Frankie Kazarian knew he still belonged in the starting lineup. AEW just wasn’t giving him the ball.
During an appearance on RVD’s 1 of a Kind podcast, Kazarian opened up about his decision to walk away from AEW and return to TNA. He said the move allowed him to bet on himself after spending too much time sitting on the sidelines.
Kazarian made it clear that wrestling stopped feeling like a chore once he returned to the company where he had already built a major part of his career.
“I’m certainly having fun again. I kind of fell back in love with pro wrestling, and yeah, I bet on myself.”
Kazarian said he believed he was still capable of being one of the featured players in AEW. When that opportunity never came, he decided there was no reason to remain on the bench.
“I was sitting on the bench, and I still should have been in the starting lineup. If I wasn’t going to get that opportunity, cool, that’s completely fine—but I’m going to go take that opportunity somewhere else. And I did.”
That decision paid off. Kazarian has been able to work longer matches, deliver extended promos and prove that he can still operate as a top-level performer in TNA.
“Dare I say, it’s been the funnest, most rewarding almost four years of my career being back here and showing that I could be a top guy in the company, being able to go out there, cut 10-minute promos and have great matches with anybody on the roster. It’s been super rewarding.”
Kazarian didn’t wait around for AEW to change its plans. He found another company willing to let him show what he could do, and he believes the last four years have become one of the strongest stretches of his entire career.
Do you think AEW wasted Frankie Kazarian, or was leaving for TNA the best move he could have made? Let us know what you think in the comments.
