Indy sensation Junior Benito joined me for this exclusive interview. We discussed his recent appearances on AEW Dark, how it felt being punched by Jade Cargill, being in the ring with Satnam Singh, if the door is open for his return to AEW, getting the biggest win of his career against Davey Richards, and more.
Below is the complete PWMania.com interview with Junior Benito:
You recently made your AEW Dark debut. How did that all come about?
“The opportunity came about very fast to a point where I couldn’t really process it all when it was happening. The experience overall was very great! It really was a treat to get a glimpse of the production of a televised wrestling show.”
Who from AEW initially contacted you?
“No one contacted me. I was just referenced by Evil Uno, who is my trainer, and it all happened from there.”
What was it like being in the ring with Satnam Singh?
“Simply put, scary. I’ve never been in the presence, let alone in the ring, of someone that tall, so scary is probably the best way to put it.”
As the match you were in was basically a squash match, was there any disappointment on your part that you didn’t get to showcase your offensive skills and show AEW what you are capable of?
“Oh not at all. The mentality I had coming into it was to do the best with the opportunity I had because you never if one minor opportunity could lead to a bigger one. I know the time will come when I will be asked to do more and I’ll be ready when that time comes.”
You also had the role of a Security Guard and got destroyed by Jade Cargill. How hard does she actually hit? And what was that experience like? Did you speak with Jade after the segment?
“She hits incredibly hard. If anyone second-guesses her power I strongly suggest that they watch the clip. The experience was wonderful! I did not speak with anybody afterward, it was all business over there which I found was pretty cool.”
Is the door open for you to return to AEW in the future?
“The door is always open. It’s up to me to find a way to make an impact and get a buzz in the business that is big enough for me to get another opportunity.”
You recently had an absolutely fantastic match with another indy sensation Alec Price. That match was high-speed from start to finish. Your thoughts on that match and Alec Price.
“That match was definitely a high-speed match no doubt and I had a really fun time. The crowd’s energy was electric, to say the least and we were feeding off of that energy wonderfully. Alec Price is incredible. I have no doubt that we will be seeing a lot more of him not only in Canada, but all over the wrestling scene real soon.”
Will we see many more Junior Benito vs. Alec Price matches?
“I selfishly wish I could wrestle Alec Price all the time!”
How big was it for you to get that victory in September against Davey Richards and are you going to call Court Bauer and demand a shot at the MLW Openweight title?
“That victory against Davey Richards was, most definitely, the biggest victory of my career up until now and to be honest, I’d love to hopefully work for MLW in the future. But I know that I will have to work my way to an opportunity for that Openweight Championship”.
What are your goals for 2023?
“For 2023, my main goals are 1. To wrestle in new Countries all around the world. Mexico, Germany, Italy are a few of the many places ‘d really love to wrestle in the near future. 2. To wrestle the best wrestlers in the world.”
