Former AEW Star Feels She Wasn’t ‘Wasn’t In Control’ During Her Run

Tony Khan’s AEW has prided itself on allowing wrestlers to have creative input on their characters and storylines. Even “The Redeemer” Miro recently praised the company for allowing him to have more creative freedom compared to WWE. However, a former female talent’s story might suggest that it isn’t always sunny in AEW.

In an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, former TNA Knockouts Champion and Glow star Awesome Kong opened up about her brief time with AEW. Kong revealed that she wasn’t allowed to be in the same room where final creative decisions were made and felt “unheard.”

“I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the crew over there at AEW, especially since we were just up and running. We are all new executives and trying to think outside the box and really give it to y’all. Something new, something that hasn’t been seen. We’ve seen it all. We were trying to give you something that you haven’t seen. I felt unheard. I wasn’t in control. All I could do was say, ‘I have this idea of XYZ.’ I couldn’t get in the room where final decisions were made. Believe me, Kia [referring to her real name Kia Stevens] stalked that room. I would stay there after big meetings and pick up the water bottles and cups like, ‘Huh, Y’all need…you need me to go? Okay’ [Laughs]. I tried to get into that last meeting where decisions were made,” she said. “Never had a chance to. ‘That’s just not going to happen, so I’m not going to push it.’ When you see this [makes a box with her hands] is who they are comfortable with making decisions, that’s not a read or a critique, that’s just who was comfortable making decisions. What do you do? It’s out of my control. If I had control, give me 15 minutes of Kia. Kia’s 15 Minutes of Fame. ‘Go out there and steal the show from them boys. You, you, you. Nyla (Rose), go steal the show from the boys.’” 

Fans of Kong’s work would remember that she debuted at Double or Nothing three years ago. She would align herself with Brandi Rhodes and form a stable called The Nightmare Collective. The angle was dropped after fan backlash, and Kong herself would disappear from television. It was reported that the company decided not to renew Kong’s contract soon afterward.

Awesome Kong is best known for her work in TNA. During her tenure with the company, she became a two-time TNA Knockouts Champion. She announced her retirement from wrestling last year.

What do you make of Awesome Kong’s comments regarding AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.