Wrestling legend says AEW stars could be leaking backstage information due to a major reason
Over the past few months, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has garnered a negative spotlight due to the increased frequency of backstage leaks, resulting in confidential matters of the company becoming public. The detrimental effects of such leaks were on full display during the entire CM Punk- Jack Perry conflict that imploded at AEW's most ambitious event, All In.
The information about a backstage altercation and brawl unfolding at the pay-per-view, which should have been kept under wraps, got leaked and tainted the success of the professional wrestling spectacle organized by the Jacksonville-based company. The incident led to the firing of CM Punk and the suspension of Jack Perry by the company.
Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, Mantell shared his take on the backstage leaks in All Elite Wrestling. The veteran said that AEW talent might have been told not to do interviews, and this could be their reason for leaking information, as there was no other way to talk. The 73-year-old thinks that they need to be counseled about not doing it.
"So if AEW guys are told not to do interviews, that may be one of the signs of why they're leaking things to the dirt sheets, because they can't talk otherwise. I think that's a bad business decision, and I think those guys need to be sat down and say 'don't talk out of school'," Dutch Mantell said.
Dutch Mantell talks about AEW Collision's poor ratings, says Tony Khan might be "under pressure"
The recent edition of Collision reportedly had a fall in viewership compared to the previous week, despite featuring a blockbuster main event World Title match between Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Kenny Omega. The show competed with the World Series and College Football matches on Television.
During the Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell said AEW could have averted the disaster and garnered 300,000 more people if it had taken the right steps. The veteran also said that Tony Khan is learning on the job and might be reeling under pressure to get better ratings.
"Now, if they had probably situated this where it didn't have a lot of competition, it may have did 700- 750,000. It may have done 300,000 more people. But, I think Tony may be under pressure from the Network to turn a rating. And when you are under pressure buddy, I've been there, you say screw it, I'll throw this in there. Really (that's) what Tony Khan is doing, and has done, and he's had a few successes, but he is learning on the job. It's on-the-job training," Dutch Mantell said. (56:27 to 57:15)
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