All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Shawn Spears was recently interviewed by Muscle & Fitness to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Spears discussed getting to work with Tully Blanchard, getting a more serious run in AEW, and NXT going head-to-head with AEW.
Here are the highlights:
Working with Tully Blanchard:
If you would have told me six months ago, a year ago that I would be in another company, that I would be standing alongside Tully Blanchard, that I would be in one of the co-main events for All Out, I would have said you are absolutely crazy. But this is a crazy industry, and it changes. And now I find myself standing alongside arguably, one quarter of the greatest faction (The Four Horsemen).
I went out to San Antonio about a month ago, and that’s where Tully lives. I was able to spend the day with him. I went to his house, we had dinner, and we actually went to the gym together as well. This guy is still a machine Opens a New Window. (at 65). He still does 500 squats per week, like he did back in the day Opens a New Window. with Ric Flair. I heard a lot of stories [from Tully] about the Rhodes family, and their history and lineage, and about how Tully went to war with Dusty on a very regular basis, probably more than anybody else.
This is why I enquired about his services to begin with, we are carrying on that tradition. I am carrying on the tradition, going to war with a Rhodes. That’s our focus and we are all business.
Getting a more serious role in AEW:
I take great pride in being able to work Opens a New Window. with anybody. Whether it be a brand-new talent Opens a New Window. , whether it be someone who has been in wrestling Opens a New Window. for four or five years, or even 15 to 20, I take pride in being able to cover the spectrum when it comes down to match preparation and execution. But that can also pigeonhole you, and I was pigeonholed for quite a long time.
On one hand, I was very reliable when they (WWE Opens a New Window. ) needed something done. I was there and I got it done, but at the same time I couldn’t break through the glass ceiling that seemed to be placed over my head. Now, that has changed. I have taken my career into my own hands, been given an opportunity to be on a worldwide platform (in AEW) with no restrictions. Now, this is all on me.
Now there’s no more “Oh, well, maybe you are being held back or it’s not him it’s creative.” I want all that out of the way, I want everything to fall on my shoulders now. Regardless of what happens, when I’m seventy years old, I can look back and say that I did this the way I wanted to, on my terms, and I gave it everything I got.
NXT going head-to-head with AEW:
I think no matter who is on, on whatever timeslot, everyone is going to be motivated regardless. We are gonna do our thing on Wednesday nights, we’re gonna tear it up and if you watch, fantastic, we think you are in for one hell of a treat and if you don’t watch, you are missing one hell of a show, it is really that simple.
But that is the beautiful thing about providing an alternative, it benefits the audience. Not just the audience of AEW, or WWE, or Impact, or Ring of Honor, it benefits the everyday casual wrestling fan. You now have another option. I can’t speak for everybody, but we are not looking at it as a head-to-head competition, where we need to knock these guys out of the water, we are going to go out there and do our thing.
