There are apparently some wrestlers in AEW who really don’t want to stare at the lights on television. A new backstage report claims certain talent have actually pushed back on taking pins, with some wrestlers apparently happier getting pushed in ROH than showing up on Dynamite just to lose.
Speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro claimed this isn’t just a case of one or two wrestlers being difficult about doing jobs. According to the report, there are plenty of people hanging around AEW’s midcard who aren’t exactly excited about losing on television every week.
“They’re not the only people that don’t love to job. There are plenty of people in AEW populating your favorite midcard that don’t like losing on TV every week.”
Things apparently get even more interesting inside the Don Callis Family. Self Made Pro claimed there are members of the group who haven’t won a single match this year but have still turned down taking pins on television.
“There are people in the Don Callis Family who have won zero matches this year that have also turned down jobbing and eating pins on TV.”
Nobody was named, so there’s no point playing detective with the Don Callis Family roster. But the report claims this attitude has also helped keep certain wrestlers over in Ring of Honor. Apparently, some would rather actually get pushed there than pop up on Dynamite just to put somebody else over.
“There are guys in Ring of Honor mainly because they’d rather be on Ring of Honor pushed than jobbing on Dynamite.”
Self Made Pro also argued that it’s pretty easy for established main eventers like Will Ospreay and Hangman Page to be team players. Those guys already know one loss isn’t going to suddenly knock them down the card.
“There’s no issues when it comes to being team players when you’re Will Ospreay or Hangman Page, because they’re main eventers. They’re gonna be okay. The no-job people in AEW, or who pout about jobbing — it’s easier to be all about the team when your spot is solidified.”
For somebody fighting just to keep their spot, though, taking another loss can apparently feel a whole lot different. Self Made Pro said some wrestlers are naturally thinking about their own future before worrying about whether losing makes for a great angle.
“But when you’re worried about your own stock in AEW, it becomes, ‘What happens to me?’ rather than, like, ‘Oh, this is a great angle,’ because the priority is yourself, because you don’t know what’s gonna happen to yourself, and there are plenty of people like that.”
That concern makes a little more sense with another recent Self Made Pro report claiming some lower-card AEW contracts could simply be allowed to expire rather than being renewed. If wrestlers already aren’t sure where they stand, apparently some of them aren’t too interested in making that situation worse by becoming the person everybody beats on TV.
What do you make of the reported situation with some AEW talent behind the scenes, and how much control should wrestlers have over their own booking? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
