AEW star Shawn Spears was a recently interviewed by Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture to talk all things pro-wrestling, including how WWE offered him a coaching position and why he believes he is AEW’s most well-rounded performer. Highlights from the interview are below.
Reveals WWE offered him a coaching position:
In terms of the coaching aspect and things like that, I’ve always been someone that prides themselves in helping young talent. I have a school in Florida for that exact reason. I believe in giving back to the industry of professional wrestling that has given me a great deal in my life. Having said that, I am not ready to be a coach in AEW. WWE asked me to be a coach 3 times before I left. I took that as a back-handed stab at my in-ring ability, meaning you’re probably as good as you’re gonna be, you’re probably past your peak, maybe we should transition into some coaching. I don’t feel that, I feel I have a great deal to give. I still have a lot to accomplish, I haven’t hit many of the goals I‘ve set for myself… I also haven’t been in the main event scene, so I haven’t had to break my body for 20 or 30 minutes every night for 5, 6, 7,10 years on a consistent basis. I probably still have easily another 5,6,7 years of in-ring ability if I choose to, with ease, because I feel fantastic… In order to stay ahead of the young talent, you have to pay attention. You have to see what young talents are doing, and I see what a lot of young talents are doing, they are taking a lot of risks, high risks, hoping for high rewards and with that comes a lot of high deal of danger/risks…
Calls himself one of the most well-rounded performers in AEW:
I think in my time in AEW, I haven’t been put in a very prominent position. I came in very high profile against Cody, which anybody in that spot is gonna be high profile when you’re facing a guy like that but that was in a time when there was no AEW Dynamite yet that received a lot of attention. Since then I think I have shown a lot of versatility…and I ‘ve proven that I am pound for pound the most well rounded performer AEW has. I even put myself up against anybody on that roster in terms of being able to adapt to any situation on any given night, in any given moment and that just comes with nearly twenty years of experience and paying attention to the guys that I’ve tried to emulate throughout my career… I also feel I’ve earned trust, because I believe in doing the right thing, I believe in professionalism, I believe in putting on the best possible match regardless of the scenario for our audience.
Full interview can be found below. (H/T and transcribed by Post Wrestling)
