Since its formation in 2019, AEW has been a company that lets wrestlers develop their own characters, though Tony Khan is the one booking the shows. That tactic is in stark contrast to how WWE operates, where the top-down system provides each performer with guidance on who they're supposed to be on TV. Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," Bully Ray shared some of his thoughts on the different processes.
"One of the great things about AEW is the hands-off approach to talent. One of the awful things about AEW is the hands-off [approach] with talent," Bully said. "How do I know this? Because me and Tommy came from a company where Paul [Heyman] was hands-off unless he had to put his hands on. 'Go be you.'"
Bully was referring to ECW, which was a strong influence on Khan from a young age. One of the ways that influence is reflected in AEW is through the company allowing its performers to be themselves onscreen. That freedom is difficult for some performers, but others flourish with it.
Blake Monroe, formerly known as Mariah May, was cited by Bully as someone who seems better suited to AEW's approach. The radio host doesn't feel that Monroe has popped on "WWE NXT" the way that she did in AEW, and Bully believes it's because she previously had much more freedom in developing her own character.
"They are creating her the way they want to create her, despite the fact that what she had created worked," Bully stated. "They hired Mariah May. Mariah May did such a phenomenal job in AEW that they went, 'Her. We need her. We want her.' Then they got her. You could change her name. I don't give a s**t about the name change, but let her be Mariah May."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
