Matt Hardy commented on wanting to see a larger-than-life character in AEW during his podcast:
“I do think you do have to have characters that are larger than life to gain casual fans, people that don’t typically watch wrestling. There are some people that watch for a character and really don’t give a s*** about a five-star match. That’s what we do here, I’m speaking very openly and honestly. I think that’s something that’s very important that you have the Hulk Hogan’s who transcend time, characters like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, two of the best characters ever. I hope down the road AEW, we find someone who really carries that and they ooze that larger-than-life charisma that does draw in casual fans, and I think that’s one of the things we need to work towards our core base. If we can get someone in that position, then that’s an added bonus.”
“It’s hard, I feel like now the world is so interconnected and there’s like a genre of pro wrestling fans. Ratings have really changed a lot recently besides the way they have dropped down over the years, now I feel like the worlds more interconnected. I do think there are always times where you can get guys white-hot and have some sort of special quality about their character. That’s where I think AEW can stumble upon or personally create at some point.”
(quotes courtesy of WrestlingInc.com)
