“Someone Needs To Rein Some Of These Guys In” – Mick Foley On How AEW Can Improve

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has given his thoughts on what AEW and its talent need to do to improve and grow the promotion.

Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Foley said:

“They’ve got an amazing talent roster, but with the exception of eight to ten guys, you’ve got a lot of guys who haven’t worked full-time for a promotion and haven’t had the chance to make mistakes in a smaller venue. I’m sure you will see the growth of the AEW characters as they go but in the meantime, you get to see some of the mistakes being made on live television.

“Some of the guys have grown up yearning after the ‘this is awesome’ chant but haven’t had the experience being in angles that need to draw money. For guys of my era, there was a very real sense that if the angle wasn’t successful, you didn’t draw at the houses. There was no ancillary means of income. I’m not down on the guys but I think you’re seeing some inexperience when it comes to shooting angles and performing for the camera. It’s an admirable trait that they want to have the best match that they can, but every guy wanting to have the best match at every venue doesn’t necessarily lead to the best promotion. I think someone needs to rein some of these guys in. NXT’s advantage is their guys have been trained to work for the camera and having more seasoned stars and a dedicating team writing for them. In the end, it comes down to who has the ability to tell longterm stories and get the audience engaged.”

Foley continued, noting some of the specific matches he thinks AEW may have missed the mark with:

“I thought they rushed [Cody vs. Jericho], maybe they’re not showing the patience they need to. I would say Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega shouldn’t have had their first match in a wild; anything goes environment. But these are mistakes out of wanting to give people the absolute best product they can. I do think there should be somebody reining in that enthusiasm.”

Thanks to Fightful for the transcription