During a recent edition of his “Keepin’ It 100” podcast, Konnan commented on the recent acquisition of AAA by WWE and what it means for the future of the lucha libre organization.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On if he will be part of WWE’s creative team with the acquisition: “I am going to be on the creative time.”
On who he will be working under: “Dorian [Roldan], Hunter [Triple H] and HBK [Shawn Michaels].”
On if he will be working with Jeremy Borash in AAA: “He could be. He’s a creative genius, no doubt about it. There is nothing more fun wrestling with your friends or working with your friends. He’s a good friend, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
On why this is a positive move for AAA: “Here’s the thing I’ve always been telling people, but the fans are so passionate and some are too fanatical. Our problem in AAA isn’t our talent, it isn’t our booking, it’s that we didn’t have any money. They said in WWE that if you put all our TVs together for one year, it’s not as much as they spend on one TV in the United States. We’re working with WWE. It doesn’t get any better than that. Our show will look a lot better and we’ll be able to work with their talent, not just NXT talent. Now, with money, you’ll see what we can do.”
On why the company was sold: “The reason they sold the company is not because we were going out of business. The reason they sold the company is because Dorian Roldan put his ego to the side and he understood we could never grow if we didn’t have help and capital. Now, we have it. Business was not bad. If business was bad, and this is very well documented, the last two years, all of our TVs have been from 85% to full. Our business is not bad. The only thing we’re going to give you is a much better, finished product. That benefits everybody, and more work to a lot of people, and more work to all the Latinos, that a lot of people complain and say, ‘Why aren’t they being used correctly?’ Now, they will.”
During a recent conversation with Maven on Maven’s YouTube channel, AEW wrestler and former WWE Superstar Shelton Benjamin reflected on the 2006 storyline where he was managed by his on-screen “mother,” Mama Benjamin (played by Thea Vidal). Benjamin revealed that Vince McMahon originally suggested involving his real-life mother in the angle. However, Benjamin declined, explaining that he didn’t want his actual mother traveling on the road or spending time around people like Randy Orton at that time.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On Vince McMahon asking to use his real mother for the angle: “Vince actually asked me, ‘Do you want to use your real mama for this?’ My response, ‘Hell no.’ I don’t want to be on the road with my mom, but more importantly, you know how our locker room was at the time, how certain individuals were, and I’ll even throw Randy’s name in there because he was one of the ones I would worry about.”
On how “Old Randy” was a problem: “Old Randy [Orton] was a problem. Him and other people as well. But if I brought my real mom onto here, and anyone said anything out of line to my mama, my real mother? I’d be fired, and someone would be well… That’s scorched Earth. You don’t mess with my mama.”
On what his mom thought about the storyline: “Oh, my mom loved it. She was people were going around town like they were calling her, ‘Mama Benjamin,’ she was loving it. They actually met. We did a show in South Carolina, and my TV mom met my real mom.”
(h/t – Fightful)
