation, and it’s very rare that anyone will comment on those topics publicly. Reportedly, Baker is not on good terms with Jamie Hayter, which is why their involvement on-screen was dropped without explanation. There was also chatter that Baker and Thunder Rosa, who had her own backstage issues in the past, aren’t on good terms either. Furthermore, Baker expressed frustration on social media about the lack of time given to the women’s division previously.
On one hand, if there’s smoke, sometimes there’s fire, and in this case, there might be too many incidents, including the suspension, to dismiss the story completely. On the other hand, it’s possible that an internet reporter ran with the story that was only partially true and it gained steam without merit or confirmation.
One thing is for sure, if Baker is healthy, it would be a rather odd decision to keep her home after she was already away from the company for eight months because of the prior health scare. Particularly with the often erratic nature of Tony Khan booking, it’s out of sight, out of mind in regards to when a talent disappears from television. The 33-year-old wrestler is theoretically in the prime of her career and still has the skills to be a major star for the company. On the surface, Baker is a very valuable asset to a promotion, even besides her skills in the ring. You’d think that the wrestling dentist would be a great representative for the company, specifically for local media appearances to promote upcoming AEW events in those markets.
The fact that she isn’t doing those things and hasn’t been spotlighted to be put in a position to be more of a representative of the company might be a red flag in itself.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to criticize her, I actually met her a few years ago and she was polite, and of course, it’s pure speculation with the online chatter, but the story became a topic of conversation because given how talented she is, it appears like there’s probably a reason that she’s been away from the company. Former lucha libre and WCW star, Konnan chimed in on his podcast and explained his negative interaction with Baker when he was backstage at AEW previously. He went on to claim that the reason that Baker and Adam Cole ended their relationship was that Baker was unfaithful. When Cole addressed the split in an interview, he claimed that the two were still on good terms despite the end of their relationship. Adam Cole has a reputation as a great guy, which is why nobody has anything negative to say about him. That’s very rare for the pro wrestling business, but I actually met Cole as well, and he definitely is one of the nicest wrestlers you’re going to meet. However, Konnan was out of line with the accusation unless he had some type of proof, and even if he did, maybe it wasn’t his place to reveal anything, considering that Cole already took the high road publicly.
Given Cole’s polite reputation, the accusations of infidelity could paint Baker in a very negative light, which could affect her marketability to the public. Obviously, infidelity is very sleazy, but accusations about it probably don’t have a place on a pro wrestling podcast.
The biggest takeaway from this story, especially if the original premise is accurate, is that it would be extremely disappointing if someone as talented as Baker is too difficult to work with to live up to her full potential. That being said, it wouldn’t be the first time and won’t be the last time that someone in the pro wrestling business fumbled their chance to be a major star. If Britt Baker is on ice for the duration of her AEW contract, she might be content to continue to work as a dentist away from the business, which might ultimately be her decision anyway. She has a solid career away from professional wrestling so a return to the ring might not be a priority in her career. Still, it’s another story of backstage disagreements in AEW, which doesn’t help the perception of the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
