AEW star and pro wrestling veteran QT Marshall spoke with Sports Illustrated on a number of topics, including why he turned down WWE and re-signed with the company.
Marshall said, “I have so many positives in wrestling when it comes to what I bring to the table. I make too many to the point where no one has a clue what to do with me, which is why I fit in so well at AEW because I don’t have just one role. I just do as much stuff as I possibly can. Of course, it dawned on me to think about it. I remember telling Tony a long time ago when Cody first went to WWE, ‘I’m never going to leave AEW to go work in the office at WWE. I just won’t do it. That’s such a large system’. I’m like Tony’s right-hand man. So why would I leave to go be number 7,000 in a company, work more hours, more days on the road, just to say I work for WWE? Like 20 years ago, of course, I would have done anything to work for WWE. Now, it’s different. If it was just talent related, and I told Tony this as well, ‘If they came to me and we spoke about just being a talent on the main roster, of course. I mean, that’s the dream.”
On talking with WWE:
“I had one conversation with somebody that doesn’t even work there anymore. I just got rubbed the wrong way during the conversation. It was like, ‘Hey, yeah, oh yeah, that’s great. All right. And I told him, like, yeah, all right, we’ll stay in touch’. To me, it was like I’m not staying in touch. I had all that time between November and January, so that on January 1 when that conversation did arise or January 2, whenever it was. It was like I kind of knew plus I had already spoken to Tony before that, so I kind of knew. I think I was just looking for a reason to say no.”
On Cody Rhodes going to WWE:
“I don’t know if it’s affected my relationship with Cody, but we’re still pretty close. But again, he has to do what’s best for him. I have to do what’s best for me. And for me, coming back to AEW as an employee, just working, getting my paycheck, and then being able to wrestle wherever I want with the exception of WWE. I don’t wanna say, whatever I want, but I could basically do whatever I want. So why would I leave that? I remember that when I spoke to Cody after I told him I was going to go back, and he was like, ‘Dude, I’m happy for you. Carry that flag, you know what I mean, and show people and own it then’. I said, ‘Ok I will’.”
