On the latest episode of his “Marking Out with MVP” podcast, MVP opened up about his approach to mentoring younger talent in the wrestling business. The former WWE United States Champion made it clear that his advice is never about politics — it’s about elevating the overall product.
“I have a reputation in the industry for not doing politics,” MVP said. “My reason for giving advice is because I genuinely want you to do better. Because if you do better, we do better. The more people you have on a show that are performing at a higher level… we all do better. The fans do better. Everybody benefits.”
MVP highlighted one particular issue he often critiques in modern wrestling: the overuse of false finishes — a trend he believes can weaken crowd reactions if not timed correctly.
“There are a few of the younger guys on AEW, where I’ve told them, ‘Hey, everything was great, but you had too many false finishes. You didn’t need all those false finishes,’” MVP explained.
He noted that the difference is audible in the fan response.
“You can hear it because the first false finish, ‘Oh!’ And the second false finish, ‘Oh.’ And that third false finish, ‘Oh.’ And that fourth false finish… Oh, you had them. It takes a while to get that experience to know when to say, ‘No, take it home now. They’re not going to get any higher than this. Let’s go.’”
MVP also shared that some talents, such as AEW’s Kyle Fletcher, have been receptive to his feedback.
“There’s been times when I’ve talked to like Kyle Fletcher… and he said, ‘Yeah, you’re right. I heard it. I got it.’ You know, don’t work against yourself.”
However, he acknowledged that not everyone is eager to take advice — a reality he understands from his own early days.
“I’m certain that there have been young people that have heard me give them advice that said, ‘F*** that guy,’ because I did it when I was a young guy,” MVP admitted. “You know, some of these older guys, man, ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just old. You’re just lazy.’”
Despite that, MVP remains steadfast in his mission to help future generations of wrestlers grow — not out of ego, but out of passion for the business.
