AEW star and professional wrestling veteran MVP discussed various topics, including rumors of heat between him and fellow AEW star Mike Bailey, on an episode of his podcast, Marking Out.
MVP said, “So, let me elaborate on that. First things first. At no point did I ever say that I dislike Speedball Mike Bailey. I don’t have an issue with Speedball. We work together, we see each other, we shake hands, and we keep it moving. Like, there’s no issue there. I don’t have any problems with any of the talent that I work with at AEW. Mike Bailey’s one of the nicest guys around. I don’t have a problem with him… That’s bulls**t. Just just straight bulls**t.”
On his issue with wrestling news sites:
“I’ve never been a fan of the dirt sheets. And there’s a reason that they’ve been historically called the dirt sheets. You’re getting the dirt. And my personal opinion is that these people are leeches on my profession. They make a living off of my profession and they give absolutely nothing. I know there are certain wrestlers that do benefit because they get good write-ups and things like that. And I understand the the the way that the business has changed, especially uh as social media has come into play. When you have one of these influential dirt sheet writers give you uh a positive review, then because for whatever ridiculous reason — and I’ll get into that — so much gravitas is put on these idiots opinions, it can get you more bookings. It can get you more money. It can raise your popularity. So I think one of the problems is, we have a generation of wrestlers that are wrestling for an audience of one, instead of the audience that’s in the house. Because they want somebody to give them a favorable star rating. And I understand that, and it’s not totally their fault.”
On the appeal of wrestling news for fans:
“If I’m keeping it real — I mean, I get it. Because everybody wants to peek behind the curtain, you know? Everybody wants to know how the magician does his tricks. I get that. But as a wrestler, I feel like these people make a living off my career. But my business, they take and they give nothing. And I don’t see — I do see, like I said, for the younger wrestlers. I just don’t — professionally speaking, what happens in the booking room what happens in the locker room should stay in the locker room. Should stay in the office. It shouldn’t be fodder for fans. And in my opinion, they call themselves journalists. It’s yellow journalism. It’s rumor and innuendo. Gossip disguised as journalism. Because I’ve read so many things through the years reported about me that were just abjectly false. Just, there’s no truth at all. And every now and again there’s a kernel of truth. But I don’t want to spend too much time talking about these idiots because I have zero respect for them. You got guys like Chris Van Vleet that that do interviews. And that I respect. Uou want to talk to the wrestlers and get their opinions. But when you pass off rumor and innuendo as as facts ‘due to a source.’ A source? Well, put your name on your s**t, then. If you if you got something to say, then say it with your whole chest.
On his own integrity:
“You’ve known me for a long time. And if you’re a fan of MVP, I’m honest to a fault. I have never had a problem with saying who I don’t like. You know who I don’t like. I don’t bite my tongue. Some people love me for that and others hate me for that. And I’m good with that. You know why? Because I come as advertised. And when I look in the mirror, I’m okay with the guy that looks back.
On the veracity of wrestling news:
“So again, from a fan’s perspective, I understand why you — of course I get it. And for some of the younger wrestlers that are trying to come up that are really trying to get booked and get their names out there, I get that. But I don’t have any respect for that dirt sheet gossip. Because overwhelmingly what I see being reported, it’s just not true. And I’m not going to spend much more time addressing it because again, I’m a professional. And what happens in the locker room and what happens in the office should stay in the locker room in the office. You as fans should be able to watch the product and enjoy it without being concerned about who’s beefing with who in the locker room and all that. And to be honest, as far as I know, amongst talent at AEW I think everybody pretty much gets along amongst the talent. I mean yeah, you’re always going to have professional disagreements. And it’s everybody’ jockeying for a position. Everybody wants to be the top guy. So yeah, you’re going to have riffs and you’re going to have issues. But for the most part, I don’t know of anybody in the AEW locker room that has like legitimate beef with anybody.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
