Wrestling veterans highlight AEW’s misuse and ‘prejudice against the big guys’
Two wrestling veterans recently discussed AEW's apparent mishandling of and 'prejudice' against the big-man athletes on its roster. The veterans in question are Mark Henry and Bully Ray.
All Elite Wrestling is held in high regard by fans and viewers for its diverse spectrum of talent from across the globe. The promotion employs wrestlers of various builds and skillsets, although it has often come under criticism for supposedly not being able to properly book some of the larger athletes on the roster, such as Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Luchasaurus, Miro, and Wardlow, to name a few.
During a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray and Mark Henry addressed AEW's alleged underutilization of its big-man wrestlers, specifically bringing up the instance of Miro presumably in light of recent reports claiming that The Redeemer had requested his release from the Tony Khan-led company.
"Miro is gone, so listen - the Miro Experiment in AEW did not work at all and it's not because of Miro," Bully said.
Henry and Ray also discussed the programming absence of Satnam Singh and Wardlow. The latter further drew a parallel between Mr. Mayhem and WCW legend Goldberg, arguing that Tony Khan should try to capitalize on Wardlow's popularity with the fans in spite of the former TNT Champion's potential in-ring limitations.
"Because Goldberg wasn't that talented when he began either," Bully stated. "But he was over, and Eric [Bischoff] knew how to market him and [AEW] didn't know how to market Wardlow." [H/T - WrestlingInc.]
Wardlow was last seen in action on Dynamite: Big Business 2024, unsuccessfully challenging Samoa Joe for the All Elite Wrestling World Title.
Mark Henry thinks Jon Moxley will introduce a new AEW World Title belt
This past Saturday at WrestleDream 2024, Jon Moxley dethroned Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship, ending the latter's full-time career in the process. The One True King of All Elite Wrestling also directed a vicious post-match assault on The American Dragon, carried out by his former BCC stable-mates Claudio Castagnoli and, shockingly, Wheeler Yuta.
Speaking on the subject on Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry speculated that Moxley could potentially unveil a new world championship belt, which would represent the ideology of the re-formed Blackpool Combat Club while also distancing it from Bryan Danielson's belt, which had signified his own vision of the Jacksonville-based promotion.
It remains to be seen what Tony Khan and his creative team have in store for All Elite fans this week on Dynamite.